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- [00:03]
A
Curious about the latest in the world of freight and how it impacts you and your business? Dive into our exclusive Release of the U.S. bank Freight payment Index. Gain deep insights from the billions of transactions they handle each quarter. Visit usbank.com freight index to explore the release and sign up for quarterly updates For a dynamic take on this information and to learn what's happening now in the business world, stay in the loop by subscribing to Supply chain now on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts with software, when you think about it, what could go wrong with it? Because there's no moving parts, nothing wears out. My if statements don't get dull and stop working. So it's usually that there's just a fundamental flaw or you didn't really understand the requirement that the customer gave you. So what you put in place, it doesn't really fulfill it. That's what I found in my past was they were incomplete implementations is what most of the support calls were. So that's where I think again, a testament to implementation here at ratelengs is we finish. And that's important.
- [01:19]
B
Welcome to Supply Chain now the number one voice of supply chain. Join us as we share critical news, key insights and real supply chain leadership from across the globe. One conversation at a time. Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening wherever you may be. Scott Lewton here with you on Supply Chain now we're going to be diving into the story of one of golf's premier brands and how they're taking their supply chain performance to the next level. What does that mean? Well, I'm talking faster deliveries, greater accuracy and overall efficiency, real time visibility. Right. As fast become a table stakes in today's global supply chain. How about reduced manual work on their hard working team? Love that. And here's also one of my favorite parts. Enhanced customer satisfaction and experience.
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A
Right.
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B
All that's music to my ears. So stay tuned for an outstanding conversation filled with actionable takeaways. The best kind of takeaways, right? Okay, let's get to work. Welcoming in our featured guests here today, I want to welcome in Doug Wilson, Software Product Management with Ping. And back with us Once again, a 30 year industry veteran and CEO of Rate Links, Shannon Valencourt. Hey. Hey Shannon. Welcome back. How you doing?
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A
Good, how you doing Scott, Great to see you again.
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B
And Doug, welcome in. How you doing my friend?
- [02:39]
C
I've been doing well. Thanks for having me.
- [02:41]
B
You bet. Now folks, Shannon and Doug, I was trying not to nerd out into pregame as we were talking all kinds of golf. I Wish my passion for it matched. I wish my game was up to the task. I'm not a good golfer, folks, but Shannon and Doug are much better than I am. And that's where I want to start our fun warmup question and get to know you a little bit better. So let's do this. Doug Wilson, when you think about all the golf you play or the golf you watch or just golf experiences in general, what's one of your favorite courses or one of your favorite all time.
- [03:12]
C
Golf experiences, I would say for me, last year I had an experience to be able to attend Augusta national and to be able to walk around that course and see a lot of the locations where all those famous shots from around that course were able to take place and to see just how beautiful in person. Timmy does not do it justice. I would say that if you have the opportunity to go in person, do it because it's one of those few times in a life that you can actually experience that course.
- [03:44]
B
Doug, I love it, man. And Shannon, he says that TV doesn't do it justice. That's an interesting observation because it sure is beautiful on tv, right? You've been as well give us your favorite golf course or golf experience. Shannon.
- [03:58]
A
For me it's hard just because, you know, I've been golfing with my kids forever, so pretty much every time, it's pretty much highlight for me, especially now that they're getting older. But I would say probably two years ago, going to the Masters with my son, who's a PGA class A professional, was quite an experience. We went on Saturday and Sunday, the year that Jon Rahm won it, and on Sunday we walked. Whatever you want to do, I said. And I just followed him everywhere and we were able to watch the final group and everything. On a Sunday, there's nothing like it. It is quite the experience, man.
- [04:33]
B
Okay, so what you're saying is not only did you love your time, but you got plenty of your steps in on that day, Shannon. Is that right?
- [04:39]
A
You have no idea, man. I'm trying to keep up with a 24 year. It was brutal at the end of the day, man, I was hurting.
- [04:47]
C
It's hilly. It is, yes.
- [04:50]
A
You have no idea. Just, you know, steep those hills are.
