BoxTop News
Forwarders want improved visibility
03 May, 2010Smaller forwarders want much improved visibility, says BoxTop.
Freight forwarders are seeking greater visibility. “Just being able to track cargo is no longer good enough,” says Christopher Hewlett, managing director and co-founder of BoxTop Technologies.
“Visibility is much more useful if it is used pro-actively for planning and preventing problems, not just for finding out who is to blame when things go wrong,” he explains. “It should not be used simply as a historical record.”
Hewlett believes that BoxTop were ahead of the game when it first started providing this functionality and its freight management software system has included high levels of visibility for many years. However, many of the small and medium-sized forwarders are only now seeking to use all the functionality.
“With the recent economic climate, the smaller forwarders are facing two issues – intrusion into their traditional area of business by the bigger forwarders and logistics companies, and demands for greater reliability and cost control from their existing customers,” says Hewlett.
In addition to offering their customers greater visibility, BoxTop users are also able to widen their service portfolio by adding inventory management services, on-line stock control and pick & pack fulfillment services. “This allows them to compete with much larger forwarders – the exporters and importers can have the best of both worlds, intelligent use of information and personal service,” explains Hewlett.
See moreBoxTop – In the Press
26 April, 2010BoxTop Technologies mentioned in article in launch issue of Freight Business Journal, April 2010. “Information is the name of the game in the freight industry of today. – Full Screen View by Marcia MacLeod.”
“Forwarders need software that allows open access to data – but also lets them add their own updates,” says Christopher Hewlett, Managing Director at BoxTop.
“Capturing data is not that easy; there is a shift to web portals to allow the right information to be seen long before the goods become a shipment. This way forwarders, shippers and consignees can identify problems before they occur – allowing decisions to be made to adjust the delivery process – for example, change the mode of transport; reduce the size of the order; source materials elsewhere; or transfer stock from another location. The need for early visibility becomes even more important when shelf-ready goods are involved, as no stock literally means empty shelves! We’ve spent 18 months working on software to support this enhanced visibility.”
See moreBoxTop launches BoxTrax – more than just a tracking system
10 March, 2010Freight management software company BoxTop Technologies has launched BoxTrax, a state-of- the-art system that allows freight forwarders to offer their customers all the information they might ever need.
“This is much more than a standard freight tracking service,” says Christopher Hewlett, managing director and co-founder of BoxTop Technologies. “It allows forwarders to publish any document or give access to any information that their customers might want to see.
“Most of the BoxTop team have freight and logistics backgrounds so we understand what forwarders’ customers are looking for to make their lives easier. BoxTrax starts with on-line booking by customers and allows all aspects of the service until final delivery and invoicing to be seamlessly followed through the system.”
As well as providing standard real-time visibility, BoxTrax has a powerful search engine which lets forwarders’ customers search for specific consignments from a comprehensive array of options including their own references.
“We recognise that there is no point having all the information available unless customers are able to access it in a way that makes sense to them,” says Christopher Hewlett.
BoxTop continues to design and develop its services in close co-operation with its customers and is focussing on its warehouse features, including inventory stock management, in anticipation of future demand.
“We never just launch a product and say ‘here it is, take it or leave it’,” explains Christopher Hewlett. “Our customers, the smaller and medium sized forwarders, often win business on their ability to be more flexible and more responsive than the largest logistics providers who force customers to fit into their own systems. We help our customers tailor their services to exactly meet their own customers’ needs.”
The BoxTrax system also provides the unique BoxTrax Stats page, allowing forwarders to access statistics, showing them who exactly who is viewing what, when and how often. “This helps them understand their own business processes – and, equally importantly, gives them a greater understanding of how their customer works.”
BoxTop Technologies is a leading provider of freight forwarding software. The company was founded in 1995 by Christopher Hewlett and Bill White and since its revolutionary, Windows-based forwarding software was launched in 1997 the solution has been continuously enhanced as forwarders – and their customers – demand greater levels of visibility, reliability and efficiency.
BoxTop prides itself on its personal approach. “Our customers talk directly to the technical support guys to discuss any issues. Together we identify the need for new features or improvements to existing ones – and we develop and implement workable, robust freight software solutions. BoxTrax is just the latest example of that process,” says Christopher Hewlett.
See moreBoxTop announces winner of BIFA Supply Chain Management award
22 January, 2010On Thursday 21st January 2010 Christopher Hewlett, managing director of BoxTop Technologies, presented the BIFA Supply Chain Management Award for 2009 to Allport. The BIFA Freight Service Awards ceremony is held annually at The Brewery in central London, and recognise excellence within the freight forwarding industry. Allport were the deserved winner amongst a very high level of submissions for this year’s award. They demonstrated a highly detailed understanding of the supply chain process and the underlying business that it supports. This enabled their client to streamline their operation for greater efficiency whilst achieving substantial reductions in operating costs. The other finalists were NYK Group Europe, Pantos Logistics (UK) Limited and Seawing Landguard International Ltd.
See moreBoxTop launches new website
05 January, 2010“I’m absolutely delighted with the launch of our new website,” announces Christopher Hewlett, co-founder and director of BoxTop Technologies. “It was time for a change. Our existing website, although popular, had remained fairly constant for a few years and we all thought that it was time to showcase some of our achievements. I hope you enjoy it but if you have any suggestions for further improvement please let us know.”
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