I-SYNERGY Logistics Solutions for Carriers

CONTENTS

Executive Overview 3

Trends in Logistics 4

Why Web Based Option Is Necessary For Survival 4

About I-Synergy Web based Logistics Solutions 5

Benefits for The Company (Freight Carrier) 7

Benefits for the Customer (Shipper) 8

Benefits For The Consumer (Public) 8

Implementation Options 9

About Synergy 9

I-Synergy Web Based Logistics Value Proposition 10

Technology Behind I-Synergy Solutions 10

See the Big Picture – Future Matters 11

Summary 12

Executive Overview

“E-commerce is highly desirable in areas where providers and consumers can collaborate to derive productivity gains.

Increasingly, transportation providers will be expected to adapt to e-commerce in order to stay in business”

The e-commerce revolution has introduced additional requirements for logistics:

· Efficient fulfillment becomes a key variable in customer satisfaction.

· The Customers’ ability to shop around, pick and choose shipping options has made “delivery” an integral part of the product value equation.

· Cost savings in transportation owing to productivity gains must contribute towards the bottom line of company, customer, and carrier.

Carriers must deploy Information Technology to:

· Provide on-line documents for shippers

· Schedule pickups on-line

· Present freight invoices electronically conforming to exchange standards

· Let customers track/trace shipments on-line and obtain proof of delivery

· Provide shipment analysis functions

· Handle claims on-line

· Allow end-customers to pick the carrier of their choice, and pay freight directly

i-Synergy internet based solutions is the ideal enabler for the opportunity before carriers – to use the World Wide Web for competitive advantage and for dramatic business infrastructure cost savings. Time is of the essence. And to capture and retain the broadest market of users reliability, security, scalability, maintainability and ease of use are paramount requirements. In addition, you need the flexibility to quickly tune your Web offerings in response to market demand, windows of opportunity, and things you learn as you work the Web to your advantage.

i-Synergy Web based solutions offer a smooth and risk-free option for the carriers. It has a step-by-step methodology starting with a web-strategy document. The backend solutions are robust and the technology is the most modern.

You are able to choose the most appropriate solution for you, and get it customized to suit your requirements. You can also choose a totally outsourced solution or a totally in-house solution or somewhere in between.

The industry knowledge, the availability of i-Synergy frameworks, combined with highly skilled, dedicated implementers will make the project a total success.

i-Synergy offers a complete solution including customizations, rate loading, external interfaces, training, support and on-going maintenance.

Trends In Logistics

Increase in e-commerce is the #1 growth factor for transportation.

With the growth of Internet and e-Commerce, Logistics has become the important factor in successful fulfillment.

The Logistics providers’ business model has been changing – there are new processes to be addressed.

The end-customers will play increasingly more important roles in choosing the mode, and scheduling the delivery. The Logistics provider will collaborate with both the shipper and the receiver. Cost savings is expected in transportation business owing to productivity gains from the collaboration with shipper, carrier and customer.

Business support functions such as billing, payment, collection, and claims are also changing the way they operate. Interactive exchanges conforming to standards are expected to be in place and Logistics providers need to comply with them.

Affected Business Processes

· Keeping track of prospects, and manage customers

· Providing freight quotes and ponies to customer, participating in auctions

· Online planning and scheduling of resources

· Electronic Bill presentment

· Electronic BOL/Manifest processing

· Web-based complaints handling

· Shipment Tracking open to all parties

Other trends in industry mandating web enabling are:

· Achieve enhanced user productivity

· Present a state-of-the-art image to employees and business associates

· Increase user satisfaction with increased functionality

· Eliminate extensive development and testing by using ASPs

· Get the efficiency, effectiveness and control benefits of net-centric architectures

Why Web Based Option Is Necessary For Survival

The telecommunication costs have been coming down dramatically and the bandwidth has been increasing. As more and more commerce move to web, it is required to have the business systems work seamlessly with the Internet. The structure and characteristics of the market place is undergoing rapid change.

These changes pose opportunities and challenges to carriers irrespective of size and geography. The carrier systems are required by the shippers to

Work as extension of the shippers systems providing tight integration
Respond to new needs such as auctions and on-line quotes
Provide on-line scheduling, billing, tracking, and claims

Carriers are also required by end-customers to

Work as extension of the receivers systems providing tight integration

Provide on-line payment options
Provide on-line scheduling, billing, tracking and claims

The necessity to adapt to the new business functions, and the pressures of the business place will force you to be flexible without losing your uniqueness. It is a new reality.

Only the agile, flexible and scalable will survive. If you are not concerned about the needs of your customer and their customers – you have no business to be in this business. And the market forces will see to that.