- [04:54]
B
So, you know, I was born and raised in the CSRA Central Savannah river area in Aiken, South Carolina. But I've only been able to go out to Augusta national one time. And as I'll share in pre show, Shannon and Doug, I've just not got kicked off. But to your point, yes, the TV does make it look really flat. And of course, you're just dialed in on the game or the bushes and the flowers and trees and all. But yeah, you're going to get your workout in following golfers on that course for sure. One last point there. It just makes, you know, there's a lot of arguments whether golfers are athletes or not. But to get a workout as you're walking plane 18 at this challenging course and still have the dexterity to put a little white dimpled ball six feet from a cup, I mean, really, it elevates the complexity of the game of golf, for sure. Speaking of which, we're going to be talking about the complexity of the game, the global game of supply chain management with one of the premier brands in the world of golf. So I'm really looking forward to diving in here. So as we shift gears, Doug, I want to do this. I want to set the stage a bit and level set right, so we can bring all of our audience with us. So Ping Golf has been an iconic brand since way back in 1959. And the company's been expanding globally with manufacturing and repair facilities in the U.S. england, Japan, Canada, Korea. And Ping's UK operations, I believe, service all of your European customers. So with all of that growth since way back in 1959, of course, logistics, logistics, logistics becomes. You gotta be masters in logistics, right, to really deliver on the customer experience. Doug, if you could share what prompted Ping to seek a new TMS transportation management system?
- [06:36]
C
So about three years ago, we started an ERP implementation project. And so we had originally had a homegrown erp. So from order to cash, everything was all built homegrown. As you said, we're growing and that is starting to be unsustainable. So what we needed was an ERP. So while we are in an ERP, ERPs are really good at doing a lot of things. They're okay at doing some things, and they're not very good at a few things, right? One of those things that we looked at in my group, we do integrations. So we go out and we say, okay, where do we need improvements? Where do we need to fill these gaps? And so we started looking. We had a TMS provider and I'd say we weren't necessarily overly satisfied with them. So it was now the right time to do a TMS upgrade alongside an erp. One of the things that we want to do, as you said, we had locations around the globe. We wanted to kind of streamline those and bring those right into a single TMS provider. So build that all in and then be able to do shipping with multiple small parcel carriers and all that good stuff. So we started interviewing TMS providers and what we found. Ping has a big name, but we're not necessarily high volume. We don't ship.
- [07:58]
B
You don't ship tons and tons every day, I'm assuming, right?
- [08:01]
C
Yeah. So but what we do, one of the things that we do is we ship everywhere in the world. Where there's a golf course we'll ship to. So we're always going to be, we have that kind of scope. And so we really needed to find someone. What we found was some TMS providers were very us, some were looking for bigger companies. And we really settled in on what Rate Links had to offer. And so about a year ago, I think we signed our agreement and we started building this out. And the other thing was we really wanted to look and say, even though we're doing an erp, does it make sense to do it right now? And I think the answer was yes, because it streamlines our process alongside the ERP and it really avoids a lot of costly retrofits later on. And so that really kind of pushed us in the direction. But what really took us over the wall was the fact that Ship Links had a packing solution. And that was another bit of information that a tool that we were going to have to develop ourselves. So being able to bring not only a TMS provider, but give us a packing solution that we could use and would sit within our business processes was a huge win for us.
- [09:08]
B
Doug, man, we asked you to level set with us and you did just that. And Shannon, switch over to you. Get some of your perspective here. You've been through a million of these. I was trying to keep up with all the many reasons why Doug and the team selected new TMS growth. Looking to streamline upgrade tech, of course, global shipping solution that fit the business and of course where he finished up that functionality. When it comes to the packing packaging solution, rather do you find it beneficial for clients to adopt a TMS while rolling out an erp? Shannon?
- [09:39]
A
I find a lot that might do it. I mean, they may be talking about doing it while they're replacing the erp. I mean, the good news is when you do it at that point in time, as you're putting in the erp, you're able to account for any changes or updates that you might have to do to the ERP in order to accommodate how you want to use the tms. That's not an uncommon time for us to find people looking for a new tms, you're about to change everything, so might as well check it out and see what you can do.
