How Agile Delivery Services Are Transforming The Logistic Sector?

In past two decades, development and growth of several south East Asian countries have been unprecedented. Developing economies like China and India are making their mark on various global platforms, taking the reins of leadership directly in their hands. Out of all the sectors, retail and manufacturing business has shown a tremendous growth. Warehouses and logistics facilities are not confined to big cities only, real estate developers and business leaders are also keen on opening avenues in small urban cities

Logistics typically involves delivery of services and products to the client while maintaining its quality and quantity during the entire process. Companies like TCIEXPRESS, one of the fastest courier delivery services in India is also instrumental in transforming logistics sector in the country. ‘Promptness’ is the thumb rule of courier and logistics industry as delayed deliveries can damp the customer experience and blemish the brand name.

Logistics management is a complex and cumbersome sector. It involves material management, physical distribution, channel management, supply chain management, and labor management. From past few years, best courier services in India are also giving due importance to enhanced transportation facilities, technological advancement, improved infrastructure, record keeping, and integration to carry our work seamlessly. As far as TCI express is concerned, its TCI Xps tracking technique gives it a huge advantage over its competitors.         

Since Asian countries are finally trading in great volumes, it is affecting the logistic industry directly at the global level as well. The demand for integrated logistics solutions has tremendously increased, making Asian countries the pioneer in the logistics department. As far as India is concerned, a boost in logistics department has also fueled the rate of goods flowing. Overriding major sectors like mining and metal, the logistics industry in India is growing fast. Export processing zones located in major cities like Delhi and Mumbai have ignited the growth in domestic as well as international market.   

With the advent of various technological solutions, complex and large issues can be easily streamlined in the right direction. Software like Electronic data interchange (EDI), electronic ordering system (EOS), knowledge management (KM), electronic ordering system (EOS) has helped employees and business leaders to break down complex procedures within the industry.

In today’s scenario, it has become imperative for the logistics company to integrate all the supply chain functions ranging from raw material to finished goods. Business leaders should find out ways to control costs of transportation and plan strategies that can help them serve customers in a better way.

How Logistics Industry Is Evolving In Our Country?

Logistics is and has always been a very bright business. Even when the market is not full of so many commodities and products, still the requirement of logistics is always there. In older times there were limited options for transportation. An overseas transfer of goods and commodities required large ships which would take months to travel through oceans before delivering the items. This reduced the types of items which could be delivered. The local transportation was done through small carriages and wagons. The older warehouses were known as godowns and they were also not well equipped to store things for longer period of time.

The times have changed now, when almost all the modes of transport available on earth are in service of logistics companies. For quick overseas transport aircrafts are used, for large cargos, cargo ships are used which have containers to even preserve the items for a longer period of time those would not survive in normal conditions. Old godowns are substituted by warehouses with better storage facilities and larger spaces which can serve for storage of bulk goods. The regular tracking for deliveries is an old story now, because the newer logistics companies have upgraded their services to air cargo tracking. Anything on the way through a flight between long distances can be tracked instantly and the position will be made clear to the receiver.

Transportation and storage are the two major units for E-commerce logistics these days. The company which gains expertise on both of these comes up as the most productive one. There are several modes in which a logistics company works. A supply chain has to be effective on all grounds therefore the first approach is network management. The logistics companies have to build up a chain which crosses the boundaries to provide services to remotest locations.

The next step would be resources which require transport vehicles and warehouse location. Since door to door delivery services have become a common affair these days, its important that the entire process remains agile. The transport system forms the tracks of the network and the warehouses act as a junction between the tracks or terminals. The third and the most important part of a logistics company is a committed staff which manages every aspect of the company. They have been better termed as the human resources which binds up the total process to turn it into a smooth running mechanism.

Understanding the History of Logistics Industry

Warehousing and logistics companies form the backbone of the commodity industry. The duty of the storage and transport of the goods and commodities lies entirely upon these E-commerce logistics companies. Many companies have their inbuilt logistics and warehousing system, but some other specialize in this and they are very best at this business.

