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7 Things to Consider Before Buying Shipping Solutions Software

On: August 2, 2021    |    By: Lisa Nemer Lisa Nemer    |    5 min. read

7 Things to Consider Before Buying Shipping Solutions SoftwareYou may know that Shipping Solutions software is used by thousands of companies across the U.S. to create export documents, file with the Automated Export System (AES) and run compliance screenings quickly and easily. You may also know that Shipping Solutions could help your company, too! But making the final decision to purchase new software can often be fraught with questions. We’ve tried to make it easier by laying out seven things to consider before buying Shipping Solutions.

1. How do you do your export paperwork now?

If you are currently using a combination of Excel spreadsheets, Word templates and documents from your ERP system to create your export paperwork, then Shipping Solutions is worth considering. With Shipping Solutions you store all your shipment information and print all your export paperwork in one place. You can keep your contact and product information in the Shipping Solutions database (or pull it in from your ERP system), create new shipments, copy previous shipments, print all of your paperwork, file your Electronic Export Information (EEI) to AES, and run compliance screenings all in Shipping Solutions.

If you are ever audited, you’ll know exactly where to go to find your paperwork: Shipping Solutions! And, by using the same system for all your documents, the information on all your export forms will be consistent and accurate.

2. Do you need Shipping Solutions Classic, Professional or Enterprise?

Do you need basic export paperwork such as invoices, bills of lading, packing lists and certificates of origin for shipments that include just a few line items? Then Classic is probably right for you. Do you need additional documents such as Dangerous Goods documents, and do you have lots of line items in each shipment? Then you will need Professional, so you will have the documents you need and can take advantage of the Data Exchange Manager (DXM). Do you have more than a dozen people in your company who need to create, review or print your export paperwork? Then you should consider the Enterprise version.

There's a better way to create your export forms! Watch the free video to see  how.

Shipping Solutions Classic and Professional are sold as per-seat licenses. You will need to purchase a license for each individual user’s workstation. If you are in a remote desktop environment, you will need one license for each remote desktop services session. The Shipping Solutions licenses are not concurrent user licenses.

With Shipping Solutions Enterprise, you don’t need to count licenses. You can install the software on as many workstations as you need, and your database is hosted in a Microsoft Azure cloud server environment. The Enterprise version makes the most sense if you have at least a dozen Shipping Solutions users.

4. Is the Data Exchange Manager (DXM) worth implementing?

If you have only a couple of line items in each shipment and ship to a lot of the same customers over and over, it probably isn’t necessary to use the DXM. You can simply copy a previous shipment or use the data in the Shipping Solutions databases to create the shipments right in the software. But, if you typically have a dozen or more line items in a shipment, then you should seriously consider using the DXM. In that case, you will need either the Professional or Enterprise version of Shipping Solutions.

The Data Exchange Manager (DXM) pulls orders in from your accounting or ERP system. With most of the information already in Shipping Solutions, you just apply the final touches to complete your export paperwork and file with AES. You will need IT support to get the data out of your accounting or ERP system into either text or XML format or to set up an ODBC connection. 

5. How do you do export compliance now?

If your answer is “what’s export compliance?” or “we have an adhoc process,” then please consider Shipping Solutions! The Export Compliance Module, which is available in Shipping Solutions Professional and Enterprise, has three features. 

First, you can run restricted party screenings right from Shipping Solutions to make sure you aren’t shipping to anyone on the U.S. government’s restricted parties lists. You can also run an Export Controls screening to see if your item might need an export license based on its ECCN and the country you are shipping to. The third feature looks at the country you are shipping to and gives you a guide to what export and import paperwork may be required. 

All the screenings are stored in an audit trail, so if you ever have to show you did your due diligence, you can go straight to Shipping Solutions for the proof! There’s also a shipment log where you can note the date and person who performed each step in your export compliance plan, so nothing will get missed.

 

6. How much IT support do you have?

If your answer is plenty, then count yourself as one of the lucky ones! Shipping Solutions runs with a SQL Server database, and if you have more than one user, you will need a SQL Server that can be accessed by all users. You will need some IT support to load the Shipping Solutions database to a SQL Server at your company or to install SQL Express on a shared machine. But, if your IT department is stretched to the limits, it may be difficult to get a SQL Server at your company. We can take the pressure off by hosting the Shipping Solutions database for you on a secure Microsoft Azure cloud server. No IT support needed!

7. What are you waiting for?

It’s often hard to find time to implement a new software program when you already have too much to do. But, if you just get started with Shipping Solutions, you’ll be surprised how much time you can save. We are proud of the customer service we provide to our new customers. We’ll help you get Shipping Solutions installed, and we’ll even walk you through your first shipment if you’d like! 

It’s nice if you can upload your contacts and products or connect Shipping Solutions to your ERP system using the DXM, but if you don’t have time for that, just start by creating your shipments in Shipping Solutions. Once you’ve entered a customer or product, you can copy it to the Shipping Solutions database so you won’t have to type it in next time you need it for a shipment. You can implement the DXM or upload a full product list later when you do have time.

In the meantime, take advantage of all Shipping Solutions has to offer, starting now!

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Lisa Nemer

About the Author: Lisa Nemer

Lisa Nemer leads the customer service and finance teams at Shipping Solutions, a software company that develops and sells export document and compliance software targeted specifically at small and mid-sized U.S. companies that export. If you have ever called Shipping Solutions with a question or problem you've probably talked to Lisa! Prior to joining Shipping Solutions, Lisa spent 14 years in finance and technology-related jobs for a Fortune 500 company in Minneapolis.

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