- [10:12]
B
Yeah, Rip the band aid off. Sometimes. Sometimes the best way to go. So, Doug, you've already kind of answered this question a bit, but I want you. I want to get you to expound a little bit more because you're talking about the global nature of your shipping operations and layer of complexity that adds. But what else made your shipping more complex amidst all this growth?
- [10:32]
C
I think complexity is really kind of. It's relevant to the business. So what's complex for one company might be a little bit different than the complexity for another. So. But for us, I think we have a lot of groups that are interested in how shipping works, from our logistics team, from our manufacturing team, shipping, and so on and so forth throughout the organization. So there's a lot of people that want to have their say in what that TMS does. Just the sheer size of our stakeholders around this process. And then our shipping setup is really a mix of manual and automated processes, carrier networks. Those all add to our complexity. We have conveyor systems, manual shipping stations, and then from there, as I said earlier, we ship all over domestically, internationally, and we do a lot of small parcel. Most of our shipments go out FedEx and UPS, but we also work with some regional carriers, which is the case in Japan. What really makes things tricky is that over the years, shipping was always left open to each region to figure that out. So as we wanted to bring that into a single product that all regions could use, we really had to find something that would fit for everyone. So it was crucial for us to find a TMS provider that could keep things running efficiently in each region without major changes. And by that, I mean this wasn't a replace your local carrier in Japan project. This is a replace a tms. And how do we make it work for everyone? So it's just seamless across the business. So that was really a big factor for us.
- [12:12]
B
Doug, appreciate you sharing. Before I continue on with you, I want to get Shannon, I'll ask you about something in particular as it relates to Doug's response there. He talked about how they took a regional approach to shipping and they were looking to kind of unite everything under a unified banner. Shannon, do you see that oftentimes out.
- [12:29]
C
In industry, a lot of people take.
- [12:32]
A
Their regional approach because it's usually a system limitation is what we notice. Because, you know, what you're doing here in Scottsdale for shipping and how you're handling that. It is very different when you go to the UK for Ping and what they're doing there, which is different than how they handle Japan. And then you start throwing into the mix how carriers work. It's hard to find one system that can do everything. So they got to get the stuff out the door. So they got to figure out a way to do it. So you have to regionalize it if you can't find a system.
- [13:05]
B
So, Shannon, is it true your son told me you have purchased a Ping club in every country where they sell them, Is that right?
- [13:12]
A
I did get refit this year and I have Ping irons, wedges and a driver. The only thing that I didn't replace was putter, but I did go to Ping. Doug set me up so I could go to Ping for that. That was probably for me a pretty cool experience. That was a lot of fun. But it was. I'm going to go totally off script here. But it was funny when I went there because I think they were. They had just fit me for driver and they're like, oh, he's not good. Because it was bad that day. I almost sent it off the range.
- [13:43]
B
Oh my gosh. Right? And you're saying you embraced. You played like me on that.
- [13:47]
A
And they fixed it with the driver. It's amazing now. And so then right after that, we did the putter fitting and I think they were ready for that, except I'm actually really good. I'm a scratch golfer when it comes to putting according to all the Ping metrics. And so they were like very disappointed. And then they me into the magic spot and nope, they're like, yeah, there's nothing we can do for your putter is good.
- [14:09]
B
I was really kidding when I asked that question, but I'm so glad I did because you're kind of highlighting the customer experience when you deal with Ping. And of course, we know there's a supply chain behind every company that takes customer experience really seriously. So I'm glad you shared. And we're going to get video footage of you on your good day and your bad day, maybe getting fit with those clubs. Getting back to some of the cool things you are doing from a supply chain perspective, what were some of the ways. Expound a little bit more. Some of the ways that Ship Links tms working with Shannon and the Rate Links team helps simplify some of these complexities in your business.
