Introduction
Every logistics company deals with different customers and companies. That can cause problems especially when the company department does not have enough employees who can handle the big amount of documents from different customers. This research the causes of documentation delay in freight forwarder department in Al Madina logistics
- As a manager/an employee at Al Madina , how do you feel the a documentation delay in the organization affects the output?
The managers felt that delays of documentation affect the customer in negative way since they are not satisfied with the industry. As will it affect back office operations since they increase the concern among the stakeholders in logistics industry. According to the managers, some of the challenges that AMLS faces, include slow processes, ineffective sharing of customer data, heavy paperwork, wrong organize and delays of documentations. The clients have to wait for the data approval in finance department since the accounting system is also manually driven and consumes more time as well.
On the other hand, documentation process entails searching customer information in sales and purchases in everyday transactions. The staff encounters intense procedure to approve and verify client’s requests since the manual tasks in departments are repetitive. The documentation process, the staff reconciles stock transactions and time. The personal records the information on manual system that are then stored in cabinets orderly for easier retrieval.
The respondents also intimated that the documentation process have common and repetitive errors where they accidentally switch data since it is handwritten. The inconsistencies happen due to misplacements in the course of manual filing that will make it hard to trace documents in the future. Paperwork is too much and it is repetitive ending up wasting a lot of time. These required the employees to perform laborious searches and ended up being confused between the different job files and documents.
- Do you believe that there could be better ways of reducing the delays?
According to the employees, one of them is to resolve back office issues this will enhance customer visibility that will meet the firm’s value creation and costs, as will they think the provision of pre-packaged integration solution will allow flexible, easy and effective back office operations. The firm's financial billing cycle can utilize paperwork to have accurate up- to data information and have to check every detail to eliminate potential errors and publications.
- What is the proposal you might have for the changes in documentation?
Some of the measures that the firm can take to ensure quick recovery include business modeling, data management and optimization. The management should consider hiring experienced staff that can influence change in to affective operation. The measure will restore the firm’s confidence by the clients; on the other hand it will enhance the management's ability to make decision.
- As a manger /an employee at Al Madina, do you believe the paper based documentation has helped in achieving the organizational goals?
It was unanimous from the respondents that that paper documentation presented numerous challenges that prevent the company from achieving its objectives. There are many intense procedures to verify and approve client’s request. Each Department incur many repetitive manual tasks that use much time to reconciliation of stock transactions that causes documentation delays since the company relies on the systems that require much time to organize. As well it is wasting of time to the employees in using manual system.
- What is the relationship between the back office operations and the documentation procedure at the organization?
Back office operations are crucial in the firm since they enable the logistics companies to achieve high standards of services to the clients. The process entails the use of manual files to search and input data of the invoices in the system. Then the data goes through several stages prior to the approval of clients billing system.
- Do you believe the organization needs to do more about the documentation processes?
The employees felt that more was required concerning in documentation process since it is prone to following problems ; taking a lot of time to summarize data and write reports, data duplication over and over since personnel cannot track documents, transaction and other information. In addition to that data does not have security since it is stored in the filing cabinets where it is freely available to anyone. If the data falls in the wrong persons hands a person may use it in harmful way such as blackmail.
Another observed that the documentation process have common and repetitive errors where they accidentally switch data since it is handwritten. Data inconsistency happens due to misplacement in the course of manual filing that will make it hard to trace documents in the future. Paperwork is too much and it is repetitive ending up and wasting much time. These required the employees to be confused between different job files and documents.
- What are the changes that you might propose to the management?
Some of the proposed a computerized accounting system to enable the book keeper to enter once the transactions while updating them when necessary. Programs such Excel replace ledger sheets and journals. A computerized accounting system is quick compared to the, manual system since it is easier to cross- check the journals. As well software has an inbuilt errors detection to ensure accuracy and data consistency. Computerized system will automatically pull out the relevant journals to fill in the period reports. On the other hand, with computerized system data ids safe from intruders since one can assign passwords to prevent unauthorized access. As well it has data integrity, easier to retrieve records and make compilation in report.
- As a customer of Al Madina, what is your level of satisfaction, especially in relation to the documentation?