The logistics and warehousing systems have been around for centuries, with the point of origin being Europe.  Back in 19th century, when long distance businesses used to run through seaways, large warehouses were made at the ports for the storage of the goods to be shipped or the imported items. But the problem was the remote transportation of these items. Eventually, with time these problems have been resolved with logistics companies using almost all modes of transportation available on the face of the earth.

The warehousing spaces or godowns are used as the places to store, pack, upload and unload of all the items. These places serve as the space for long term storage of items or may be used as the junctions in between the supply chain. With the advent of ecommerce companies in India like flipkart, Snapdeal, and Amazon, the logistics companies have got a huge opportunity to capitalize over this business. Although many of these companies have their inbuilt logistics branches yet, at many occasions they have to take help from third party supply chains in order to execute their plans.

TCI Express is one of the leading logistics and supply chain companies around the world. With over 13,000 delivery locations across the country, it can be considered as the one of the vastest delivery services in India. The XPS tracking system is one of the best in the world in terms of its accuracy. The promise of last mile delivery makes it the most trustworthy supply chain companies in the world. The staff strength is of 3000 people who are totally committed to their service like no other company which turn TCI Express into the most dependable company.

Why Logistic Companies Need Efficient Payroll Software?

The way Human resource department functions in logistics industry has drastically transformed over the years. It is not just about hiring and firing employees, listening to everyone’s grievances, and organizing monthly company events anymore. Efficient time management is one of the prime concerns in logistics industry and HR department is closely related to it.

‘Time’ is ‘Money’ in the logistics industry and here is where the Payroll software comes handy. From monitoring operations to gauging the overall productivity of the employees, payroll software can significantly increase productivity and return of investment (ROI).

Since we have already mentioned that Payroll management is one of the most important jobs in Human resource management; we are going to give you few reasons why you should install Payroll software in your company right now!     

Multitasking is it’s forte 

If there is one word that can certainly define Payroll software then that’s “Multitasking”. With statutory regulations, employee taxes, and efficiency gauging all sorted out, HR department can save a lot of time and invest it on more important matters. By juggling so many tasks in one go this software saves a lot of time and money for delivery companies. 

Reduces monotonous accounting workload 

Forget about all that tedious work spent on maintaining accounts. The software facilitates automatic entries during payroll runs and all the accounting, deduction, and tax calculations are done on its own. The best part is that its error free and redundant. 

Freedom for both employees and management 

Payroll software comes with employee self service app that helps all the employees to control and access their information. And this reduces a lot of time for HR management. They can easily see their leave balance, deductions, fringe benefits, and tax deductions through their personal profiles. Moreover, the software can process information coming from Air cargo as well.

Besides security, accuracy, and efficient accounting, payroll software gives organizations the benefit to save on time and money.

Biggest Cargo Air Hubs in the World

The industry of cargo and freight has gained a lot of traction in recent years. From transporting consumer goods for the e-commerce industry to contributing in getting military goods and even transporting space shuttles and rocket components, cargo has become an important part of our lives.

With the introduction of new international courier services and the ever expanding fleet of the existing ones, transporting the goods is just one of the components of this industry. The other is having cargo air hubs which provide hangars and also are the ports where the goods are both loaded and dismounted. The best cargo air hubs provide world class facilities like fast refueling and even having storage facilities for excess goods.

CargoCity, Germany

CargoCity is divided into two major areas. CargoCity North is the main base of Lufthansa’s Cargo wing and CargoCity South, which is home to a number of global freight carriers such as the local freight-handling company Fraport. A range of features is available to air cargo companies in CargoCity which include special facilities for express freight, frozen foods, airmail, animals and even hazardous goods. The 9,000m² perishable centre, for instance, offers 20 different climate zones while the 3,750m² animal lounge is one of the world's most advanced animal-handling stations and features 42 large animals stalls and 12 individually climate-controllable chambers.

