C&F and Freight Forwarding Software: Every File, Every Cost, One Place

A consignment arrives at the port. Between that day and delivery there are documents to collect, duty to pay, port and shipping line charges, transport, and many small expenses paid in cash by staff on the ground. The client is billed weeks later from a paper file, and whatever was not written down is paid from the agent's own pocket.

The job file is the centre

• Client, consignment, LC, B/L and bill of entry references
• Scanned documents attached to the job
• Status at each stage, from arrival to delivery
• Every expense, with who paid it and when
• Advance received from the client

Expenses recorded on the day

Staff at the port should be able to enter an expense from a phone, with a photo of the receipt, against the right job. Each person's cash advance and what they have accounted for stays visible. Forgotten expenses are the most common reason a profitable job turns out not to be.

Bills that go out on time

When expenses are already on the job, the client's bill is a few clicks: reimbursable costs, agency commission and the advance adjusted. Sending it the week the job closes, instead of a month later, changes the cash position of the whole business.

What the owner should be able to see

• Open jobs and where each one is stuck
• Profit per job, after all expenses
• Client-wise receivables and their age
• Cash lying with staff as unsettled advances

The software does not replace the customs system or your experience at the port. It keeps your own office's files, money and bills in order, and that is where most of the losses happen.