Case Study
How Uber Freight’s
real-time procurement helped Fully unlock organizational agility and monthly cost savings
Results
Strategy
Customer
Industry: Retail
Size: 100+ employees
Location: HQ in Portland, Oregon
An ergonomic furniture company bringing maximum comfort to offices with standing desks and workstations.
Customer Profile
To thrive in modern workspaces, employees need comfortable furniture that supports productivity. Fully, an Oregon-based office furniture company, launched in 2015 as a champion of this, equipping companies with high-quality ergonomic furniture.
Fully typically relies on less-than-truckload (LTL) shipments to transport its chairs, standing desks, and workstations, as customers often order in bulk to furnish large office spaces. However, unexpected supply chain congestion and order volume fluctuations challenged the brand’s ability to fulfill orders. Dealing with traditional carriers often resulted in documentation errors, requiring revisions to key shipment details.
The fulfillment team rallied around two key priorities to solve these challenges: Enabling real-time access to accurate shipment documentation and leveraging a single, unified platform to book, manage, and ship loads cost-effectively. The ability to communicate with carriers and source optimal capacity was vital for Fully to keep costs down, improve performance, and control its freight.
To achieve these goals, the company required a comprehensive suite of tech-enabled tools to streamline their operations from one central hub. In 2022, Fully signed up for Uber Freight’s Shipper Platform to streamline its procurement process, mitigate risk, and unlock cost savings.
Challenges and objectives: Streamline procurement with accurate shipment documentation and transparent pricing
Challenges
Armed with real-time access to a central hub for documentation, Fully could communicate its freight needs more effectively to carriers. The fulfillment team previously worked with multiple independent carriers directly through their websites to share shipping details, but it was challenging to track necessary documents across different portals and make changes once the information was uploaded to a carrier’s externally-managed system. Unresponsive customer service from carriers and limited visibility into their operations meant updates to documentation could take days—even weeks—to materialize online.
By partnering with Uber Freight, Fully could rely on a dedicated support team to make near-real-time updates to paperwork, enabling faster shipments. While relaying key shipping information using traditional carrier websites risked miscommunication and delays, consolidating resources under a single platform enabled Fully to build fruitful partnerships with repeat carriers and increase visibility into its operational processes.
Leveraging Uber Freight’s vast nationwide network of more than 100,000 carriers, Fully was also able to book, plan, and transport loads with high-quality coverage, no matter the state of the market. Before choosing Uber Freight, changes in order volume throughout the year challenged Fully’s small operation. Demand spiked around the holidays, especially during its Black Friday sale—and to ensure optimal capacity at the most competitive rates, the company needed to establish a more agile, data-driven procurement.
By optimizing shipments to consolidate or split loads across multiple carriers, Fully ensured its capacity needs were always met regardless of fluctuating order volumes or volatile market conditions. Real-time freight management enabled the fulfillment team to find affordable pricing, access instant quotes, and track shipments—and instead of managing goods through multiple independent websites, Fully was able to source capacity using one unified platform.
The strategy: Improve operational efficiency with load optimization, guaranteed coverage, and better visibility
By partnering with Uber Freight, Fully could rely on a dedicated support team to make near-real-time updates to paperwork, enabling faster shipments.
Tech-driven capacity sourcing and resource optimization boosted Fully’s operational speed and agility, giving the company a competitive edge. By streamlining the shipment planning process, the company’s fulfillment team could focus on more strategic objectives versus spending excess time coordinating loads, revising documents, and confirming appointments.
Fully warehouse operations specialist Jon England says partnering with Uber Freight was essential to strengthening carrier relationships and improving external communications. “In the past, we’ve had to follow up with customer representatives numerous times through email or phone to correct errors, which created additional expenses in lost time and labor,” he said. “Now, our team makes fewer mistakes when filling out and uploading documents—and even when we do slip up, it’s very easy for us to rectify.”
With the ability to easily update shipment details online, such as service requirements, pick up locations, and appointment times, Fully could de-risk their transportation network. With Uber Freight, the company mitigated operational mix-ups and delays—ultimately reducing costs—through reliable, built-in communication channels and 24/7 support.
Jon also notes that recent refinements, such as the auto-complete function enabling faster booking of LTL shipments, improved his team’s user experience. In particular, the new LTL item catalog capabilities helped them input key elements of their load—such as number of units, commodity description, and weight per pallet—more efficiently, saving valuable time and resources throughout the shipment planning process.
Load optimization capabilities, coupled with instant access to an expansive digital carrier network, elevated Fully’s procurement practices to a new level. In the first month of working with Uber Freight in late Summer 2022, the furniture company saved $243 per order, achieving nearly $16,000 in ongoing monthly cost savings.
The pressure is on for shippers of all sizes to better manage their costs by stemming supply chain leakages, ensuring smooth operational workflows, and delivering higher levels of service. In an increasingly competitive market, shippers should consider expanding their digital freight network and tapping optimization capabilities to unlock unique cost saving opportunities.
Results and takeaways: Uber Freight’s Shipper Platform unlocks organizational agility and cost savings
Talk to an expert today to find out how your business can benefit from one of the largest managed transportation and logistics networks with Uber Freight.
Connect with an expert
“In the past, we’ve had to
follow up with customer representatives numerous times through email or phone to correct errors, which created additional expenses in lost time and labor. Now, our team makes fewer mistakes when filling out and uploading documents—and even when we do slip up, it’s very easy for us to rectify.”
– Jon England, Warehouse Operations Specialist at Fully
Uber Freight’s Shipper Platform can help SMBs reduce costs by:
- Streamlining the carrier booking process
- Leveraging data-backed insights to match with the right carrier
- Consolidating transportation documents in one central hub to enable real-
time updates to important shipping information and ensure timely delivery
- Allowing faster, more reliable communications with drivers
- Providing transparent quotes and cost breakdowns to allow for better
budget-planning and business decision-making