FedEx Express Super Hub, USA

The FedEx Express Super Hub which is based out of the Memphis International Airport has what is generally considered the largest cargo operation by volume of any airport worldwide. It was established in 1993 and handles approximately 3.3 million packages a day. Spread over five miles, the facility has parking slots for 175 aircraft and 300 miles of conveyor belts. It supports the largest air cargo fleet in the world.

Dubai Cargo Gateway, UAE

Located at the Dubai International Airport, Dubai Cargo Gateway has a total handling capacity of approximately 800,000 tons a year. It is Middle East's first cargo-handling facility to be awarded an ISO 9002 certificate in 1998 and the facility has set about establishing itself as a key location for air cargo goods between Europe and the Far East.

Different Types of Air Cargo

Over the last few decades, air cargo has grown leaps and bounds. With air travel becoming cheaper, more efficient and faster, the delivery and transportation of goods across distances as small as different states, and as large as different continents, has become highly convenient. The best delivery companies in the world specialize in express air cargo and other rapid means of courier, and it is no surprise that they can deliver almost anything you can think of.

So, what could be the different types of cargo traveling by way of air? Let’s have a look at some:

1. General cargo

Any goods that do not require special precautions for handling, storage and air transport are labelled as general cargo. These articles are usually not time-sensitive, and do not pose any hazard or danger if carried improperly or mishandled.

2. Valuable cargo

By definition, valuable cargo comprises of any set of goods that have a combined worth exceeding $1000 per kg. Commodities such as banknotes, jewellery, precious metals like gold, and precious art pieces fall under this category. Such cargo naturally demands high level of security.

3. Dangerous goods

As the name suggests, dangerous goods are items which might be flammable, corrosive, poisonous, or radioactive. Such goods pose a threat to health, safety, property, or the environment, and require extra cautious handling and care.

4. Perishable cargo

All time-sensitive goods which require a certain environment to prevent deterioration are called perishable cargo. They require a high degree of care, as temperature, humidity, pressure or ambient light changes might be detrimental to their safekeeping.

5. Live animals

Even live animals can be transported via aircrafts, and come under a special category of cargo. Carrying livestock requires certain maintenance conditions to be fulfilled, and thus makes this type of cargo highly sensitive.

6. Weapons, explosives and ammunition

Another category that demands not only special care, attention and security but legislation as well. This cargo is carefully handled and its transport is heavily regulated.

7. Human remains

This is a highly sensitive cargo type die to the sentiments attached with the material. Carriers pay special attention to handle and transport human remains without causing trouble for the family and friends that are grieving.

8. Courier

This type of cargo involves small packages and documentations that need to be shipped rapidly or across long distances.

5 Elements of Great Customer Service

Customer satisfaction is essential for any business. Great service, along with good products and commodities ensure customer satisfaction and repeated transactions for your business. Customer service is a part of daily activities. Management strategies must include pointers to tackle related issues. A satisfied customer not only revers the service, but also brings more business by referring your company to friends and relatives. Customer service is the only personal contact with customers; otherwise it’s a part of statistics. The following five elements define good customer service:

Deference

It is a known fact that customers reciprocate to respect. You’re bound to be treated well if you treat them with courtesy and the respect they deserve. Try to comply with their requests and don’t lose your composure even if they make silly inquiries. It is essential to thank them properly or apologize whenever required.

Intent Listening

It is indispensible for you to be a good listener if you want to provide great customer support. Identify the needs of the customer by asking appropriate questions and understanding what the customer wants to communicate. Always seek feedback or suggestions about your products and commodities.

Aim to Serve

You need to make sure that your customers understand your working systems. Even the best of systems can be misleading if the customers don’t fully comprehend it. Always try to provide more than what is asked for. Surprising the customers with immaculate service is beneficial for your company. Delivery service executives should be trained for proper client servicing.

