Needless to say, Information Technology is the backbone of every modern business. From automation of different processes to storage and management of continuously growing data to effective communication and document sharing, it empowers the day-to-day functioning of an enterprise. Unfortunately, many business owners pay little or no attention to IT upgrading which leads to outcomes like inefficiency, non-compliance and wastage of resources.
Clearly, the export houses are not an exception in this regard. In fact, these businesses can’t survive on the dais of global trading without enhancing their IT capabilities regularly. So, what necessary steps they must take?
Give up Manual Operations Completely
Many export management teams still rely on a number of manual processes. For instance, they manually contact freight forwarders and compare vessel schedules and rates to book containers. It can be damaging in numerous ways. First, it consumes a lot of time. Second, you may still end up missing the best rates. Moreover, it can lead to human errors while re-entering the same information again and again.
The simple solution to this is complete automation. Be careful in selecting an international trade software that can take care of every important operation involved in consignment shipping.
Take Your Processes to the Cloud
As a consequence of sticking to the desktop-based software tools, your export business is indeed missing the fabulous advantages that the cloud offers. To start with, you can save a lot by investing in the cloud that allows to eliminate hardware and software-related costs. In addition, you can enjoy the flexibility of accessing everything from export management apps to storage and databases to communication channels.
In short, your staff may become independent of specific machines, working hours and physical locations. Because of this, you can expect better efficiency and smoothness in various supply chain-related processes.
Train Your Staff in Real Time
Technology keeps on changing every now and then. For this reason, your employees might fail to keep the right pace with new software versions and functional advancements. Simply investing in a new electronic tool might not serve the purpose. Don’t hesitate to schedule the required training for your employees so that they are able to make the best out of the IT advancements you choose for your business.
It may include everything, from how to create and maintain databases to ensuring complete compliance with the set standards of the industry. Your software vendor can help you accomplish this.
Keep Expert Help Handy
While using software and related technologies, you are bound to experience technical glitches. However, it is easy to handle them, if you have instant assistance ready to troubleshoot them. Sadly, many exporters don’t realize the importance of this and often hire local technicians who might not be of great help.
It is recommended that you look forward to what services are offered by your export documentation and management software vendor. There are companies that go beyond technical support and offer services like supply chain consulting, auditing, certification and so on.
So, that was the checklist of steps that you can accomplish to keep good your IT system’s health. Start implementing them today to see the difference in your business’s overall profits.
Introducing ImpexDocs from a Technological Point of View
The IT people employed with export businesses have many critical tasks to perform. Most importantly, they need to maintain the entire technology setup in good health and ensure the smooth and uninterrupted functioning of every component. If you are an exporter, ImpexDocs is the best international trade software suite your IT team can wish for. Why?
- Firstly, ImpexDocs is a customizable platform that integrates many applications available as per the changing demands
- Secondly, it runs on the cloud which minimizes the need to install, maintain and upgrade the required IT infrastructure
- Thirdly, it guarantees the much-needed security through safely-located data centres and impenetrable protection layers
In addition, it boasts of one of the most user-friendly interfaces which are easy to get used to. So, your IT staff would have a great time using the software to meet each and every requirement of your export activities.
ImpexDocs Supports Easy and Seamless Integration
Undoubtedly, one of the toughest challenges that IT teams face is to integrate new software with the existing ones. There may be surface compatibility issues that can fail the whole idea of improving efficiency in export documentation. Unlike other electronic tools, ImpexDocs can be tailored to ensure fast integration with:
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems
- Accounting software tools
- Inventory management tools
- And, a variety of back-office systems
Besides, various applications onboard ImpexDocs have functions and features to work with various official systems of different document-issuing bodies. Hence, your IT team would have no issues establishing the desired connection between ImpexDocs and:
- The EXDOC system of the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment to obtain an export permit
- The Integrated Cargo System (ICS) of the Australian Customs to obtain export declaration number
- Different systems that the Chambers of Commerce use to validate certificate of origin and so on
ImpexDocs Brings Different Processes to a Centralized Dashboard
The software tools used a few years ago would fail to address the issue of decentralization. Due to this, the IT people would find it difficult to:
- First, let exporters maintain full control of the day-to-day activities
- Second, bring and maintain coordination between different employees
- Third, reduce the possibilities of data duplication and resulting errors
- Finally, ensure smooth flow of information across systems
On the contrary, what’s remarkable about ImpexDocs is that it provides a centralized dashboard for better control. Thus, it aids the IT teams to not only handle the above-mentioned problems but also to make arrangements for:
- Easily creating and accessing documents and databases
- Automating the process of feeding information to different forms
- Fast, detailed and convenient reporting for better business analysis
- Instant document sharing and communicating with parties like terminal operators over pre-receival advice
ImpexDocs Promises Support from Experts
The team behind ImpexDocs takes complete responsibility for providing unparalleled support to their clients and their IT teams. You can expect the team to coordinate with your in-house IT experts to:
- Perform end-to-end implementation of the apps you choose from the suite
- Integrate the apps with your IT infrastructure without any need for restructuring
- Ensure that the installed apps run uninterruptedly and securely and so on
Undoubtedly, one of the toughest challenges that IT teams face is to integrate new software with the existing ones. There may be surface compatibility issues that can fail the whole idea of improving efficiency in export documentation. Unlike other electronic tools, ImpexDocs can be tailored to ensure fast integration with:`
Apart from this, the IT people don’t need to worry about:
- Upgrading the apps to any new versions
- Resolving any technical glitches the apps may face
- Hiring external help for maintenance
Also, you can opt to get your in-house teams trained from ImpexDocs experts to make the best out of the software. Because of this kind of support, you can expect increased efficiency in everything from freight booking to online document tracking.
So, What Do You Need?
The most important requirement to use the cloud for obtaining an EDN is the internet. Here’s how it happens:
- To start with, you subscribe to a cloud software or application designed to communicate with the Integrated Cargo System (ICS) of the Australian Border Force.
- Next, the software vendor would provide you with secure login credentials to be able to access the software.
- After this, you simply need to log into the software from your machine and prepare the export declaration for submission online.
- In addition to this, you can also access the software from a variety of devices that include laptops, tablets and mobile phones.
