Shipping software should be more than a strategy; it’s a long-term investment. Does your solution level up?

As the supply chain industry continues to evolve rapidly and the intense pressures to meet consumer expectations remain, your business is faced with two options: adapt or risk falling behind.

While it may seem obvious that any business owner would adapt and continue, the requirements of the modern business world can feel overwhelming. Adapting advanced technologies and strategic planning are crucial to remain competitive, in fact 45% of CEOs believe their company will struggle to remain viable in 10 years if they continue their current trajectory.

However, many companies are still tethered to outdated and underperforming systems, struggling to keep pace with the demands of modern shipping. Businesses that rely on single-carrier shipping strategies limit their ability to pivot in the face of challenges such as carrier rate increases or service disruptions. Sticking to a single carrier or outdated carrier-based system can create bottlenecks and limit access to alternative delivery options. Relying on one carrier puts businesses at risk of delays, higher costs, and missed customer expectations.

Today, nearly 70% of operations and supply chain officers say their tech investments have not met their expectations. These complexities underscore the importance of upgrading your shipping solution to a flexible multi-carrier shipping software (MCSS). This decision is not only a technical necessity; it’s a strategic move that can enhance operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve customer satisfaction.

But with the urgency to upgrade your shipping software comes the need for careful budgeting and planning. Effective resource allocation can make all the difference between a seamless transition or a disruptive experience. As we approach the end of the year, it is time to reevaluate if your current multi-carrier shipping software is just barely meeting or exceeding your expectations.

Why Upgrading Your Multi-Carrier Shipping Software is Essential

In today’s modern world, consumption is at an all-time high where e-commerce is booming, and customer expectations continue to increase. The question is not whether shippers should be utilizing a multi-carrier shipping software solution, but if their solution is doing what it needs to, to give businesses the opportunity to thrive. Shippers that still utilize outdated systems lack the scalability and flexibility they will need to accommodate growth in their business, whether that be increases in volume or physical locations.

Outdated carrier integrations also present an issue, as shippers who aren’t using advanced delivery options, such as same-day and next-day delivery provided by newer and more prominent carriers, can put them in a position of falling behind competitors. Additionally, limited automation capabilities in older software can lead to increased manual errors and inefficiencies in shipping processes. Modern multi-carrier solutions offer automated features that streamline workflows, from label printing to tracking updates, ensuring a smoother experience for both shippers and customers.

Beyond these challenges, today’s market is plagued with uncertainty. Political shifts, the upcoming presidential election, climate change, and severe weather events, such as the recent hurricanes we’ve experienced, all impact supply chains unpredictably. Having a flexible, modern shipping system that can adapt to these unforeseen disruptions is critical. Outdated solutions leave shippers vulnerable to these market fluctuations, while a robust, flexible system can better prepare your business for whatever lies ahead.

Upgrading your MCSS goes beyond meeting the demands of the supply chain industry; it’s a strategic investment to help benefit the future of your business. By integrating a modern solution, you will boost scalability, enhance automation, increase delivery options, and improve your business operations overall. This positions your business to effectively tackle the challenges ahead, ensuring you remain competitive and responsive in a dynamic market.

What to Look for in Your Multi-Carrier Shipping Software

Once you’ve decided that it’s time to invest in upgrading your multi-carrier solution for 2025, it is crucial to identify the must-have features your business needs to drive efficiency, flexibility, and growth. Some key MCSS features that you should look for include:

Scalability: As your business grows, so should your shipping software. Scalable solutions ensure that your system can handle increased shipping volumes, new carriers, and expanded services without sacrificing performance and allowing your business to maintain profitability.

Cost-Effectiveness: When investing in multi-carrier shipping software, it is crucial to look beyond the initial price tag because the cost doesn’t stop there. Additional costs come with things like implementation, training, IT and maintenance that can add up significantly. A lower upfront cost may seem more appealing; however, a long-term ROI is key. Investing in a solution that reduces manual labor, minimizes errors, and optimizes carrier selection can pay for itself in the long run.

Seamless Integration: Top-tier MCSS enables seamless integration with your existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, warehouse management systems (WMS), and other existing systems. This is essential for streamlining workflows, improving data accuracy, and enhancing overall visibility across your supply chain.

Intuitive Interface: The multi-carrier system you invest in should be intuitive and easy for your team to learn and use, minimizing the additional time and costs it takes to familiarize and train your staff. Utilizing a user-friendly interface can improve day-to-day productivity and allow for any employee to effectively use the software.

