How We Helped a Third-Party Logistics Client Achieve Tangible Results with a Breakthrough Customer Portal Modernization

The customer turned to zeb, an advanced tier AWS partner, to implement a modern, cloud-native customer portal leveraging AWS’s scalable architecture. Through a series of key integrations, automations, and process improvements, zeb helped the client achieve significant operational efficiencies and cost reductions.

The Challenge

The client faced several challenges, including fragmented systems across business units that hindered real-time visibility into customer transactions and manual quoting and booking processes that were prone to errors and delays, causing customer dissatisfaction. Additionally, the absence of a centralized customer identity system led to confusion across departments and offices. Manual payment collection processes resulted in aging accounts receivables (AR) and cash flow delays, while security concerns around Single Sign-On (SSO) across different systems created friction in the user experience.

Primary Objectives

The client’s key goals were:

• Enhanced Visibility and Reporting: Achieve real-time visibility across all customer transactions, tracking providers, and sales systems (including Salesforce).
• Automated Quoting and Booking: Enable customers to quote and book loads automatically across different modalities, reducing manual efforts.
• Payment Collection Efficiency: Streamline AR processes and reduce outstanding payments through credit card payment acceptance.
• Global Customer Identity Consolidation: Establish a unified customer ID system across multiple business units and regions.
• Consolidated Single Sign-On (SSO): Implement a secure and seamless SSO solution using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) across the customer portal and reporting tools.

Solution Overview

zeb deployed a comprehensive AWS-based cloud-native solution that addressed each of the client’s pain points and provided an integrated and scalable platform. The key components of the solution were:

• Visibility and Reporting: zeb created a seamless integration framework across business units, tracking providers, and Salesforce, enabling real-time visibility into all customer transactions. This provided stakeholders with accurate, timely reporting, resulting in better decision-making.
• Automated Quoting and Booking: By leveraging AWS microservices, the new platform enabled customers to quote and book loads across multiple modalities in real-time, significantly reducing manual input and increasing booking accuracy.
• Payment Collection: A credit card payment gateway was integrated, which allowed customers to make direct payments through the portal, effectively reducing AR aging and improving cash flow.
• Global Customer ID: A new system was implemented to consolidate customer identities across multiple business units, ensuring a single source of truth for customer data, improving coordination and service consistency across regions.
• Consolidated SSO: AWS IAM was used to implement a secure Single Sign-On (SSO) solution across the portal and reporting systems, enhancing security and providing a seamless user experience.

Architecture and Services Used

The new solution was built using a suite of AWS services to ensure scalability, security, and efficiency:

Timeline

The modernization project was delivered in 3 months, beginning with a comprehensive discovery phase to identify the pain points and develop a high-fidelity prototype of the new customer portal. The solution was then rolled out across business units in a phased approach, ensuring minimal disruption and seamless transition to the new platform.

KPIs and Outcomes

Operational KPIs:

• System Uptime: Achieved 99.99% uptime post-migration, ensuring minimal disruptions.
• Reduced Quoting Time: Automated quoting reduced customer quoting time by 60%, improving customer satisfaction.
• Improved Payment Collection: AR aging reduced by 40% due to the implementation of credit card payment functionality.

• Seamless SSO Implementation: AWS IAM’s SSO solution streamlined access while enhancing security across business units and applications.
• Data Security: Use of AWS Secrets Manager ensured full compliance with security standards, safeguarding sensitive customer data.

Financial KPIs:

• Cost Savings: By consolidating systems and automating processes, the customer saw a 30% reduction in operational costs.
• Increased ROI: The streamlined customer experience led to higher customer retention and a 15% increase in booking volume.

Qualitative KPIs:

• Improved User Experience: The new portal interface significantly improved usability, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction and reduced support requests.
• Operational Efficiency: Automating quoting, booking, and payment processes allowed the client to reallocate resources to higher-value tasks, improving overall productivity.

Conclusion

Through its partnership with zeb, the client successfully modernized its customer portal, enabling them to provide an enhanced customer experience while streamlining internal operations. The new system’s automation and integration capabilities reduced operational costs, increased payment collection efficiency, and provided real-time insights across business units. With the new AWS-powered platform, the client is now well-positioned for long-term growth and success.