In our multi-episode series, Voyager CEO Mathew Costello discusses workflows, technology & where the 2 intersect with the maritime industry.
Today’s episode discusses how to streamline communication while organizing and structuring data across your organization .
The Struggle With Automation
It is extremely hard to automate a process from your inbox and it is even harder to collect and structure data via email. Companies struggle to get their roadmap off the ground once they realize the data isn’t where it needs to be. Less than 15% of workflows executed are in the company’s ERP/VMS system. It doesn’t stop there – less than 5% of total company data resides in the ERP/VMS.
For instance, communication applications like Teams and Slack are making it easier for companies to integrate and automate certain processes. However, within industrial b2b markets, they remain primarily tools for inter-company communication rather than intra-company communication. For the maritime industry, this difference is critical since intra-company communication or, communication with your customers, service providers, and vendors is critical for effectively moving cargo from A to B.
Systems of Engagement Are Often Misused
Systems of engagement like the ones mentioned above can be useful tools but are often used for the wrong purpose.
| What I am meant to be used for | What I get used for in shipping | |
| Microsoft word | Crafting and editing documents | Sharing data and maintaining lists |
| Microsoft Excel | Analysis of large data sets and calculations | A database, personal checklists, and tracking changes |
| Outlook | Direct communication | Negotiating, storing documents, an audit trail, filing information |
“Each person has [his/her] own spreadsheet to keep track of daily movements and each office globally uses a slightly different format. Combining data is near impossible”
Lisa, Logistics Coordinator, Leading chemical company
In addition, companies end up spending hours and weeks manually collecting the information they need from across systems and then manually manipulating it into a standard form for analysis.
This is one of the major issues large companies face today as they think about data and process automation.
Multi-Party Workflow Applications Manage These Issues
On the other hand, multi-party workflow applications facilitate your workflow needs across your organization. Multi-party workflow applications provide a platform to share, manage and capture structured data as you work. This eliminates the need for personal spreadsheets entirely and reduces email by as much as 90%. Above all, you can automatically create, populate and share documents across your organization.
About Voyager
Voyager is a leading workflow and analytics platform for commodity supply chains. The software allows teams and stakeholders to project manage shipment operations – email free.
We bring workflow automation and analytics into the hands of front-line operations. Our customers achieve gains in productivity, reduce freight costs and optimize contracting terms by using Voyager. A cloud-based solution, Voyager is deployed quickly and easily. We enable our customers to uncover insight and value buried in mountains of data previously inaccessible to stakeholders. Find out how Voyager can help you by setting up a demo today.