The customer’s interview process provided information concerning the level of satisfaction with the organization and the views on the documentation process. Most of the customers felt that they had to wait for long time as they are being served. Some of the customers find the firm inefficient since the processes takes long and redundant. Manual systems pressurize the personnel as the clients keep complaining due to their slow nature. Clients feel bad when their statements are misstated or inaccessible since it is easy to lose a file in manual system.
As well, clients felt disappointed due to mistakes on manual transactions which were untimely and expensive. On the other hand, data duplication was on the rise due to repetitive work and misplacement. Customers’ queries were also not responded in time since the information was stored in different places, and as such, hard to retrieve. According to customers "some of the areas need to be addressed are not restricted to the logistics industry but other sectors in the firm that need to embrace the current record keeping methods such as automation work process that will replace the paper based procedures”. The fact that customers felt this highlighted their displeasure in the documentation delays.
- Do you think there are areas need to be addressed?
The customers felt that some of the areas need to be addressed were not restricted to the logistics industry but other sectors in the firm that need to embrace the current record keeping methods such as automation work process that will replace the paper based procedures. The company has to address the continual use of manual processes that spend much time to invoice, approve and client billing system. Computerized system will ensure easy retrieval and quick processing that save time. As well to invest in computerized system that will reduce data inconsistency in the course of work. While manual system has difficulties in accessing data and making modifications. The file has to address since it is hard to trace document and there is misplacement.
- If the organization would continue with its current documentation system, would you search for alternative logistics company or would you continue with Al Madina? Why?
The delays in documentation have caused customers to consider changing to other service providers. Due the failure by AMLS to implement a computerized system in all their process has caused dissonance amongst its customers. For instance, customers felt that they might have to relocate to their competitor, especially if the company continues to use the same process with the same level and quality.
- Please provide a proposal that you feel should be implemented to the documentation procedure?
The customers felt that company should automate their system to ensure work is done fast with minimal time. As well, customers were not happy with the manual system because it is slow and expensive due to repetitive tasks that are done over and over. They felt that the company should introduce a computerized filing system that has password protection and encryption to ensure only authorized users have access to the data. The manual filling is bulky and use many office spaces compared information system. It is easy to sort, locate, retrieve and update data in computerized system other than manual system.
- As a customer do agree with computerized system or manual system?
There was a unanimous agreement with the computerized over the manual system.
Conclusion
The study endeavored to find out the causes of documentation delays in the logistics company and how this affects the other operations of the company. In this respect, the study sought to interview managers in the corporation as well as its customers. This was appropriate in order to get perspectives from both sides of the divide as to the causes and the ways in which this problem can be remedied. While the customer were concerned enough to offer proposed remedies to the problems identified in the system, there was also the indication that their patience was running thin. The potential losses of customers to competitors should be incentive enough to warrant the company to implement the recommendations derived from the study as outlined below.
Recommendations
- Based on the findings of the interview with the managers and customers, this study proposes a computerized accounting system to enable the book keeper to enter records once the transactions are finalized with the option of updating them when necessary. Programs such Excel replace ledger sheets and journals. A computerized accounting system is quick compared to the, manual system since it is easier to cross- check the journals. As well, the software has inbuilt errors detection facilities to ensure accuracy and data consistency. Computerized system will automatically pull out the relevant journals to fill in the period reports. Additionally, with computerized system data is safe from intruders since one can assign passwords to prevent unauthorized access. As well it has data integrity, easier to retrieve records and make compilation in report.
- Some of the measures that the firm can take to ensure quick recovery include business modeling, data management and optimization. The management should consider hiring experienced staff that can influence change in to affective operation. The measure will restore the firm’s confidence by the clients; on the other hand it will enhance the management's ability to make decision.
- The study also recommends that with the increase of technology advancement, the firm should upgrade its documentation system to ensure real time operations. As well, work automation will ensure fast locating of customer information and increased number of customer served within small duration of time. The use of ultra- modern technology in logistics generally will help management system to continue in documentation and distribution services efficiently especially in warehouses. A warehousing management system will assist key decision – making processes to influence a robust flow of the processing documents. The system will be swift to optimize, pick and pack procedures with accuracy.
