Software Problems in the Transport Industry

-- Or worse still, are you paying for software functions that you never need or use - just because they come "bundled with the package?

• Very few Accounting or other software packages that can be bought "off-the-shelf" (OTS) - can meet all of your transport-related requirements (if any!).
• There always seems to be those very important functions that are missing or management reports that "cannot be produced".
• Not even the expensive accounting packages produce the type of Transport-specific Management Reports in the format and content that you need.
• The data that can be extracted usually ends up in copious spreadsheets. Massaging it into whatever Report is required is a time-consuming process ... Time that is better spent dealing with clients and getting business.

Are you one of the many companies that are forced to
"Fit your business to your software package(s)?"

Some of the software limitations and off-the-shelf package problems (transport software and accounting software) that we have found in many companies include:

Inadequate Management Reporting from an OTS package

• The greatest shortcoming in packaged software is usually in management, operational or account / costs reporting.
  
  Information cannot be produced in the exact format or depth-of-detail that is required.
  
  For instance, constantly rising fuel and maintenance costs are a huge area of concern and need to be monitored closely on a per truck basis, sometimes even on a weekly basis.
• Summaries, consolidations and statistical analysis reporting is mostly inadequate or non-existant.
• The need for up-to-date management, statistical and accounting information is a vital aspect of any transport business.

Information is power - allowing management to be proactive, rather than reactive.

Integration of data is very limited in an OTS package

• We have found that many companies are forced to use a separate package for transport-related operations, a separate package for accounting and usually a spreadsheet package to produce data for management reporting, or even day-to-day operations.
• Hundreds of frustrating man-hours are lost by all levels of staff who must re-capture data, massage it into appropriate formats or layouts, and the chances of human error due to this duplication of effort is exponentially multiplied.
• The seamless integration and sharing of common information and data between different divisions such as Operations, Warehousing and Accounting can ...

* Save hundreds of man-hours,
* Eliminate duplication of effort, and
* Minimize human error.

• Our AbaTrans Applications can also produce data in the correct formats for automatic incorporation into industry-standard accounting packages such as Quickbooks, AccPac and Pastel, if required.
• It can also output data in the correct format for further ad hoc analysis in a spreadsheet (if you really have to!).

Future Growth and expansion of the OTS software package(s)

• Should your business focus change or when you grow beyond the capabilities of your current OTS packaged software, it becomes an expensive "re-purchase or upgrade exercise" to accommodate these changes.
• The ability to constantly customize our AbaTrans solutions to suite your needs means that "the software grows with your business needs -so it never becomes obsolete."

Please refer to our "Customization & Reports" section for further information.