- [14:42]
C
For us, Ship Links really help simplify our operations by integrating our ERP through our enterprise APIs. And then they also have a large collection of APIs. I mean, I think everything that they do is through APIs. So we probably use this much of what's available out there. So I think transferring data through APIs just makes integration simple and efficient. It allows everything to connect smoothly without the need for complex workarounds, things like that. And almost, quite honestly, I would say it makes the project rather boring. And I'm okay with that. So as long as you've got a capable development group, connecting the system to the TMS was fairly straightforward. And then no matter which manufacturing facility we're shipping from, integrating gives us a single interface for packing and shipping and that helps standardize processes and it really builds the global shipping knowledge across the regional teams. So I don't need to get a phone call in the middle of the night, say, hey, can you help us with this? It's Japan could contact England, England could contact us. So we all build that collective knowledge. And then I think a big part of why it's worked so well is the Right Links implementation team. They really understood our shipping processes and have been working closely with us to tailor solutions to meet our regional carrier requirements and needs. And I think that's one of the good things about going with a TMS provider who's familiar with the type of business that you're doing, is that they've been there, they've done that when you bring something up. We had a concept of inner box outerbox, and when we met with them, it was, hey, we've done this before, we know exactly what you need. Here's how we would do it. It wasn't sit back and let me tell you how to build this thing. It was seeing it. Let's build it. So that collaboration is huge in just making a smooth transition. So that really made things complex things simple.
- [16:41]
B
Doug, I wish we had an extra hour to dissect various aspects of your response here, but I want to start with this because you said on the front end how boring is good and that is a great T shirt, isn't folks? Because when supply chain in general or shipping and more specifically is boring, that is good news to shippers everywhere and their operations and their teams and of course their customers. So, Shannon, I'm going to shift over to you. He was talking a lot about the implementation and the integration, of course, and he was bragging on the Ratelynx team, which is outstanding. Doesn't surprise me. We've had lots of these conversations. Tell us more about the benefits of organizations integrating their ERPs with ship links TMS. Shannon, and the ways that Ratelynx's integration process is a good bit different than other approaches out there, I think.
- [17:29]
A
You know, obviously integrating the erp, you're going to get the efficiencies, it's going to make things faster, easier because of the automation that you're going to introduce. You know, the way that we developed and architected our solution was with that in mind. I go back long, long, long time in this industry and when we put the solution together, it was all about making it integratable, as easy as possible. And now with it being in the cloud, on Azure, everything is API driven. So you can rip our screens off, just scrape them right off and you lose no functionality. And to me that's, that's the key part of our solution. And using industry standard type of APIs that way, when, when people like Ping and Doug's team has to integrate, it's not, it's not an unusual type of API to hit. It's very, very normal. So your normal standards that you have with authentication, all that stuff, it works like industry standards work. I mean, that's how you have to do this stuff. So it really is the blending of technology with also understanding the subject matter. And I think that's one of the unique things that, that we have here. And we have a lot of experience doing this stuff. We've seen a lot of stuff that we thought at one point was a good idea that ended up being a bad idea. And that's where over 23 years of doing this, you finally start. The cream does come to the top. And now we can offer up the good stuff right away and avoid the pitfalls that we have learned throughout the years.
- [19:05]
B
I appreciate that. Authentic transparency and folks out there, I bet that what you just shared there resonates with them because if you're not driving change, if you're not pushing innovation, you're not going to have a thousand batting average, right? I mean, you're going to have some great ideas that just didn't happen to be as great as you initially thought that comes with innovative organizations. So I appreciate you sharing that, Shannon. Good thing is, as Doug is illustrating, I think the wins are happening a lot more than those ideas that aren't working. And Doug, I'm going to stick with integration for a minute because I think folks are going to benefit. Whether they end up working with Shannon Ray Links Team or others out there, they're going to benefit a lot from your story and taking the most important things first. I gather from our conversation that your first Priority was full integration between your homegrown ERP and your tms. After you selected Ship Links, tms speak to us about a few more business challenges that you were top of the list after you made the selection of Ship Links.