Variety of Carriers: MCSS solutions with a diverse carrier network for both parcel and freight ensure flexibility in meeting customer demands, mitigating disruptions, and optimizing shipping routes and costs. Having access to unique providers and more options puts shippers in a better position to respond to fluctuations in pricing and service availability as well. [Read more about the power of going multi-carrier.]

Customization: Since every business is different, your shipping software should reflect that. Leading multi-carrier shipping solutions are not one size fits all; they are built to meet each business’s unique needs. Look for a customizable solution that allows you to tailor operations such as workflows, reporting, and carrier preferences.

Customer Support: It is crucial with any sort of major technology that there is responsive and widely available customer support. Make sure to look for a MCSS solution with support that ensures reliable and prompt resolutions to potential technical issues when needed. Strong support is paramount to ensuring minimal disruptions and helps you maintain operational continuity.

Taking these characteristics into consideration when upgrading your multi-carrier shipping software will help you equip your business with the tools and capabilities needed to thrive in the ever-evolving logistics environment. These features are essential not only for meeting today’s operational demands but also for future-proofing your shipping processes.

The Solution That Has It All: Varsity Logistics

Finding a solution that meets every functionality requirement might feel like a tall order, however, Varsity Logistics delivers exactly that. A leading provider of multi-carrier shipping software built exclusively for shippers on IBM i (AS/400) Power Systems, Varsity offers a comprehensive parcel and LTL software suite designed to tackle the challenges of modern shipping head-on. For businesses budgeting for shipping software in the upcoming year, Varsity is the optimal choice, checking the boxes to key characteristics including:

• Scalable Software: Varsity’s multi-carrier shipping software is designed with scalability in mind, enabling businesses to easily adjust to business growth and demand fluctuations. Its proven functionality allows for seamless management of higher shipping volumes in the short term during peak seasons as well as with long term business expansion, ensuring smooth and uninterrupted operations. However, scalability goes beyond just handling higher volumes – it also means evolving with technology and the dynamic logistics landscape. Varsity’s solutions are built to tackle today’s shipping challenges – whether it’s optimizing containerization for more efficient packaging, providing real-time tracking for enhanced visibility, or offering robust reporting tools for data-driven decisions.
• Return on Investment: Beyond the initial cost of Varsity’s software, our solution provides your business with many opportunities for minimizing and optimizing costs. Automated workflows, fewer errors, optimized carrier rate shopping, and auditing are just a few of Varsity’s key functions that can help your business save big in the long-term.
• Integration Capabilities: Varsity’s MCSS integrates seamlessly with all major IBM i enterprise resources planning systems, warehouse management systems, and hundreds of existing home-grown and customized in-house systems as well. This allows businesses to easily implement a flexible shipping strategy without disrupting existing workflows.
• Unified Platform: Our user-friendly interface consists of a single centralized application that simplifies operations. This centralized approach reduces training time, streamlines processes, and allows your team to manage workflows efficiently from one place.
• Carrier Diversity: Varsity maintains strong relationships and software integrations with leading parcel and LTL carriers in North America. This extensive network provides your business with access to world-class delivery services and solutions, enabling you to save money while enhancing customer satisfaction and delivery efficiency.
• Customization: Varsity’s software allows you to create and implement customized business rules tailored to your unique shipping needs. Whether it’s automating specific shipping workflows, creating custom rate-shopping parameters, or setting rules for carrier selection based on region, product type, or delivery speed, Varsity ensures your operations align with your business goals.
• Customer Support: With nearly 40 years of experience in supply chain logistics and a support team whose tenure exceeds 120 years, Varsity Logistics offers unmatched expertise to help you navigate shipping challenges. Their seasoned team not only provides responsive customer support but also offers deep industry knowledge to ensure your business remains resilient in the face of market volatility.

As 2025 approaches, it’s crucial for businesses to assess their current shipping software and start budgeting for making the necessary upgrades that will maintain a shipping infrastructure capable of withstanding future challenges. Whether those challenges are market uncertainties, shifting customer demands, or unpredictable disruptions in the global supply chain, your MCSS should have your back. Budgeting for a robust multi-carrier shipping software solution is more than just a strategic move; it’s a long-term investment into your business’s operational efficiency and longevity.

Ready to future-proof your shipping operations? Take the step towards better shipping software solutions in 2025 with Varsity Logistics comprehensive software suite. We’re here to help your business grow and achieve long-term success. To learn more, please contact our team of shipping experts or schedule a demo.