GSA International, LTD. Saves Time and Sees Increased Productivity With Accellos Prophesy Dispatch and SaferWatch

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Accellos, a leading provider of supply chain execution software solutions, has issued a case study of Prophesy Dispatch software customer GSA International, LTD. The case study shows how the Michigan based transportation and logistics company increased productivity and time savings with the ability to verify carrier information in real-time with Prophesy’s Dispatch solution integrated with SaferWatch™. The company now has access to critical carrier information, allowing them to make educated carrier decisions and dispatch accordingly, within in one centralized system.

Company

In 1983, Gregory J. Stachura founded what we know today as, GSA International, LTD. The Wayne, MI. based company began as a brokerage house and grew to handle warehousing in the early 1990s. In the early 2000s, GSA International added cross-dock consolidation services. In 2006, after more than twenty-five years of friendship, David M. Simpson partnered with Greg. In 2007, the company grew to include a transportation division. Today, GSA International is a full logistics provider with an asset-based fleet and logistics division.

Situation

Prior to searching for a dispatch solution, GSA International used an antiquated transportation management system. “The system was really made for billing purposes and had no tracking capabilities. Fuel surcharge matrixes were not available in the system and all of our information was kept in spreadsheets. Because of this, we struggled with having to do all of our calculations manually,” said Mark Simpson, Controller, GSA International, LTD.

Solution

While researching multiple software options, GSA International was pleased to see that Prophesy Dispatch offered features that they had not seen in other solutions. GSA International currently runs an 11-user, multi-company and brokerage version of Prophesy Dispatch with Quickbooks, SQL server, and EDI Interface. They also use the Prophesy VisiFreight module, Mileage and Routing, TaxTally, DriverTrax, the Load Posting interface, Document Imaging, and the new SaferWatch™ integration.

Results

GSA International has seen results that were better than expected from the Prophesy Dispatch system. According to Mark, IFTA fuel tax preparation used to take the company 20 hours per quarter to complete and it now takes a mere 30 minutes. Their custom freight bill has also made worlds of a difference for them as well as their customers, and Prophesy Dispatch’s search option has saved the staff time browsing the system for past information.

One of the most impactful new features, according to the team at GSA, has been the integration between Prophesy Dispatch and SaferWatch™ Carrier Monitoring Service. “SaferWatch™ is amazing. It’s a huge time saver,” said Mark Simpson, Controller, GSA International, LTD. “It’s very easy to check if a Surety Bond/carrier insurance is valid. We simply click the button and all of the information we’re looking for is there in front of us. This program makes it really easy to make carrier decisions.”

About the Integration

With the new integration between Prophesy Dispatch software and SaferWatch™, users are able to see carrier status warnings and alerts right from the Prophesy assignment screen, and according to customizable settings, staff members can be either warned or prevented from assigning carriers that fallen below defined safety standards.

In addition, upon assignment of a carrier, Prophesy Dispatch again checks the SaferWatch™ site in real-time to verify that all safety information is current. And when a load is marked en route, the system will check SaferWatch™ once more for consistent real-time verification of carrier compliance.

The Prophesy Dispatch software also keeps a log of all information and verification dates within the system in the event of an incident as proof of due diligence by the broker.

“Risk of liability can be a real hornet’s nest for today’s broker. Without proof of due diligence a company risks being held liable for the actions of carriers they have hired,” said William Ashburn, Prophesy Senior Vice President. “With real-time integration between Prophesy Dispatch and SaferWatch™ we are able to offer a powerful level of protection, time savings and peace of mind for brokers.”

The full case study is available at: http://www.accellos.com/casestudies/gsa-international-ltd/