- [20:04]
C
Yeah, for us, it was improving delivery speed, accuracy, real time visibility. All those contribute to customer satisfaction as well as the way I look at it, our shipping employees are our customers as well. So aside from the ERP implementation, a big priority was making sure API responses were fast and reliable so we could keep our automated conveyor systems running smoothly. For us, when we're processing shipments in real time, every second counts and we needed a TMS that could handle our transactions without downtime or delays. So with a more stable environment in place, we've seen a noticeable drop in help desk calls, which is a huge win for our team. Another big plus has been dashboards that are provided and that really gives our business users direct access to shipment details so they can research and resolve issues on their own without having to give it a call. Or other support teams such as the help desk, that's really made troubleshooting faster, put more control in the hands of our business users and the other people that really need it the most. So that's kind of where where we were focusing on.
- [21:15]
B
Doug, I really appreciate that we've talked about a lot of benefits, both today already and then we got more coming second half and many other conversations we've had. But that Help desk calls, reducing them, I think that delivers a couple of benefits. Number one, there's less frustration because most folks don't like down into a help desk. Right.
- [21:32]
C
It just is what it is.
- [21:33]
B
And number two, things can happen faster and easier. Shannon, comment on that really quick before I continue on with Doug.
- [21:40]
A
It's almost like a rhetorical question. I mean, of course you don't want Help Desk. I remember back in the 90s when I was implementing, I would always get done implementing, and the customer's like, all right, talk to you later. And I'm like, I hope not. And they're like, what do you mean? I'm like, well, that means something went wrong, right? And with software, when you think about it, what could go wrong with it? Because there's no moving parts, nothing wears out. My irons don't get dull. My if statements don't get dull and stop working, right? So it's usually that there's just a fundamental flaw in the software or you didn't really understand the requirement that the customer gave you. So what you put in place doesn't really fulfill it. That's what I found in my past was they were incomplete implementations is what most of the support calls were. So that's where I think again, a testament to implementation here, rate lengths is we finish. And that's important, that is.
- [22:38]
B
Oh, Doug and Shannon, as y' all were talking about this one element, you know, help desk calls going down. It reminds me of the old Maytag commercials, right? The Maytag repair person and he was bored because folks were happy with the appliances. There were no problems. And to your point, it just works. Shannon and Doug, I appreciate you. I appreciate bringing up that element and the story here. Let's shift over to velocity. Goodness gracious, we are moving at the speed of light these days. Velocity is not everything, but it's incredibly important. Today's business environment, of course we got to get it right. Otherwise moving wrong in the fastly in the wrong direction is not a good thing. But Doug, share some examples of what was slowing you down with your previous shipping solution.
- [23:23]
C
I think it comes back to what we were just talking about. So when everything runs like it should, no one even thinks about it. Nobody's calling Shannon, right? So labels print, packages move, shipments go out like clockwork. But the second something breaks, suddenly it's all hands on deck. Your leaders want answers as to why a product's not moving and you really find yourself in those what's going on in shipping conversations. Going back. I like things boring and I don't find those meetings to be boring. Our previous provider really didn't exactly make those moments easier. We understand we're software developers, things go down, things break, and a lot of times they're not anyone's one particular person's fault. It could be a carrier upgrade, right? Or something going on there. I think our previous provider wasn't great in those moments. So their help desk support felt like yelling into the void. Slow responses, little information, a lot of waiting and at times issues would resolve before we even get an initial support response. So without solid support, I think even minor hiccups can turn into full blown shipping nightmares, at least in the eyes of some people. Employees get frustrated, especially when they happen over and over again. Shipments can get missed and you kind of wish you had a crystal ball instead of a ticketing system. Now with with the rate leaks pouring up, business users can also go out and research, freight, move themselves instead of calling it every time they need some shipment details. It's really just been kind of the game changer for our, for my group we have less back and forth Faster answers, fewer emails asking why did something move this way? Help me understand how these freight charges got calculated things along those lines. So reliability and self service, those have had the biggest impact. But. But of course, eliminating those challenges just moves other items to the top of the list. We look forward to trying to solve those in the future as they become our new number ones.
