National Traffic Service Provides Tips For Evaluating Freight Auditing and Payment Vendors
AMHERST, NY (PRWEB) June 20, 2016 -- Businesses team with freight auditing and payment vendors to lower their shipping costs, decease their administrative expenses and gain valuable business intelligence. Finding the right freight auditing company is key to achieving all three objectives. National Traffic Service shares five things a shipper should ask when examining a freight audit vendor.
1. How long has the company been in business?
A lengthy, proven track record is a solid indicator of stability, which is a necessity whenever money is concerned. Shippers are entrusting freight auditing and payment vendors to pay their carrier bills and need assurance the vendor will be around after carrier funds have been transferred.
2. Does the freight auditing company have SAS 70 or SSAE 16 certifications?
These must-have accreditations, which can only be obtained after a company proves it is in compliance with auditing standards established by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, provide evidence that a freight auditing business has proper financial controls in place to protect clients’ funds. Of the two standards, SSAE 16 is newer and supersedes SAS 70.
3. What data does the company capture on clients’ behalf and how easy is it to access?
Data gathering is one of the major benefits of using a freight auditing and payment company. Shippers can use this information to make more informed decisions about their supply chain.
The best vendors have user-friendly interfaces that allow clients to generate charts and overviews without headache. And clients should be able to run reports on anything from fuel surcharges to address correction fees, as well as sort shipping costs by carrier, account code, category, department, customer, origin or destination.
4. Does the vendor have a stable base of longtime, satisfied customers?
Shippers should check for recognizable client names and find out the length of their engagements, looking for relationships of 20 years or longer.
Businesses should also reach out to the vendor’s customers to determine if the clients are pleased with the vendor’s customer service. Response time and how the vendor handles concerns is good information to have before a decision is made. Does the customer see the freight auditing and payment company as a long-term partner? One red flag is long delays between the time the client transfers funds to the vendor and the time the carrier receives payment.
5. What is the vendor’s reputation with the carriers?
When freight auditing companies streamline the invoice and payment process for their clients, the truck and parcel carriers also benefit through EDI invocing, faster payments and the ability to see check payment status quickly and easily online. If the carriers are satisfied with the vendor, then shippers know the company is solid on both the front and back ends of their business.
About National Traffic Service
National Traffic Service is a national leader in the freight audit and freight payment industry, providing superior service and software for the last 60 years. Based in Amherst, New York, the company processes 40 million domestic and international bills annually, representing more than $2 billion in freight for 200 companies throughout the United States and Canada. National Traffic saves its clients more than tens of millions of dollars annually in potential overcharges as a result of their audits. For more information call 1-800-775-8253 or visit https://natraffic.com/.
Garret Oswald, National Traffic Service, Inc., https://natraffic.com/, +1 (800) 775-8253 Ext: 206, [email protected]
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