ABF Freight System Inc. has launched its Reports Inbox tool, which allows customers to schedule the ongoing delivery of shipment reports for distribution via email or for placement in a secure, online "inbox" location within the Reports Center
at www.abf.com.
Reports Inbox further expands online shipment visibility and control for ABF's customers by placing real-time or historical shipment information -- in a customer-designed format -- at a location of the customer's choosing.
Customer interviews and online customer surveys led to the development of this new tool.
"Reports Inbox presents customers with a new level of flexibility, with reports they can automate in a number of ways," said Michael Newcity, ABF manager of eCommerce. "For example, a customer can receive an e-mail each morning listing all shipments due for delivery that day, simultaneously sending the same report to his own customers or vendors via e-mail." Newcity added, "These interactive reports also allow the recipients to access critical shipping documents like the proof of delivery, review the freight invoice, and track and reroute shipments, all directly from the report."
The launch of Reports Inbox enhances ABF's online Reports Center -- a collection of tools offering reporting capabilities by means of sophisticated, but user friendly, Status Reports, Historical Summary Reports, a Business Trend Analysis tool, the exclusive Charts & Graphs tool and now the Reports Inbox.
Using the innovative tools within the Reports Center, customers can examine shipping and receiving patterns over the current and previous years, by month, by location, by state, by vendor or customer. Data can be displayed as bar, line and pie charts or in a standard report format with links to real-time shipment information. The customer can conduct business including shipment tracking, rerouting and document retrieval directly from these reports.