Simply Orange, headquartered in Querétaro, Mexico is an extremely client-focused and pragmatic forwarding company. Customers have no surprises with hidden fees, quite the contrary, the final goal of service is going beyond their needs and final invoicing below their expectations. Over 100 dedicated employees, working in more than 10 countries around the globe, deliver operational excellence — to provide viable answers to the most challenging supply chain questions.
“Freight forwarding is a commodity, you have to be completely digital or you're gone.”
Collaboration on all levels
With increasing operations, the necessity for tracking and data monitoring increased considerably, along with the desire for an improved workflow for Simply Orange's employees. There had to be a change in software focused on rates, unlike Europe, where relationships and transparency are of high importance.
With this conviction in mind, Simply Orange was led in the direction of Scope by Riege Software.
Engaged in Mexico, engaging Scope
Acting upon this valuable feedback the Riege Software team with 30+ years of experience globally, began investment in their first Mexican branch, providing local support and developing country-specific features and integrations. This combination of local presence and the ability to smoothly integrate Mexican requirements was one of the deciding factors for Simply Orange.
“We knew from the very beginning that the challenge was tough, since Luz had a very clear and precise understanding of what he not only had in mind but declared to be mandatory. It was a blend of skills and experience that enabled us to finally meet these demands.”
Shortly after, in 2015 Simply Orange Mexico went live with Scope. 13 users enjoyed the advantages Scope provides in standard routines like Ocean Freight, Air Freight and Customs, the latter for Nike Mexico and the extensive Simply Orange international tire business. Supplemented by the tracking template within Scope Connect, providing seamless tracking, complete transparency and allowing fulfillment of milestones for all involved parties. Complemented by functions such as automated import of pre-alerts plus uploading documents into Scope.
The results from these features and functions tell their own tale. In next to no time, Simply Orange was able to process their B/L and Invoicing directly out of Scope. Release notes to carriers formerly executed by hand, now automated, induced less work load and errors but raised efficiency and reliability instead. Rates, one of the key assets for doing forwarding successfully in Mexico, could now be confirmed by just pressing one button.
Integration is obligation
One of the cherries on Scope cake, is the ability to easily integrate services from or to third parties. With a focal point on Ocean Freight, Simply Orange successfully uses the services of INTTRA and Ocean Insights to communicate and control all shipment-related issues. On the financial side of Scope, the popular Mexican accounting system CONTPAQi was integrated in June 2017.
Specifically for the Mexican market and its strict governmental rules for business practices, Riege Software created integrations which are obligatory by law. Mexican businesses are obliged to submit all outgoing invoices electronically to SAT (Servicio de Administración Tributaria – Mexican Department of Treasury) using the CFDI (Certificado Fiscal Digital por Internet – Digital Fiscal Certificate via Internet). The CFDI is the document that vouches for an invoice. It is a file that includes all necessary information for a valid business transaction and once it has been transmitted to SAT, it is returned stamped with a unique electronic invoice number. This way, all involved parties are assured the invoice has been authorized and registered by SAT.
More features, more control
Adding features to Scope is no end in itself, but a means to an end. Since June 1st, 2017 Simply Orange employs the jobcosting feature of Scope, gaining more control over business activities and getting quicker results for possible optimizations in economic management.
“There are still more features demanded but I already try to actively push other companies towards Scope. Not for the benefit of Riege, but to shift collaboration between Simply Orange and partners to the highest level possible.”
After all, there is still a lot to be done. But that's the concept of Scope. Scope is – no more, no less – the summation of its improvements. Adding new functions, enhancing existing features while simultaneously replacing dated processes with easy alternatives makes Scope continuously faster, more effective and therefore future-proof.