- [25:19]
B
New number ones. And one of the many things that you shared there. Please sign me up for fewer emails. I think all of us would love to get fewer emails, right? I want to drill in on one specific thing and that's shipment inaccuracies because they can cause so much heartburn in operations, both internally and of course, with customers. Of course, misrouted packages, incorrect freight charges, unhappy customers, you name it, all can be driven and fueled, unfortunately by shipment inaccuracies. So Doug, what were some of the most frequent accuracy issues that pingolf faced and how do they affect delivery performance and customer satisfaction kind of in the previous state?
- [26:01]
C
Yeah, I think that's a good question. So at Ping, I'd probably say the most common accuracy issues we faced were either incorrect service levels that we're shipping and freight charge discrepancies. I think in today's world, let's face it, nobody likes paying freight charges anymore and that's just the world that we live in. So when a shipment is processed as, say, expedited versus when it could have gone ground as a good or better time in transit, I think freight gets higher and customers can get upset along those lines. So being able to shop for best rates time in transit has helped us improve customer satisfaction. As mentioned earlier, with increased performance on the API calls, we can do more of these checks in real time at shipping. And so incorrect freight charges were another pain point. Our logistics team likes to keep costs low as possible and needs the ability to adjust and review how freight is determined. So inconsistent rate calculations or unexpected surcharges meant we weren't always paying what we expected. And in some cases those costs had to be absorbed rather than passed along. These are the types of things that make freight cost forecasting challenging, I think for our business users. And ultimately these issues can erode customer confidence. So when golfers are waiting on custom clubs every day matters. So getting your shipments to the right destination as efficiently as possible, that's really a critical and top priority for us.
- [27:32]
B
Undoubtedly delighting customers knocking their socks off. Shannon, we have covered a wide range of challenges and problems in the story here with Doug, but the good news is all the great things are doing to address it and so to Doug's point, moving those things that were lower down the list as you cross off the priorities, moving those things up the list so you can, you can tackle more. We're going to talk about what's next here in a little bit, but from your perspective, Shannon, again, been there, done that. You could keep it real with us. Are all these common problems you see especially for shippers in the manufacturing industry or do most shippers have the same or similar difficulties especially with ERP integrations, shipping speed, accuracy and the like? Comment on what we're hearing here from Doug.
- [28:18]
A
This is the stuff we hear a lot. I mean I think the what makes Ping maybe accentuate some of this stuff or feel it more is the time sensitivity. They have clubs that are going out at a certain time. You've got custom clubs. I mean when I got fit and I'm waiting for my club to show up, all of a sudden I'm like looking at the system. We're looking for shipments up to my golf course and I'm like oh, that one's £6. That might be it as I'm waiting for the new driver. So everyone wants to get their stuff as quick as possible and I think that's where the way we put our system together. So that way Ping was able to do the types of rate shopping and shipping process that they required. Understanding that was important.
- [29:04]
B
Yeah, and I think that's one of the common themes from all the in person and remote conversations I've had with you. Shannon is getting to know the business and what the business wants to do rather than than what the tech provides for. And y' all clearly that's one of your north stars from what I've observed from our conversations is fitting the business with and empowering them with what they want to do from a tech perspective. Similar question though when it comes to all of these difficulties and challenges we've kind of walked through. Can you point out any glaring differences between SMBs, small and medium sized businesses and these really larger organizations? Any thoughts there, Shannon?
