It’s no secret that today’s transportation professionals are tasked with working in a changing industry.  Persistent post-pandemic port congestion, unpredictable labor negotiations on the U.S. West Coast, and the specter of global conflict all provide shippers with significant disruptions to their operations.

Yet despite these challenges, shippers are simultaneously under greater pressure than ever to provide their customers with a seamless shipping experience. According to supply chain analytics provider Voxware’s 2022 Holiday Survey, 65% of customers said they would stop purchasing from a given retailer after only 2-3 late deliveries. With customers fed up with late deliveries, shippers must provide their clientele with on-time performance every time. 

As shippers attempt to meet growing expectations for reliable shipping in an increasingly unpredictable transportation landscape, many are turning to ocean freight visibility to bolster resilience. But that being said, not all ocean freight visibility software solutions are created equal. The blue dot signaling a container's location is no longer enough; if shippers want to navigate today’s high-stakes transportation environment, they’ll need ocean freight visibility that goes beyond. 

This article looks at what a truly comprehensive approach to ocean freight visibility looks like and how it can provide shippers and their clients with unprecedented performance in unprecedented times. 

In an Industry That’s Anything But Standard, Standard-Fare Ocean Freight Visibility Doesn’t Cut It

Let’s be honest: while blue-dot ocean freight visibility was once worthy of headline after headline, in today’s transportation industry, logistics professionals must offer more if they want to stand out. By critically examining some of the problems of ‘standard’ ocean freight visibility, we can better understand how comprehensive ocean freight visibility software helps shippers navigate a difficult moment for the transportation industry.

• Raw Data, while better than no data at all, provides a slew of headaches and to-do list additions. For many shippers, raw, unaggregated data requires significant in-house resources to utilize and transform into KPIs and actionable metrics. 
• Blue-Dot Visibility was a revolution in ocean freight. Finally, shippers could understand where a container was within their supply chain. But this was years ago, and times have changed: In today’s dynamic ocean transportation industry, shippers need information beyond the “where.” 
• Partial Integration of ocean freight visibility software leads to clunky processes, tech silos, and a lack of visibility. Without streamlined, complete integration of cloud-based ocean freight visibility software, shippers are in the dark when exceptions occur. They were often left playing catch-up to their own supply chains. 

While the features listed above were once considered groundbreaking, they now struggle to meet even the most basic requirements of most shippers. In a high-stakes transportation industry, it’s time to look beyond standard-fare ocean freight visibility software toward a new frontier: end-to-end comprehensive ocean freight visibility. 

What is Comprehensive Ocean Freight Visibility Software?

Comprehensive ocean freight visibility software provides shippers with complete, end-to-end ocean freight visibility. From when a container lands on an intermodal transport to when it reaches its final-mile delivery mode, comprehensive ocean freight visibility software puts shippers in the captain's chair with their high-stakes ocean freight shipments. Let’s dig into some key benefits of comprehensive ocean freight visibility software. 

Intermodal Visibility Takes Visibility to the Shore

As the ties between transportation providers grow ever stronger, shippers must have visibility that goes beyond the port. Shippers can gain visibility over all rail operations by partnering with an ocean freight visibility software provider that offers integrated intermodal visibility — giving shippers visibility over all rail operations. 

Exception Alerts Keep Shippers In-the-Know

On-demand visibility is a must-have, but what if shippers are away from the screen? With automated exception alerts, shippers can immediately deliver ocean freight visibility exception notifications across a transportation network, ensuring all stakeholders remain up-to-date on high-stakes ocean freight shipments. With real-time tracking alerts for intermodal visibility, shippers can be updated as soon as a rail exception occurs, allowing for unprecedented reactivity in unprecedented times. 

Streamlined Integration for Maximum Actionability

While on-demand visibility and automated exception alerts provide shippers with unprecedented access to ocean freight visibility insights, these insights are only as valuable as they are accessible. Shippers could find themselves stuck in tech silos and unable to access or share the information they need without a reliable, streamlined user interface. A comprehensive ocean freight visibility software platform provides cloud-based API (application programming interface) integration, ensuring that shippers can harness the full potential of ocean freight visibility software anytime, anywhere. 

OpenTrack is the Transportation Industry’s Choice for Comprehensive, End-To-End Ocean Freight Visibility

In a high-stakes transportation environment, shippers can’t settle for standard ocean freight visibility. With comprehensive ocean freight visibility software from OpenTrack, shippers can harness the power of the latest innovations in ocean freight visibility to navigate a complex ocean transportation landscape.

• Automated Exception Alerts keep shippers updated on the latest events in their supply chain–from missed pick-ups to rolled cargo. With 97% of ocean shipment coverage, OpenTrack provides shippers with the latest events across the ocean freight industry. 
• Intermodal Visibility takes data from all major railroads and integrates them into a single platform alongside ocean freight visibility data, providing shippers with the single-source visibility they need to stay agile in a high-stakes logistics industry.
• Seamless Integration brings the power of comprehensive, end-to-end ocean freight visibility software to transportation stakeholders. With cloud-based API integration, shippers can gain instant insight into their supply chains anytime, anywhere. 

‍Book a demo with OpenTrack today, and see what ocean freight visibility made simple means for your business.