Eurobusiness
If our job boiled down to just filling the thanks and washing our cars, maybe once in a while answering calls politely asking us do pick up or deliver some goods – we’d really be a happy bunch. And while the whole „front” of our shipping and transport business might seem simple – hire a driver, buy a truck, pick up the goods, deliver the goods, issue an invoice – the whole backstage is a really busy place. All of the paperwork, formalities, regulations, paragraphs, certificates… our offices are a giant depository of all sorts of documents and files. Documents without which we simply could not perform our duties and documents without which we would not perform them so smoothly. Today we’d like to share a few words about the most important document of them all.
Keep your friends close…
It seems logical that one of the main goals of every company that wants to make money is to reduce risk. Buying insurance, verifying the resumes of employees, cooperating with trusted businesses, avoiding morally and legally doubtful situations – it all sounds like basic common sense. However, this is where a system appears, simply to aid the common sense. It’s called Risk Management and it’s a part of the GDP (a certificate for Good Distribution Practices). And while it may sound a bit ominous, this is nothing else than a formalized common sense, boiled down to twenty odd pages of standards and practices which help us to make the right decisions and limit the posibility of error. If such errors do appear – the system allows us to quickly solve them, not only benefitting your business, but also your Customers.
…but keep your enemies closer
TJ Logistic uses a dedicated, bespoke system designed to service both our shipping and transporting activities. Developed and coded by our team, it features several filters that minimize the risk according to the standards and procedures we’ve introduced. The goal is simple: reduce losses and delays. In order to achieve this goal, the risk needs to be recognized, the threat analized, preventive measures must be taken and after all that the risk needs to be efficiently monitored.
To put it simply, Risk Management is all about creating a sort of catalogue of possible threats. It may sound like some fantastic Bestiary, full of mystical creatures, but the reality is rather trivial and dull in comparison. The so-called FMEA analysis (failure mode and effects analysis) helps us to deconstruct each potential problem and identify its frequency of appearance, Client nuisance level, causes and detection efficiency.
One of the elements of this system is a kind of a filter, that’s been with us for years. Every time we approach a new order, we routinely verify the validity of the company and it’s VAT status (through VIES or CEIDG). We also have our own blacklist that features all the businesses with whom we’ve had some unpleasant situations. We also verify if the placed order is in accordance to any previous e-mail or messenger arrangements.
The science of problems
Our favorite foundation of the risk management system are the training programs. Passing on key knowledge to where it’s most necessary for us is an absolute basis of all good habits and standards. We have separate training programs for drivers, forwarders and for our administrative and accounting departments. All knowledge is systematically veirified through tests which show us which topics need our attention and what to focus on.
When it comes to shipping and forwarding, our partnership with all carriers plays out on a few levels. After going through all of them, the carriers can become a part of our trusted, inner circle. Good communication and availability, meeting our standards, recruiting reliable drivers, respecting the delivery and pickup timelines are the key elements of such relationships and we put great faith in all of them.
And why is all this for, you might ask? We believe that keeping our own offices tidy and organized – and keeping our heads straight – directly translates into better experiences for all of our Clients and partners. The more predictable our actions are, the easier our problems can be avoided or effortlessly handled, the better we are at serving you and your customers. All of this risk management has a very direct effect on your business – the more the risk is taken care of on our side, the less surprises lie on the road ahead of us. The road we share with you!