About I-Synergy Web Based Logistics Solutions

Two major knowledge streams are brought together to provide i-Synergy web-based applications. Synergy Software has a full range of freight management solutions including: rating, routing, preshipment planning, consolidations, BOL processing, invoicing, invoice matching, freight payment, and complaint processing. Also, Synergy has experience in carrier business functions such as vehicle maintenance, driver reporting, fuel and labor, truck scheduling and cost models.

Synergy Software is an award-winning technology company. The application knowledge is mated with cutting edge technologies from leading innovators such as IBM, Oracle and BEA, giving you a winning combination.

The I-Synergy product and services offerings cover the following:

§ Your customized web presence: A company’s web site is its face to the electronic customer. It is necessary to analyze the requirements, in line with the strategic vision of the organization, before a site can be put together. Synergy can create a web site for the logistics service provider based on the web strategy document. The customized web server, built on i-Synergy framework, does not require elaborate design and programming, because the framework can accommodate most of the functions of a logistics provider. The customization and personalization will provide the required look and feel, which exudes the individuality of the organization.

§ A customer satisfaction module: keeping track of customers and prospects has never been easier. All customer specific information including contracts, fuel surcharges, accessorials, FAKs and tariffs. Security, password protection, responsibility groups, function, form and data level access controls are available.

§ A rate calculator : An award-winning rate engine containing your tariffs and charges with specialization options for each of your customers. The best rate engine in the industry.

§ Quote Generator/Ponies: Using the rate engine, quotes can be generated as a response to an individual rate request or a pony.

§ Schedule master : Scheduling a pick-up or a drop-off, and scheduling trucks and drivers can be done using schedule master. The schedules applicable to the shipper (pick up schedule) or related to the receiver (drop off schedule) can be individually accessed and updated the corresponding party.

§ Tracking software: Shipment tracking and proof of delivery are requirements commonly encountered by the customer.

§ Forms Server: Forms required by customers can be delivered via the web site. Such forms are invoice, BOL, manifests and shipping documents. Besides generating the forms, i-Synergy gives several delivery options including email.

§ Invoicing system: Freight invoicing from shipping documents can be automated. The generated invoices confirm to the standards for electronic bill presentment.

About BillVia ASP solution

If the full set of solutions are not required for a logistics provider, i-Synergy can still be used in areas where outsourced service is most useful. One such area is Freight Billing.

The shipments are required to be entered into the computer system. The accessorials and fuel surcharges along with customer contracts have to be verified prior to invoicing. In the e-Commerce scenario, the generated invoices need to be electronically presented.

§ Convert BOL/manifests to shipments/loads: These are may be manual data entry functions, matching, printing, mailing and other labor intensive tasks that are candidate for outsourcing

§ Create and generate bills and present them to customer: The BillVia solution is available for freight billing and freight quotes.

Benefits For The company

Think of your business needing to operate in a collaborative environment. The shippers want your systems to work as an extension of theirs. The end customers (receivers) also want you to work like an extension of theirs. And as a logistics company, you have to perform functions which are unique to your own line of business. How can you adapt to the growing need of integration without giving up your own functionality. That is what i-Synergy is all about.

Fast Time to operation is dramatically reduced because (1) the I-Synergy is a framework which already gives the basic functions required by a logistics service provider, (2) it contains a robust rating and customization module, (3) your existing application can co-exist with i-Synergy components and there is no need to rewrite, and (4) all required domain consulting and technology assistance is managed from the same source, thereby issues get resolved fast and firm.

Reliable The key portions of the i-Synergy framework logic have been operation over several years. They are time tested and functionally rich. The reliability factor is designed into the scheme with several levels of planned control and checkpoints. The multi-platform, multi-layer solution uses technologies that are time tested.

Scalable From one user to thousands – i-Synergy scales to fit your needs.

Extensible Your system can accommodate additional functions. The object-oriented design coupled with full customization and personalization is built for extensibility.

Maintainable Web based solutions has built-in features including test/production features and effectivities. Administrative functions, including updating application function, are performed once – on the server – and are immediately available to all authorized users.

Flexible All of the attributes that make it so easy to build and deploy e-logistics functions with I-Synergy also make it easy to adapt to the peculiarities of your implementation.

Cost Effective Contrasted with the cost of new application development,

I-Synergy’s cost benefits are compelling owing to the flexible framework, domain skills, developer skills, time, and hardware and software asset we make use of.

Benefits for the Shipper

It is simple and fast process to bring a new shipper into the fold. Create the carrier-movement functions, define the contract, introduce the FAKs, minimums, ceilings, floor, absolutes, fuel surcharges and so on.

1. Once the shipper is on-line, we can provide them with all the shipping paperwork. The BOLs, pro-numbers and manifests can be pre-assigned. Specialized pricing can save money for the shipper.

2. The shipper can schedule pickups on-line thereby reducing cycle times.

3. Electronic invoicing cuts down on the manual labor and mailing functions. Shipper can participate in any bill presentment scheme or use i-Synergy as one.

