An Important Update from Lyall Cresswell, TEG CEO and Founder of Courier Exchange
As you may know, here at the Courier Exchange we don’t believe in standing still.
The Exchange is the UK’s biggest courier marketplace. It routinely grants couriers access to more than 10,000 loads per day. But rather than rest on our laurels, we’re always on the lookout for new ways to help our industry advance.
Earlier this month, our CEO, Lyall Cresswell, announced several new developments that are about to do just that. The developments really are going to change the logistics industry for the better. So, rather than keep them hush hush, you can read Lyall’s update in full below.
Dear Members,
I’m writing this to let you know about the imminent release of the most important developments that we have made to the Transport Exchange Group (TEG) platform over the past few years. Those of you who have been valued members of TEG (and our sub-brands Courier Exchange and Haulage Exchange) for many years will know that we do not believe in standing still and have a long-term vision to continuously improve user experience and reduce friction wherever possible in the process of dealings between our member businesses.
Over the past three years, despite the unprecedented backdrop of Covid, Brexit, Ukraine and the fluctuating and challenging economy, we have continued to make significant investments in the platform. This year will see us invest £4 million. This is testament to our long-term commitment to our members to develop the TEG platform and improve the user experience so that both are best in class.
Here are some of the highlights that we will be delivering over the next few months:
Trust and Security – taking this to a new level
You will soon be invited to enrol your business in our brand new transport compliance and digital identity platform ‘Trustd.net’. Three years in the making, this has been designed to handle onboarding, maintenance and monitoring of key business data used in the Exchange platform. Our aim is to elevate compliance standards and fair dealing both in TEG and also within the industry that we serve to a whole new level. Fully integrated with the TEG platform, Trustd will become the single source of truth for your business profile, whether you are an owner driver, fleet operator or non-asset based transport business.
Platform security is always at the heart of everything we do and with this in mind we will shortly be launching User Authentication and Multi Factor Authentication. You’re probably already familiar with these from the other secure online platforms that you use. This will further protect your platform login, as well as safeguarding other key account activity, such as when you change your profile or perform certain actions within the system. The ‘unique email’ implementation that you and other users in your account underwent earlier this year was the first stage in this process.
The Back Office – improving efficiency and reducing friction
As we all know, the process of paying and getting paid can be problematic and time-consuming in our industry. To alleviate this stress, we have completely re-built the Finance function for both Payables and Receivables. The invoice approval and payment process can now be 100% digital, ensuring unrivalled transparency, compliance, and cost-effectiveness for all parties. We have built new functionality into this area including batch invoicing, dispute handling and improved ‘private’ invoicing. Further, Payables and Receivables can also be fully integrated with your accounting software – see below.
Accounting Integrations – reduce your data handling
We have built comprehensive new integrations with the most popular accounting software packages, including Xero, Sage and Quickbooks, so you will now be able to export data seamlessly from TEG into these connected platforms which is valuable to meet your Making Tax Digital (MTD) obligations and most importantly to save you time.
Using TEG on the Road – our next generation mobile app
We launched the first version of our driver app back in 2004. Working with the TEG platform from the road has always been an essential part of our user experience and we are now in the process of building a completely new mobile app for both Drivers and Fleets. We will be inviting some of our members to ‘test drive’ the new app later this year and look forward to launching it in Q1 2023.
Data Transfer – the future is Integrated!
We live in an inter-dependent and connected world – the future of our industry depends on creating integrations so that data can be transferred in a secure and frictionless manner to and from the TEG platform to third party systems, including TMS and telematics. To this end, we have updated our API documentation and now have an in-house API specialist to demonstrate the benefits of integration and help to guide you through the implementation process.
Embedded Analytics
We’re launching ‘Analytics’ – a brand new section of the platform. For the first time you can see detailed reports on Supplier Insights as well as understanding how the freight transport market is performing.
But enough about the technology enhancements. How about other key aspects of the TEG member experience?
Our New Customer Support Centre
We know how important it is that we handle your questions and support tickets as quickly and accurately as possible. We have therefore recently opened a new dedicated Customer Support Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire. I am delighted with the positive feedback that we have received so far and, whilst we appreciate that it can be hard to get it right every time, we are continually striving to provide the excellent level of support that you expect and deserve.
Our Team Continues to Grow
As well as our new Customer Services centre, we have been on a recruitment drive to hire experienced and energetic colleagues across all areas of our business. The Account Management and Product Development teams have seen their numbers grow in particular.
So as you can see we have been very, very busy!
We will be writing to you via email over the summer to keep you up to date with further information about how and when these important new developments will be available to your business.
In the meantime, enjoy the summer and please keep your feedback and suggestions coming – we value everything that you send us.
Yours faithfully,
Lyall Cresswell
Founder & CEO
Transport Exchange Group Limited
Gregor Gowans from Trans.iNFO had a chat with Founder and CEO, Lyall Cresswell, on how Transport Exchange Group has pioneered digital evolution in the logistics industry with its market-leading freight tech solutions.
Lyall also touched on core product offerings, the competitive climate of the marketplace, current developments and more.