- [29:43]
A
So it's counterintuitive. The smaller, the more difficult they are. Believe it or not, the bigger high volume, lots of shipments I think are easier installs to do, whereas when you get to smaller volumes they're more difficult. And that's where I think Ping is at that volume. Where from time to time they have high volume but they also have a lot of low volume requirements. And really what sets it apart is when you have a lower volume shipper, you mess up one shipment that could be 20% of what goes out that day one. And they can actually look at all of them every day and grade you and judge you on every single one. So. So you take that level of, I don't know what you. What do you call it, that level of judgment, maybe, or. Or just testing and oversight, and then you apply it to a higher volume shipment. I mean, that's what we're used to. So that's where this system is uniquely positioned in that way. So that's why when Ping turns it on, they're like, oh my God, this works every time. And it's like, well, yeah, I can tell you the customer who first tried that and they had the two shipments that day. And I'll tell you what, man, it was the end of their world, you know, if this didn't work. So that's what I've learned throughout the years of doing this is you think the small guys are easy? Oh, it's so easy. They're more difficult. Which then makes our large shippers get some things that they were never able to get before. And we get the experience that Ping is having.
- [31:28]
B
Interesting. So lots of boring stuff ahead is what I'm hearing. And that is a good thing, folks. That is a good thing. Okay, now, Doug, I'm gonna go back to the well again here maybe a third time. But implementation is when so many things TMS or plenty of other technology related can go wrong. And I would argue in my experience is it also is the. Perhaps one of the best proving grounds for the best partners out there. So going back to implementation, anything else you want to share in terms of how Ping approached the transition?
- [32:01]
C
Yeah, I think for us, because we had an existing TMS provider, our first goal was to get rid of that provider before the contract was up. I didn't want to pay for two at a time. That didn't make much sense. So we definitely had a phased approach. First, we had to replace the existing provider, which meant ensuring a smooth transition and not disrupting our shipping operations. So the nice part about, with the erp, it wasn't a live system, so we had the luxury of going back and forth and trying different things. But with the replace in place, it involved mapping out all of our processes, making sure we had the right integrations in place, getting our teams up to speed with the new system. But for the most part, I think transitioning to the new TMS was simple. Again, I'll go back to boring. And then once that was in place, the second phase was we focused on our new ERP For Our US and Canada operations, that was a little more complicated as we were still identifying data requirements within the erp, as well as implementing ship links as a packing process. So right now, today, we're in the process of expanding to our Japan and UK operations. We're probably halfway through that, maybe a little further 70%, but everything seems to be moving right along. And the thing is, each region has its own unique shipping processes. I think I said that earlier, carrier requirements, compliance needs. So we're taking the time to tailor that solution for each region accordingly. And then, like most software projects, it's had its share of surprises. But all these things support the right decision to align packing and shipping throughout. Ping.
- [33:36]
B
I think that's what I'm hearing, Doug. That is what I am hearing. Proof is always in the pudding. These early results and returns, tangible results, seem to certainly validate the big decisions y' all have been making. Shannon, similar question. How did Ratelinks. Anything else you want to add in terms of how RateLink supported the implementation, integration?
- [33:56]
A
You name it, we make sure that we understand what they're trying to do. At the end of the day, what I've learned with implementing shipping systems tmss is you have to understand the physical side of inside that warehouse, because we're going to fit into a process that they have established in there, and then based on that, give them the right advice on the right APIs to call, when to call, stuff, things like that, and then just provide as good technical support as we possibly can around any of the questions they have. But for me, it really starts with first understanding physically what they're doing. And I know again, luckily we're both here In Scottsdale, we're 20 minutes apart. So being able to go see it and even having the implementation team go see it, all of a sudden it was like the light bulb comes on and they're like, oh, now I understand why we have to do that last check for something. Or now I understand why we're prompting the user for this, because it really is based on physically how they're laid out. I mean, Doug explained to us when they came here the first time and they all explained how this works. And then when I went and saw it, my picture was not correct. And it was like, oh, my God, now I get it. And it's like, all right, here's how I think this has to work. And then here are the probably integration points. So as you're putting in the new erp, that really is important because it's really based on physically how Things are moving through that warehouse before it hits the shipping system. It's. You have to understand that stuff to do what we do well. Otherwise you're going to implement something that probably is going to need a lot of support because it's just square peg in a round hole right in the.
- [35:47]
B
Opposite direction of what we're after.
- [35:49]
A
I feel like excitement on the support side, which we do not.