Be Considerate

Customers buy products for different reasons and it’s essential to identify them. The products and services are acquired as solutions. You need to be understanding and thoughtful to identify their motive behind obtaining the product will aid you to help well. Engage in conversation with the customer regarding their needs.

Technology

Technological advancements are inevitable in businesses and take your company to the heights you desire. Online shopping has modified the ways of services and communications. Make sure the interface is such that can be easily understood and adapted by the customers. For example, express cargo tracking should be free of hassles and as easy as simple logging on a site.

4 Ways Drones Are Changing Logistics!

Drones have made quite a buzz in the global supply chain scenario. They have the potential to completely revolutionize how logistics works and sky is the limit to what drones can be used for. From deliveries, to tracking—they are the next big thing in the industry!

Let’s check out how delivery companies are harnessing the power of drones:

Direct Delivery to Consumer:

If you are a B2C logistics company, drones can really change how you make deliveries. They have the ability to locate a person using smartphone data. Once you feed in the right address, they can pinpoint an exact location and successfully make the delivery. In supply chain terms, this is known as delivering to the last mile.

Keeping Track of Inventory:

Drones have the capability to take over the tedious work of stock taking and record keeping. The aim here is to efficiently automate inventory. With hi-tech robotic assistance drones can keep track of exactly what’s happening in your warehouse! All you need is an employee who can sit and control the drone! The rest will be taken care off.

Warehouse Surveillance

Video camera days are now behind us. They don’t provide the edge that drones do. As video cameras are stationery and have limited reach, drones can hover around the compound and capture every minute detail. It’s now emerging as a superior alternative to traditional video cameras. The potential to reduce theft is significant and ensures total security.

Safety for Employees

As we all know, there’s a lot of hustle-bustle inside a warehouse. Heavy boxes, forklifts, machinery and what not are spread across the entire compound. All that makes a warehouse prone to accidents for workers. Employers can look for higher risk areas where employees can get injured and record a complete picture of the incident. Drone surveillance is great to aid employees in reviewing accidents.

Whether it’s internally or while making deliveries, drones are great to have around. It can be a great investment for express delivery service companies like TCI Express. Several other air cargo, trucking and seaway logistics companies are looking towards investing in drones. It’s time you do too!

Speed Post and Courier Services: The Difference

Ancient India used traditional ways to communicate over long distances such as pigeons and eagles. These methods took longer time and also were not very certain of the messages to  be delivered.  Later on messengers were used who rode on horses and camels to deliver confidential messages across states and provinces. Thankfully, the british introduced the postal service in time to let us know the easier methods for communication.

The technology  may have taken over today, but people still prefer  secured postal services or courier services for the delivery of their essential documents and goods such as forms, legal documents confidential brochures and parcels etc. These are the best and most secure methods of delivery and have been a great support to the rising and growing ecommerce industry as well. 

 Speed post and courier services may be very similar ways of delivering, however, they still have many differences between them.  While speed post unanimously delivers all across the world, it depends upon the range and strength of  courier services that if their delivery services would work within national boundaries or also internationally. 

The speed post being a government service, is unavailable on sundays; however, the courier services being a private entity is available 24*7.  This is one of the very important distinguishing factor as these services are mostly used in cases of urgent deliveries and emergencies. Sundays, although being the weekend, still hold a lot of relevance to many organisations and individuals in the matter of courier delivery.

One of the most important aspect of courier services is the express cargo delivery service. This service is not available with the postal service and therefore suffers a great deal because of it. Courier services have notched up their quality with the cargo delivery services as these are one of the most on demand and popular requirement. With the variety and versatile modus operandi courier services seem to have taken oner the postal services by a long way. 

The Evolution Of Logistics

Logistics is an industry that started as a support system to manufacturing and distribution businesses. The path to this success, which remains quite literal in case of logistics companies, has not been an easy one. With high efforts of staff and undeniable customer service, the industry has risen to a level where many businesses- small or large- cannot function without them.

