We chose Qargo because of its adaptability and user friendliness.’
Kees in ‘t Veen’s journey with Qargo began with a ‘Like’ on a LinkedIn post. To explain, the Dutch liquid goods transportation specialist was struggling with its outdated TMS system, a bolt-on product it had been using since 2008.
Inevitably, as the logistics landscape evolved over the proceeding years, the system struggled to keep up with Kees in ‘t Veen’s demands. It meant the company was ready to make the leap to a new solution – and it’s why that ‘Like’ on a Qargo post caught the attention of Richard Stewart, Kees in ‘t Veen’s logistics project manager.
At the time, we were looking to see what was available on the market,” says Richard. “And the ‘Like’ left by one of my connections on LinkedIn made me sit up, read the post and take notice of a company I’d never heard of before.
Bucking trends
Richard’s initial curiosity led to a demonstration of Qargo in September last year, alongside demos from several other TMS providers: “However, none of them came anywhere close to Qargo,” recalls Richard.
For instance, many of the other systems took what Richard felt was a retroactive approach to order entry. “They still relied on the ‘Look at your email and type in your order information’ model,” says Richard. “However, Qargo has a PDF reader built into its Order Entry screen. This makes suggestions about what should go into what field. It means your order processing time is cut from five minutes to just two and a half.”
Qargo’s order entry system is crazy fast.”
Such powerful functionality was underpinned by a cloud delivery model that removed the need for a dedicated server (and its related costs) while any updating could be delivered seamlessly. All this combined with a front-end that was optimised for user friendliness.
Growing confidence
While Qargo was clearly the most powerful, accessible solution for addressing Kees in ‘t Veen’s needs, there were still concerns. “Qargo is a very new company,” says Richard, “so there were doubts about whether it could meet our expectations.”
However, after several meetings with the Qargo team, Kees in ‘t Veen decided that the company had the right skill sets and knowledge so signed up, “and to date, Qargo has met our needs,” says Richard. “I suspect in two years time, any lingering doubts will have disappeared entirely.”
The reason for his quiet confidence is the ongoing experience of transitioning from the Kees in ‘t Veen’s old system to Qargo. “It’s clear they know what they’re doing,” says Richard. “And, if Qargo has any questions or doesn’t understand something, the team will ask us. They want to understand your specific business operations so they can deliver the right tailored solution for your operations.”
This approach also cuts both ways. Richard explains: “Because we now don’t need to have as many scenarios as we had before, we’re actually refining our own internal processes because of the new system, modernising them so they are more capable.”
The transition period has taken us aback as we weren’t expecting things to be developed so quickly.”
Future planning
With the transition process now near completion, Richard’s thoughts have turned to the strategic benefits Qargo will unlock for Kees in ‘t Veen. “For instance, with our old TMS system, you couldn’t enter all forecasted costs, so you couldn’t have foresight on what you might be spending on future orders,” explains Richard. “However, with Qargo, I haven’t come across anything yet that I can’t put into the system.”
This offers genuine strategic value for Kees in ‘t Veen, enabling the management team to make better planning and strategic decisions about the company’s future: “For instance, where do we need to invest in our trucks?”, explains Richard. “Where do we need to invest in more? Or invest in a particular type of equipment? Qargo should help us make those decisions so we are always moving in the right direction.”
Customer first
Finally, the most important benefit for the management team is not for Kees in ‘t Veen itself – but its customers. Richard points out that there is no other TMS provider he knows of that can provide customers with live updates about where their in-transit orders are. “We have always been committed to delivering exceptional customer care,” says Richard. “And with Qargo, we can now take that commitment to a whole different level.”
Ultimately, Richard predicts that 2024 is going to be extremely challenging for the sector but with Qargo, he believes Kees in ‘t Veen can put itself the best possible position to navigate the road ahead, all while taking care of its most important asset – its customers.
Our relationship with Qargo is not a typical client/provider one – but a genuine partnership, one that we’re going to use as a selling point to our customers.”