Conquer the supply chain with a small army

Darren Matthews, Business Development Analyst for WiseTech Global, points out how even a small yet supportive staff can gain the competitive advantage with the right resources in their arsenal.

Conquering the world is no small task. Any world leader throughout history who's ever tried it could tell you that you meet resistance wherever you go, and you find that you just don't have enough resources to fight all the battles you need to gain total victory. No matter your size, your quest for world domination is an exhausting struggle.

However, history has shown that even with minimal resources the grandest battles can be won. I'd argue that even with their guns and armor, what truly brought victory to the 900 Spanish Conquistadors who faced 200,000 Aztec warriors was superior strategy.

Your business is no different. The right strategies are a powerful arsenal which begins with utilizing simplified yet powerful technology.

Modern technology provides businesses with the tools to have global reach without having to have numerous offices, which can be costly. With web-conferences, you can talk to your customers regardless of whether they are next door or in the next continent, and you can deliver a broad spectrum of material through this medium directly from your screen to theirs, whether it's a PowerPoint presentation, a video outlining your services, skills, and value proposal, or even a live-streamed tour of your facilities. The power of video conferencing allows you to be in the room with your customers no matter where you are in the world. Having the ability to scale your business quickly allows you to reach new markets.

While high-speed web technology is the superior weaponry of the logistics business, the same can also be said for training your own army. With the power of the web, you no longer need to assemble your staff in a central location, which can have an impact on productivity. e-Learning is another nimble strategy that does not require your workforce to be collectively located and may be accessed whether you are in an office or whether you are working from home. Software companies may be driving this approach, but the industry itself finds ways to educate staff in new processes and procedures, from how to use new software or effectively load a container, to how to comply with the latest changes in Customs regulation.

Training your workforce through e-Learning is a nimble and often cost-effective strategy but once your workforce has the necessary skills and continued training, what tools and strategies can you provide to best position your workforce to contribute to its success and scalability? More than simply having the Spanish guns and steel, their soldiers knew how to use them, when to attack, and when to defend. Because the Aztecs fought 100% of the time, it could be said the Spanish were the more productive company in the end, despite the smaller workforce.

You should look to utilize everything at your disposal to ensure your workforce works smarter, not necessarily harder. Your software - whether that's your email client, CRM, or freight software - should help you automate your business and remove the manual task burdens that prevent quick and efficient business. Let your highly skilled staff play the highly skilled roles, and let the software complete the extra work in between, such as automating emails and updating Track and Trace data. Your software should help your workforce prioritize tasks and deliverables. Ultimately, providing your clients with the high quality service and experience will help set the standard of excellence that attracts new clients, and your business scales from there.

Be smart, train smart, and use the best tools, and you really can conquer the world with a small army.