Supply chain, which is a larger picture for logistics, is one of the most important sectors of the business world. It employs thousands of people whose tireless efforts keep many businesses running on a daily basis and this is the reason for their tremendous success.

The logistics business started around in the late nineteenth century because of the urgent requirement of food and manufacturing industry. During this time small warehouses were the primary source for the storage of goods. The fastest means of overseas transport were ships powered by steam engines. Handcarts, horse carriages and station wagons were used to move goods through roads.

Most of these vehicles would be largely insignificant in the today’s version of the industry.

Warehouses in that era weren’t equipped to be the best. Even controlling temperature was a major task for people working in them. Also, due to the slow mediums of transport any timely perishable items could not be sent over long distances.

In the late twentieth century, times have changed and with globalization there has been an urgent need to make the world a smaller place. Many new logistic companies emerged during this time, mostly as a third party service. These companies used to store and transport raw and finished products end to end. Many logistics companies took over the role for only customer service which helped many other companies distribute their products to the customers or make any item sent by the customers, reach its destination.

Today, a lot has changed. With the advent of advanced technology in the field of warehousing, transportation and product tracking it has become much easier for the customers as well as the companies. Advanced and accurate tracking technologies like XPS tracking have been a boon to customers as well as the logistics department to maintain a schedule of the whole system. The determination, hard work and innovative thinking of a few has changed the life of millions today.

Logistics Trends That Are Changing the World

The rapid speed at which the world is changing is giving rise to modern advancements in the field of logistics. Keeping track of logistic trends is crucial for your business as well as for personal use, because let’s face it- without good logistic services it is difficult to function!

The good news- this diverse logistics industry that delivers miles of smiles to hundreds of thousands of people across the world never fails to keep up with technological changes. Let’s have a look at how national and international courier services have adapted to modern advancements to make our lives easier:

Warehouse Robotics

Automatic machinery is already being used in several, well-established, distribution centers around the world. While manual processes can make a considerable difference in warehouse operations, the value of fully automated robotic management- the holy grail of distribution centers now- is shaping the workflow of corporate giants across the world.

Last Mile Delivery

The e-commerce industry has made a remarkable difference to our lives over the past decade. There isn’t anything that is not available ‘online’. This exceptional feat has given rise to a booming sector of e-commerce logistics. Delivery companies are now in a race to deliver till the last mile to gain a competitive edge in the market. No matter where you are in the world, logistical services used by e-commerce industries make sure your package is delivered to you!

Tracking Services

You can be in any part of the world but if you have a package on the way, you can be sure to trace it every step of the way. From air-cargo tracking to day-by-day updates on how your package is making its way to you, the tracking services provided by logistic companies work with flawless efficiency. These services also ensure that your package is safe, secure and will be delivered to you on time and if not, you can always plan your schedule for its arrival.

Delivery companies in India like TCI Express are making use of these trends amongst several others to their advantage in making lives easier. It is important for you to keep track of the changing trends in the industry to adapt and function accordingly.

Top 3 Trends In E-Commerce Logistics In India

With the technological advent of the 21st century, logistics industry has turned a new leaf towards being fast, convenient and extremely fluid. Mutually benefitting from logistics, the e-commerce industry also has been growing rapidly around the globe. As goods and services are being delivered with ease across different continents overnight, this advent has given rise to several new trends in the field of logistics. Here are the top 3 logistics trends in India:

Tier 2 and Tier 3 Cities

The e-commerce industry is moving towards capturing the markets of tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India. To take advantage of this rise in demand of goods, it essential for e-commerce logistics to develop a network of branches and locations for delivery services in high-growth cities. Tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India are expected to contribute over Rs.350 million to the e-tailing industry by 2018.

