How Online Booking Improves Warehouse Logistics

Content

Companies producing or transporting goods know the importance and difficulties of logistics: loading goods at specific times, coordinating vehicle arrival and departure times, assigning ramps or parking spaces and designating the required personnel.

This process can be time-consuming, chaotic and inefficient. Companies have increasingly started to use digital tools to improve in these areas. Although there are a few options on the market, they tend to be costly or charge the booker for reserving or rescheduling a time slot. Many companies are looking for efficient and flexible booking systems like TIMIFY.

Our system can be adapted to the logistics needs of companies of any size, as well as provide analytic data to understand and plan the availability and assignment of booking slots.

“TIMIFY is easy to use and a real time saver for us. This online appointment booking tool has greatly reduced our administrative tasks as it is now up to the supplier to book an available slot for their delivery day and time. Calls have been halved and we spend less time updating our calendar.”
Pascal FÉlix - LOGISTICA DIRECTOR -Conforama Suisse SA

Challenges

Companies know their busiest days and times for shipments and deliveries, when traffic jams or queues can result in excessive waiting times for which hauliers must be compensated

During these times, warehouse workers and hauliers work under extreme pressure, which can quickly lead to costly mistakes. Incomplete shipping information can lead to additional waiting time or delays.

Some companies already require appointment bookings in advance. However, this can lead to problems if managed by phone or email. It also adds extra work for staff and risks misunderstandings or delays due to unconfirmed requests.

TIMIFY offers an efficient solution to these problems, ensuring punctual supply for producers and timely delivery to customers.

How time slot management works with TIMIFY

TIMIFY's online scheduling software is a great solution for digital time slot management. It can be used to control truck supply, reduce turnaround times and use loading point capacities more efficiently.

1. Time slot booking

TIMIFY allows you to book and allocate time slots via your online channels, enabling you to query information such as delivery volumes, truck plates, or driver’s information. The widget can be customised to include whatever questions you need answered in advance of arrival. This provides you with the information you need to optimise your logistics.

Delivery drivers can reserve time slots in advance, while spontaneous loadings or deliveries can also be added on-site, considering real-time supplier traffic and available capacity.

After booking a time slot, TIMIFY will automatically send booking confirmations via email or SMS, so your partners no longer have to wait for responses. You can also remind hauliers and suppliers of various details in advance via SMS or email, such as their exact time slot, assigned loading ramp, directions or instructions for when they arrive.

As traffic is not always predictable, if you wish, you can provide drivers with some flexibility. For example, if there is a traffic jam on their way to you, drivers can change time slots and book a later time, depending on availability. Once a time slot is cancelled, it is automatically released and available for booking by another haulier who may already be waiting for a slot. All of this happens automatically, freeing your staff from administrative tasks.

Having collected this information, you can use TIMIFY’s Branch Manager or Statistics Dashboard to visualise and interpret this data, giving you an overview of your bookings and the information you need to plan ahead.

2. Organisation on site

With our "TIMIFY Welcome Screen App" which has features specially developed for logistics, you can display a list of information at your entrance area or gate, such as number plates of arriving vehicles, drivers, time slots or ramp numbers.

You can also use the app to display information to the driver directly at the loading bay. Communicate important information about the booked time slot, the booked service, or the current hygiene regulations.

The app is an indispensable tool in high traffic volume situations to provide instructions to the drivers, maintain order and professionalism, and avoid unnecessary waiting times.

“The use of the TIMIFY Welcoming App on a monitor at the entrance of our plant in Lukovit, not only creates an innovative vision of Wienerberger, but in the current times of distance and prevention against COVID-19, it gives us the opportunity to break the personal contact between our employees and the drivers.”
Nina Rangelova - Supply Chain Manager - Wienerberger EOOD

3. Reporting and statistical analysis

TIMIFY also provides warehouse workers with delivery information and simplifies organising daily routines. Fewer mistakes are made during loading and unloading, as TIMIFY informs which trucks dock at which loading ramps and what the loading process entails.

In addition, TIMIFY assists you in measuring loading times, which helps you plan and better allocate personnel. If several trucks with large deliveries are scheduled at the same time, more warehouse staff can be allocated than at times with less traffic.

Time slot management is a crucial link between shippers, collectors, warehouses and factories. Implementing TIMIFY will improve delivery organisation and decrease delays.