Keep Your Carrier, Cut Your Costs
Keep Your Carrier, Cut Your Costs
Discover Deeper Savings and Greater Control Over Shipping.
It takes effort to find vendors who “check all the boxes” when it comes to performance. So it comes as no surprise when companies hesitate to move away from a trusted source. Shipping is no different. Finding carriers you like can be challenging, so it goes without saying that there had better be a really good reason to take your business away from them.
So don’t.
Thankfully, Customodal’s FLEX program enables our customers to save money on shipping while still continuing to use their favored carriers. The difference is—and the feature that makes FLEX so attractive to our clients—FLEX levels the playing field for manufacturers who may not be receiving pricing that is as “rock bottom” as they may have been told.
But I thought We Already Had “Best Pricing”?
You’re not alone. The dirty little secret in the shipping industry is that the actual price carriers can live with (make a profit) is often a good distance down the pricing spectrum from what most are paying. It is not uncommon to find carriers discounting 50% or more off list price, leaving buyers to think they are really getting a great deal on their load. The truth is that nothing could be farther from the truth. On the same truck your shipment is riding on, is often another similar shipment riding along with the same basic specs paying 25% less than you’ll be billed. This is where Customodal FLEX comes in—utilizing our knowledge and buying power to ensure our client’s loads receive the best price on the truck.
“It is not uncommon to find carriers discounting 50% or more off list price, leaving buyers to think they are really getting a great deal on their load. The truth is that nothing could be farther from the truth.”
Customodal’s FLEX platform: You Choose the Carrier. You Control the Price.
Unlike others, Customodal FLEX doesn’t seek to limit options or exchange lower quality carriers in order to save money on shipping. On the contrary, the FLEX platform works to increase options. Whether its pricing, carrier choice, routing options or handling options, virtually any variable can be customized through FLEX. Our clients can choose to limit or broaden virtually any criterion for any load. And no matter how complicated the parameters may be, FLEX still returns those options in seconds to your desktop.
A Real-World Example
One of our clients had previously booked all their shipping direct with carriers. Through a set of unusual circumstances they were shocked to learn that despite the promises of rock bottom pricing, they were regularly being charged as much as 30% more than other manufacturers like them. After meeting with Customodal, they soon realized the reason for the difference—their competitors were using a third party logistics provider (3PL) like Customodal. Once the client was onboarded to the FLEX platform, they immediately saw savings that were greater than that of their competitor (yes, there is a big difference even between 3PLs!). They soon were able to adjust their product pricing and began to win more business, all without sacrificing any labor, manufacturing or other costs. In the end, they were able to customize their freight to better mirror their own production environment, saving even more money and reducing holding costs.
And the icing on the cake? They now spend less time booking their freight.
Control. Without the Asterisk.
Customodal’s FLEX gives complete control over shipping. No asterisk. No fine print. No disclaimer. Just control. And that’s exactly the way FLEX was conceived and the way our clients want it.
Why FLEX? Part 1: What FLEX Does
There are three features that have manufacturers loving the FLEX concept. First, absolute control. No more ceding to carriers or anyone else. You are in the drivers seat. You call the shots. And you see all the options you want to see right on your screen so you can make the best decision for your freight. Nothing hidden. You’re in control.
Second, keep your favorite carrier. With rare exception, our online service includes nearly every shipper in the country. Your favorite is nearly always already in our database and shipping quotes are readily available from them and a host of others. And the pricing is very likely to be less than you’re used to paying.
Third, the feature that separates FLEX from all the others is our team of logistics experts. FLEX is not just an online platform, it is a cohesive strategy utilizing a readily available team of experts with the singular goal to find the best shipping option at the lowest price available. And once you’ve decided upon your criterion, your pricing and options are on your screen in under 10 seconds, no matter how complex your specifications.
Why FLEX? Part 2: What FLEX Doesn’t Do
Moving to the FLEX platform doesn’t delete any of your existing carrier relationships. In fact, very little changes at first, but what typically happens is the sheer availability of options at our client’s fingertips opens the floodgates of creative solutions that before were too time-consuming to ferret out (or were altogether unavailable). These additional options enable manufacturers to fine-tune their shipments to better fit their own priorities. You save money on shipping. And Time.
Perhaps your freight is not time-sensitive. Choose from a host of options that prioritize cost over transit time and discover that sending a shipment through a carrier with a route through Lexington rather than St Louis might take a day longer, but save considerable freight cost.
Or you want to stick with a carrier who has been a reliable source for your freight but you want a quick and transparent means to customize your shipment without having to talk with someone or remember how to use multiple carrier portals. With Customodal’s FLEX, users master one portal, choose all carrier, route and cost options, and can be in and out in as little as 60 seconds.
Customodal FLEX. Ready to save money on shipping? Ready to save time on shipping? All the while ensuring complete control over your transportation.
Customodal is a new breed of innovative 3PL primarily serving the Manufacturing sector for over 15 years with a full menu of Professional Logistics services including Customodal’s FLEX, EXACT and OPTIX services. For more information about the full suite of Customodal innovations, click Customodal.com or dial 800-445-6577.