Cash-on-Delivery

The fastest growing trend in the Indian e-commerce market is Cash-on-Delivery (CoD). It currently stands as the dominant method of payment in India. The biggest differentiator for logistics companies will be their ability to manage a large amount of cash flow.

Vehicle Tracking Systems

One of the biggest benefits of technology is the ability for logistics companies to make deliveries faster. Several delivery companies have developed express cargo delivery systems that promise services like next-day delivery. Vehicle tracking plays a crucial role in providing necessary control and route planning for faster deliveries. Vehicle tracking systems have several other benefits like safety from theft, monitoring driving patterns, control over fuel, consignment management and customer access to track shipments.

Several e-commerce logistics companies have started to leverage technology to gain a competitive age in the market. Delivery companies like TCI Express offer express cargo services across the country. Delivering till the last mile is the upcoming trend in this rapidly growing, competitive industry. Further potential for innovation exists as delivery companies strive to deliver the best and improve consumer experience without impacting logistics costs in a high-growth market like India.

The Supply Chain Simplified

Warehousing and logistics companies form the backbone of the commodity industry. The duty of the storage and transport of the goods and commodities lies entirely upon these logistics companies. Many companies have their inbuilt logistics and warehousing system, but some other specialise in this and they are very best at this business.

The logistics and warehousing systems have been around for centuries, with the point of origin being europe.  Back in 19th century, when long distance businesses used to run through seaways, large warehouses were made at the ports for the storage of the goods to be shipped or the imported items. But the problem was the remote transportation of these items. Eventually, with time these problems have been resolved with logistics companies using almost all modes of transportation available on the face of the earth.

The warehousing spaces or godowns are used as the places to store, pack, upload and unload of all the items. These places serve as the space for long term storage of items or may be used as the junctions in between the supply chain. With the advent of ecommerce companies in India like flipkart, Snapdeal, and Amazon.in the logistics companies have got a huge opportunity to capitalise over this business. Although many of these companies have their inbuilt logistics branches yet, at many occasions they have to take help from third party supply chains in order to execute their plans.

TCI Express is one of the best logistics and supply chain companies around the world. With over 13,000 delivery locations across the country, it can be considered as the one of the vastest  delivery services in India. The XPS tracking system is one of the best in the world in terms of its accuracy. The promise of last mile delivery makes it the most trustworthy supply chain companies in the world. The staff strength is of 3000 people who are totally committed to their service like no other company which turn TCI Express into the most dependable company.

Logistics: E-Commerce’s Ladder to Success

The last decade has been an interesting adventure for startup companies. Out of  the hundreds of new companies which emerged,  the one’s which flourished the most are E-Commerce companies. Flipkart proved to be the pioneer in India, followed by Myntra and Snapdeal. But what is the that key factor which drove these companies to the heights they are on today? E-Commerce Logistics was the discovery which India fell in love with. 

With Amazon revolutionizing the concept of door to door delivery by using drones for quicker transportation, Indian companies still stick to traditional logistics  options.  Indians love shopping, be it any special occasion or not. We love to go to shops and bargaining is the activity which drives this passion.  The stunning transformation in the buyer behavior was brought due to the rapid and punctual home deliveries. The country where even today pizza’s aren’t being delivered in the time limit of 30 minutes, in a day guaranteed delivery of the purchase was astonishing.

Door to Door delivery services have created thousands of job opportunities for people and got them involved in the mainstream supply chain. People are now employed at warehouses, and as packers and movers. A sense of trust has eventually been established between the customers and companies because of the untiring effort of logistics department. Courier services have won a hard fought battle in a place where people always trusted registered post and government parcel services more than any means of delivery. 

With Ekart Logistics being the official logistics partner of Flipkart, TCI Express has managed to maintain them in their primary clientele including the likes of Snapdeal and Shopclues. They have incredibly impressed the businesses as well as the customers by their disciplined primary distribution channel of warehouse to warehouse transportation and maintaining  an amazing on time delivery attempt rate.