Cloud Logistics
The Key To Enterprise Software ‘Success’

Every year, enterprises large and small spend huge sums of money and countless valuable hours going through time consuming, pain stakingly detailed software selection processes. Much of this time is focused on functional requirements and technology alignment with the organization.

Unfortunately, in many of the mature enterprise software categories (such as supply chain), there often times is very little difference between choices. And at the end of the day, even if there are some differences, research has shown it frequently doesn’t matter.

The Sandhill Group published a study in 2008 whose findings still hold very true today: For 70 percent of those surveyed, the single most important factor for realizing value was Effective User Adoption. Functionality was a distance fourth at only one percent. Sometimes statistics simply scream at you that the old ways simply do not work anymore.

Inspired by 30 years of working with systems that were rich on functionality but short on user adoption, Mark Nix, CEO of Cloud Logistics set out to take a different approach. “We make the complexities of shipping, collaboration and software easy,” says Nix. Cloud Logistics is simplifying supply chain software from shipper to carrier and customer.

Nix describes three keys to effective user adoption:

1. Scaling up is a lot easier than scaling down. Too many systems are designed with the idea that if the software can handle the most complex environment, then the simplest of needs can also be met. But the reality is that if the most sophisticated user can make the system work for their needs, then they are probably the only one.

2. Make it everyday simple. Today’s software users are used to modern applications like Facebook, Instagram, Google Docs, etc. Applications should ‘feel’ familiar, not a dressed up version of an old client-server application.

3. Good enough is good enough. Most ‘tier one’ application development teams and product managers obsess with the ‘best’ optimization and adding a 51st way of performing a function.

For most users today, they would gladly sacrifice a minute incremental gain for a significant productivity gain. Usability should be at the top of every software requirements list.

We continue to focus every day on leading the industry with new innovative strategies to make the complexities of traditional logistics simple for the user

A global manufacturer recently implemented Cloud Logistics solution to manage inbound and outbound freight and interplant transfers, through the use of common and private fleet of carriers, all on a single system. “Our client owned different ERPs had different processes, different equipment types, and changing ad-hoc reporting requests,” shares Nix. Cloud Logistics addressed this challenge by developing a path to execute all transportation functions on a single, cloud-based platform. “Our user interface is so intuitive that every member of the team became proficient in the application almost on the first day. Change management, and most importantly, user adoption has been key to our client achieving the value they promised shareholders,” says Nix.

Cloud Logistics provides industry-specific capabilities to satisfy the most demanding transportation network. To eliminate the complexities involved in the traditional logistics, Cloud Logistics is currently focusing on new innovative strategies to lead in the market in every way. Commenting on the future prospects of the company “we are working on the next generation of the Rate Procurement Manager (RPM) solution that will be delivered soon. This tool will bridge the gap between shippers and carriers, thereby leading to a secure way of sharing information and other required details,” concludes Nix.