To read the full interview, click here.
| Transport Exchange Group recognises that its members must be feeling a tremendous sense of pressure and uncertainty regarding Coronavirus and its potential effect on the economy. Our team wishes you and your loved ones good health during this time. We are closely monitoring developments and will keep you updated. CEO and Founder of the Exchange, Lyall Creswell, has shared a few words on how we can all pull together as a trading community to support our members. |
“Dear Member, I write to you to offer you our full support at this time of unprecedented uncertainty and anxiety. Although we expect trading volumes on the Exchange to remain robust for the present, we are mindful that some of our member businesses will come under increasing pressure as the economic situation deteriorates. As a trade community it is critical that we all play our part in helping each other to weather the crisis and pull through this together. Going forwards, I respectfully ask you all to consider implementing the following actions: Those of you who are posting sub-contract work on the Exchange, please ensure that you pay your suppliers on time. Better still, if you are able to pay them earlier then please do so – the future of our industry depends upon the health and survival of suppliers. Given the inevitable cash flow crunch in the wider economy, please be extra vigilant about the credit terms you extend to your end customers ‘off Exchange’. Try and go completely digital with your workflow and POD process – this is the time to ask your end customers if they really need hard copy PODs and invoices when an electronic image scan could suffice. This will increase the efficiency of the whole supply chain and ensure that quicker payment terms and reduced costs can be achieved for everyone. In addition, this will help to reduce the inherent health risk of drivers spreading the virus when they pass pen and paper around multiple times during the day for those still using manual PODs. On a more general note, please take a few minutes to review our Rules, Regulations and General Policies of the Exchange. These now become more important than ever. Please rest assured that our service will continue as normal throughout this period. We are fully geared up for our staff to work remotely if necessary. We have also accelerated the next phase of our off-site call handling operation which is now able to resolve the majority of your general enquiries. We will continue to investigate other ways to support our members as the situation develops and will keep you posted regularly. Myself and the entire team stand with you at this very challenging time and wish you all the very best”. Warm regards, Lyall Cresswell Founder & CEO of Transport Exchange Group |
If you manage a small fleet, then you’ve probably invested in a telematics solution. Telematics gives you several key benefits, but the main one would be giving customers full visibility of your fleet. This helps both parties to better manage risks and control unforeseen costs.
The ABAX Triplog system goes one step further. Unlike other telematics providers, its technology is already fully integrated with the Courier Exchange and Haulage Exchange platforms. By using these two powerful systems together, there’s no limit to the efficiency your fleet can achieve.
This seamless integration between ABAX and the Exchange has helped Victor Rowley, CEO of Start 2 Finish Couriers Ltd, witness productivity in his business like never before.
The challenge faced
Victor, who founded the same day logistics company, specialising in the transport of commercial waste and hazardous goods in 2003, says that Transport Exchange Group has helped to grow his business. “We have a very agile fleet, but it is small,” he says. “Transport Exchange Group’s virtual fleet is not only vast, but it’s extremely well-stocked too. That means that when I post a load on the Exchange, which I do around 25 times a month, the smart load matching tool always ensures that I can find an ADR-accredited driver, whose vehicle meets the required standards, to take on the job and carry it out in a timely and professional manner.”
However, like many small fleet operators, as his business grew, Mr Rowley says that “it became increasingly difficult to manage his time”.
He explains, “As I posted more loads through the Exchange, I found that I was spending most of it keeping my customers updated regarding the status of their loads.”
Mr Rowley contemplated hiring another member of staff to help him in the office, but after careful consideration, he concluded that the extra money that he would need to put towards “wages, national insurance and pensions payments” made it “a counter-productive step”.
The simple solution
Seeing that recruiting a member of staff was out of the question, Mr Rowley simply integrated his ABAX Triplog GPS-based vehicle tracking system with Courier Exchange. As a result, he solved his problem.
Mr Rowley says he’s been using “integrated telematics for around two years now”. In terms of operational efficiency, while he says that “it’s difficult to put a figure on it”, but the benefits it has brought “have been instant and far-reaching”.
The benefits
He explains, “These days when I post a load using the Exchange, the ABAX system provides me with live tracking updates – every second of every minute. And what’s more, as the GPS-based system is running all of the time, it can’t be turned off by a driver, nor does it ever go down. As a result, I always receive a reliable, resilient and robust service, which appears on the Live Availability Map. But what’s really clever is that the CX system enables my customers to receive real-time alerts too – and as often as they require them. The best bit, however, is that I don’t have to lift a finger as the updates are sent to them automatically”
While Mr Rowley mostly uses the Exchange “to post loads”, he says that “the enhanced visibility” made possible by the integrated telematics really comes to the fore when he’s posting a load.
“The combination of the ABAX telematics system with the Exchange’s software lets me post the location, status and availability of my vans in real-time on the live map. This means that every one of the 6,000-plus member businesses on the Exchange can see my vehicles and that massively increases the chances of a booking.”
With integrated telematics taking care of the tedious tasks that were once a big part of his daily ‘to do’ list, Mr Rowley says he has more time “to focus on other parts of the business that need his attention”.
“This has enabled me to provide an even better quality of service to my customers than I was previously able to,” he adds.
What’s more? “The ABAX telematics system helps me to better maintain my fleet. How? Well, it gives me the visibility to control and to reduce fuel costs. It also allows me to track the speed of my vehicles. I’ve programmed the system to send me an alert if one of my vehicles exceeds 75 mph on the motorway. The drivers who work for me are very responsible, and it’s very rare that I get an alert of this nature, but in terms of promoting safety and sustainable driving on our roads, it is a very effective tool.”
Ultimately, Triplog allows Mr Rowley to automate mileage records, which helps me to better maintain vehicles.
“As a belt and braces measure, we also work off a chart and run regular weekly maintenance checks on each vehicle, he says, “But the technology certainly compliments the work we do and provides us with a useful system of checks and balances.”
