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Parcel Audit Software

Aug 23, 2024

Regular parcel auditing helps shippers identify errors, overcharges and inefficiencies on shipping invoices and carrier contracts, giving teams the power to negotiate costs with logistics partners more effectively.

What is Parcel Audit Software?

An audit is the practice of identifying any errors or overcharges by carriers on a shipment, whether manually by an employee reviewing invoices or automatically through software. Its goal is to recover any lost monies while creating future savings from shipping rates; which audit type you require depends on your business' size, complexity and number of carriers it utilizes.



Parcel audit software can be an invaluable asset to businesses in streamlining shipping processes, identifying billing errors and recovering refunds, while increasing visibility into transportation costs and pinpointing areas where potential savings exist.

Thus, this type of technology can benefit companies of all sizes and industries: logistics companies use it to increase visibility into shipping costs; manufacturers and retailers can utilize it to track delivery carrier performance; while ecommerce businesses can utilize it to ensure accurate invoices are issued for orders.


Most providers of parcel audit software charge a monthly subscription fee and take a cut of any refunds they recover on your behalf, which is more cost-effective than hiring an employee to review invoices manually and can result in greater accuracy and efficiency. Over time, an effective parcel auditing system could save significant sums of money on shipping costs by uncovering overcharges that would otherwise remain undetected.


Some solutions provide full visibility into your shipping costs to enable you to make informed decisions regarding carrier contracts and pricing structures, helping you save money by aligning their terms and pricing structures with shipping volumes, cost of goods sold goals and profit goals.


Parcel audit software offers an efficient, streamlined solution for optimizing shipping operations in today's fast-paced business environment and guaranteeing accurate billing of shipping services provided to your company.


How is Parcel Audit Software Helpful?

Parcel audit software is an invaluable resource for shippers seeking to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of their shipping operations. It helps expose unrealized profit in your supply chain, negotiate better rates with carriers, optimize shipping routes, improve customer service quality and reduce costs. In many instances, parcel invoice audit can help recover refunds that you may have been overcharged on as well as identify billing errors which could cost your business significant sums every year.


Historically, audits were completed manually by teams. These audits required teams to gather all documents that needed to be reconciled (invoices, contracts and delivery receipts) from various formats (EDI, email, PDF spreadsheets, paper carrier portals) before consolidating into a digital record for review. This process was time consuming and needed an experienced in-house team for completion.


Automated parcel auditing software is designed to simplify this process by consolidating all document types into a digital record that can be reviewed automatically. These softwares employ logistics-AI technology to seamlessly integrate supply chain and spend data across carrier and business systems while standardizing document formats into one standardized record for review - this enables over 98% of carrier invoices to be audited automatically!


Automating shipping processes not only eliminates manual labor but also ensures more accurate data. With a comprehensive, real-time monitoring system that analyzes shipping data to identify any discrepancies between expected charges and actual billed amounts, automation allows for better informed decisions that positively affect the bottom line.


As more companies turn to digital solutions for their internal shipping needs, the demand for parcel audit software has skyrocketed. These tools enable companies to identify and correct costly shipping errors that would otherwise go undetected, helping save millions in shipping fees each year. Therefore, companies utilizing parcel auditing services can tighten their grip on their bottom lines more securely while more effectively meeting market instability or consumer demands.


Who Needs Parcel Audit Software?

Businesses that send large volumes of parcel shipments and wish to maximize their shipping operations should invest in parcel audit software solutions, which will reduce costs while streamlining delivery processes by identifying errors or overcharges that could affect a company's bottom line.


An invoice audit can uncover opportunities for additional cost reduction and savings, whether that is through refunds from carriers or using data gathered during an audit to influence contract negotiations with carriers. Not only are savings immediate; over time they add up as less is spent on carrier fees.


Companies of all sizes can reap the rewards from conducting a parcel audit, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs) who often find themselves under pressure to maximize shipping budgets. Furthermore, large enterprises that ship large volumes can use insights gained by software to reduce freight costs while improving logistic operations.


As the parcel audit software market has flourished, numerous key players have emerged that provide solutions tailored to meet the needs of various businesses. Notable providers include Mindful Logistics, Refund Retriever and Direct-Recovery; each provides comprehensive software solutions that automate invoice auditing processes so businesses can recover any overcharges for shipping refunds that they may have been charged more than necessary for.


Advanced analytics and machine learning techniques have emerged as major trends in the parcel audit software market, aiding data processing speeds while simultaneously increasing accuracy of analysis. Furthermore, such technology enables businesses to more efficiently manage shipping operations by offering real-time visibility into delivery statuses and pinpointing any potential issues or delays that arise - an expected driver of further market growth over time.


Why Choose Parcel Audit Software?

When choosing parcel audit software, the provider that best meets your needs should be selected. While many providers provide similar basic services - checking carrier invoices and recovering refunds - each has their own special features that could suit different businesses' requirements. Before choosing one of the many auditing platforms out there, make sure you consider all requirements related to your business, such as what software it should integrate with and the total cost - some providers charge monthly subscription fees while others take a percentage of refunds recovered on your behalf.


Parcel audit software should help optimize your logistics and shipping network by streamlining internal costs and automating processes to reveal hidden profits, thus improving operational efficiencies of shipping operations.


Contract negotiations with carriers can also benefit greatly. By gathering premium data on each carrier, you can leverage better terms in each contract negotiation - this can save significant amounts year after year.


Parcel audits offer one of the greatest benefits to shipping companies: pinpointing system failures that impact shipping budgets. Miscalculated surcharges, duplicate charges and inaccurate classifications may all go undetected but when monitored regularly they can quickly be identified and rectified before becoming more costly issues.


Parcel audits provide more than just billing errors - they also offer ways to reduce overall shipping costs by reviewing billed rates against contractual agreements to make sure the amount matches with expected shipping expenses and GSRs (Gate Service Reviews), tariff rates, and discounts offered through negotiations.


Parcel audits provide another opportunity for savings beyond cost reduction: rate shopping across various carriers to find an economical shipping solution and optimize supply chains while cutting costs while improving customer service. This helps optimize supply chains while simultaneously decreasing customer costs and satisfaction levels.


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