GEBA Trans steps up customer service offering with real-time visibility from Sixfold by Transporeon
GEBA Trans is a logistics service provider specializing in freight forwarding. It provides transportation solutions, intermodal shipment handling and full freight management across Europe by road, rail and shortsea. The company is strategically headquartered in two logistic hotspots in the Netherlands, Venlo and Tilburg. GEBA Trans was founded in 1996 and celebrated its 25th anniversary on February 1st.
GEBA Trans’ main focus is on road transport operations and it works with a European network of partners, using a mixture of its own fleet and contracted carriers. It has a proven track record of providing 99% reliability for many years. To maintain this level of reliability, GEBA Trans will advance its services by utilizing Real-Time Visibility (RTV) within its transport management system (TMS) solution.
Initially, GEBA Trans connected with Transporeon to digitize its transport processes for clients and to gain advantage of its valuable international network. This connection is further developed by Transporeon’s partnership with RTV provider Sixfold – a collaboration which allows Transporeon users to utilize full end-to-end transport visibility.
In combination with digitallized processes, such as transport assignment and time-slot management, this will create an integral platform with lots of added benefits to drive efficiencies across GEBA Trans’ operations and help meet the future expectations of shippers.
Implementing real-time visibility
During the initial testing phases, GEBA Trans examined how RTV could advance its operations. After the examination, it identified great added value in using the Sixfold platform, finding that real-time data generated by tracking and tracing shipments can help to enhance time-slot management and improve operational efficiency.
By implementing RTV, the operational processes within GEBA Trans will be optimized and several manual processes will be eliminated, such as check calls. Previously, GEBA Trans would call its carriers multiple times during transportation to check the status and location of trucks, then contact the customer.
The connection between Transporeon’s time-slot management and Sixfold’s Estimated Times of Arrivals (ETA) will automate the flow of information. Customers will be automatically notified when their shipment is due to arrive. Likewise, the location of ongoing shipments will be visible via the easy-to-use platform that can be accessed by both carriers and clients, allowing all parties to track individual transports.
This will be a great advantage for both GEBA Trans and its clients as the information flow will be shortened on the operational side, which will allow freight forwarders, as well as the carriers executing the shipment, to save time and to focus on what is really important – delivering goods and meeting shippers’ expectations. GEBA Trans will be able to focus on ‘incidents’, take immediate action and proactively communicate any expected delays or early arrivals to the clients. This will increase customer satisfaction and help GEBA Trans meet its goal of providing total care to clients.
Likewise, RTV will allow GEBA Trans to provide value-added services for its clients and enhance its customer service offering further. Providing shippers with data from delivery times and estimated arrival times will allow them to optimise the use of their docks and allocate labour and resources accordingly to drive efficiency, particularly in situations where there are delays or early arrivals.
Making the most of the Transporeon’s network
GEBA Trans was already providing real-time data through a different telematics platform but made the decision to invest in the Sixfold platform due to its integration with Transporeon. It is already using the Transporeon network for several existing customers, therefore connecting with Sixfold will allow GEBA Trans to easily facilitate real-time visibility into existing operations to automate its data chain.
Having access to real-time visibility within its TMS will enable GEBA Trans to easily connect and communicate with hauliers, track transports, benefit from better mapping and have a full overview of operations in one easy-to-use platform. For example, “when clients book delivery time slots on Transporeon, we will be able to easily find them in Sixfold because the two are linked. This will really simplify the process and make it easier to get time-stamps, search for and track transports,” says GEBA Trans, Operational Manager, Rob Hermans.
“The Transporeon/Sixfold network will also give access to a larger customer base, providing the opportunity to contact past, existing and potential future customers – which is always a good thing for customers and carriers alike, as everyone’s needs are met.”
Simplified onboarding
GEBA Trans works with a lot of carriers, therefore it is crucial for it to work with a provider that makes onboarding very easy. With Sixfold, the onboarding process is simplified and requires minimal effort from the carrier when connecting systems. This is a key benefit for GEBA Trans because a fully onboarded carrier base is essential before harnessing the benefits of RTV and providing clients with full operational transparency.
“We have to think about the customer but also about the carrier, to make it easy for them to onboard and to share data with us. We need a holistic approach and having access to a greater network of carriers such as the Transporeon/Sixfold network will help GEBA Trans make that circle a little bit smaller,” said Rob Hermans.
GEBA Trans is currently rolling out the Sixfold by Transporeon solution and is in the process of onboarding most of its carriers. It aims to fully integrate real-time visibility by the end of the second quarter in 2021.
“Onboarding carriers is the first step to providing shipment visibility. It is considered to form the foundation and thus the most important step of all. So far, we are feeling very positive about the whole onboarding process and are aiming to cover automated tracking and tracing about 70-80% of our business into the system,” said GEBA Trans Financial Director, Arno Reiniers.
“We noticed that throughout the entire implementation process the Sixfold team is very involved and passionate. They are eager to get us on board and to help GEBA Trans get the most out of the technology, engaging with us on how we could successfully implement real-time visibility into our business,” added Rob Hermans.
This personal approach is important for GEBA Trans as it aims to provide real-time visibility to all its customers, both Transporeon and non-Transporeon customers. GEBA Trans also finds the Sixfold platform to be simple and easy to use, making it user-friendly for both clients and colleagues alike.
The future of RTV
Real-time visibility is increasingly more necessary in business and across the supply chain than ever before. “How quickly data or information is delivered end-to-end, from the customer to the delivery address, is a key differentiator when it comes to staying ahead of the competition. For this, there has to be more transparency in the supply chain that can only be possible via real-time visibility,” said Arno Reiniers.
Real-time visibility enables business to react proactively when transports are running late or arriving early and inform customers ahead of time, so they too can react accordingly on their end. This creates an efficient process across the whole supply chain.
“Real-time visibility within the 4PL market will only become more and more important – in a few years it will be the standard in transport. It is a necessity for any businesses wanting to succeed in the future. With Sixfold, we are building a partnership where we can work proactively to ensure processes around the application of RTV keep developing to provide the best possible customer service,” said Arno Reiniers.