4. Claims can be entered and resolved on-line thereby reducing labor time.

5. Tight integration with freight carrier’s systems makes it easy for tracking and proof of delivery functions.

What Are The Benefits For Users?

The end customers also benefit from I-Synergy. The productivity gains by supplier translates to cost reductions to the end customer. The reduction in transit-times also makes the purchasing experience more enjoyable.

Customer can now co-ordinate with carrier so that the drop off times can be scheduled for best convenience.

Claims can be resolved on-line.

Tracking and tracing proof of delivery can be done online – which makes it easy for the customer to plan internal functions better.

From a user perspective, the speed of delivery means that changes in business operations or emerging windows of business opportunity can be quickly reflected in processes. In addition, users experience the intrinsic benefits of a being in the knowledge.

Implementation Options

I-Synergy offers many implementation options. Synergy provides the complete solution – not bits and pieces. Synergy designs, develops, installs, trains, and proves production. We also provide further handholding where required. If it is necessary, we will run the complete solution for you, on our hardware infrastructure.

Synergy has developed proven methodologies including standards, specifications, and project management structure. Please note that all steps may not be required for all projects.

Internet Strategy development: Analyze requirements in line with strategic plans of the company and develop a formal document to tackle the Internet.

Personalization requirement: I-Synergy offers frameworks, which cover most requirements of the logistics provider. Graphics, layout and navigation schemes are customizable. In order to retain the individuality of the organization, customization services are provided over and above the standard configuration features.

Rate Engine Load: Tariffs, transit times, market lanes, accessorials, customer contracts, and fuel surcharges are database load activity, which are required before the system can rate.

Interfaces: Interfaces and scheduled jobs are to be configured. Interfaces allow interaction with foreign systems.

Deployment Implementation, testing, training, support – all of these go towards deployment.

Synergy has a staff of experts to provide training, consulting, and project implementation. To ensure that our customers have access to this type of expertise where they want it, when they want it, and to expand access to local expertise, Synergy supplements its own staff with affiliates. Based on proximity, availability, and any other criteria that are important, our customers can choose the services provider that is right for their needs.

About Synergy

Founded in the US in 1992, Synergy Software has a rich heritage of expertise in the Logistics applications area, and strong relationships with companies such as IBM and Oracle. Besides delivering state of the art e-commerce solutions, Synergy provides consulting in e-commerce strategy, development of frameworks and their deployment. Synergy has direct operations in the United States and India. The infrastructure facilities are both in the US and in India, where dedicated teams of experts form a twenty-four hour development schedule that allows price reductions and improves response times.

I-Synergy Value Proposition

I-Synergy imparts value to your organization at several levels by enhancing your business processes at various points

By Providing an elegant Internet Presence

By allowing the best technologies to work for you

By allowing your customers plan shipments directly with your system, thereby enhancing the customer value

By extending your return on investment in your applications by providing interfaces

By allowing consumers to plan deliveries directly from your system.

By allowing customers and shippers to resolve claims on-line

By providing on-line electronic invoices and documents in appropriate formats which reduces costs for you and your business partners.

Internet is the era of collaboration, not competition. As you provide more and more value to your customers where your value additions are larger, you tend to build upon the positive aspects. I-Synergy exemplifies this value.

Technology Behind SYNERGY Solutions

Delivering maximum value to its customers by leveraging advanced technology - it is part of Synergy's mission statement. This means that Synergy has the responsibility to keep itself abreast of the new developments in technology.

Advanced features incorporating three-tier architecture and XML interfaces allow true scalability. IFX-compliant design features and architecture allow collaborative processing with various service providers and B2B exchanges. A host of schemes to interact with your systems employing HTTP, SMTP[e-mail], FTP, EDI or XML protocols. I-Synergy utilizes advanced technology to put you ahead; even while it offers the convenience of easy integration with legacy systems.

See the Big Picture – The Future Matters

As we turn into the e-Commerce era, our operations become collaborative. Our systems and processes must work seamlessly with our business partners while we retain our individuality. It is important to have a vision of the future, however small your business. I-Synergy comes with a vision for the information technologies and a plan to manage it. The diagram below shows the internal functions in blue and candidates for exchange functions in green.

I-Synergy has a complete set of solutions focusing on the enterprise architecture. It is not necessary that all these functions are employed by the user’s business. However, a viable technology solution must provide for possible interfaces.

Summary

New business functions necessitated by e-Commerce introduce new processes. Traditional solutions do not offer adequate handling of new processes. I-Synergy provides the logistics providers with an easy choice incorporating –

No risk, High technology – a view to the future, Complete solutions – from concept to completion, Low cost, Maximum empowerment, Guaranteed performance

for more information, please contact

Info@synergy-us.com

800-769-1227

i-Synergy.com