- [35:53]
B
Well, it's also exciting to drive 200 miles an hour, but most folks don't want to do that. Right. All right, good stuff here. So, Doug, real time visibility, right? Real time visibility. I tell you, we've making big gains as an industry in recent years and we all know how important it is, Right. I would argue whether it's inarguable or arguable, I don't know that real time visibility in so many different ways is fast becoming table stakes in how we do business. But there's still plenty of organizations that are seeking it out there. Right. So, Doug, for you and the Ping Golf team, how does real time visibility and those data analytics you referenced earlier in Shiplink's TMS make decision making more successful in supporting your customers easier and faster?
- [36:40]
C
Yeah, and I think that's one of those areas where we as an organization are just starting to understand the depth of the data and reporting capabilities within the tms. Before, we basically use it as just, hey, go out and get a shipping label. Now that we've aligned, we've got access to more data. And so where we can provide our business, users and customers access to that data is going to be huge as we move forward. So as we dig in further, I suspect that it will help refine our transportation strategy and give real time visibility to customers as well as our business. So with the ship Links tms, we can track shipments at every stage, which means fewer surprises, faster problem solving instead of waiting for carrier updates or relying on delayed reporting out of, say, a data warehouse or something along those lines, we've got instant access to where our shipments are and the details in real time through the portal. Once we get our ERP rolled out this summer, I expect new projects to give our customer support teams the ability to have data at their fingertips built into the erp, and that'll provide them the ability to get answers in real time. So if a customer is calling and said, hey, where's my order? They don't have to say, hang on, let me call you back, or along those lines. So. And we don't have to dig through multiple systems or wait on carrier response or Go do a whole bunch of research. So I think with some simple integrations, we can see exactly where things are and when they'll arrive and just ideally give response times to make better, faster shipping decisions.
- [38:19]
B
Okay, and that's a good thing. That's what so many organizations in an industry is after. Right. Faster, better, more confident, more successful decisions. Right. Enabling our, the beautiful human element behind supply chain organizations everywhere, putting them in position to make all of those types of decisions more often. Rinse and repeat. And that's a lot easier said than done. Goodness. Okay, so I want to ask. So Doug, again, I know where you're still on the journey. Right. Appreciate your transparency there. I want to ask about to make it really easy for folks that are following along at home the results you've seen since implementation. And then I want to drill down a little bit more on a couple of those results. So Doug, if you had to rattle off a list of the most important results you've seen since implementation, what would that be?
- [39:08]
C
I think the number one is just increased reliability where we would have weekly system outages. Now it's, I couldn't tell you when the last time we've had a system outage other than what was it, the cloud strike. So that's nobody's fault other than them. The whole world went down that one.
- [39:26]
B
Right.
- [39:27]
C
I think reliability and API system uptime just, it just works. Second, I think self service business users are starting to be able to track and troubleshoot problems on their own without reaching out to it. We talked about that earlier. I think cost reduction through data availability would be one that was probably going to have a pretty big impact. And then just integrations in general, they've been simple, they work and we just move on as a company and focus on what's really important, which is making golf clubs.
- [40:00]
A
Yep.
- [40:01]
B
So what I heard there, Doug, correct me if I'm wrong, increase reliability much better and enabled self service cost reduction. That's always a winner in my book. And integrations that work, if I heard you how you said it, Shannon, first off, let's get you to respond to that from a logistics tech perspective. These improvements that Doug just laid out there, right. How do they align with bigger, broader industry trends? And everyone's looking for some version of what Doug is sharing here today, especially I'll call it a fully connected supply chain that's faster and easier to use, it delights your customers, it makes your operational ecosystem, makes their day easier. Right. But is it really that simple, Shannon?
- [40:47]
A
For us, yeah, it is. Well, I think you know what I learned a long time ago? I remember I was doing an install somewhere in Wisconsin, and the guy pulled me aside and he's talking to me about everything, and he's like, look, man, this thing has to work. This has to work every time. And it really comes down to the reliability side, because if they can't get the product out the door, they can't make money. It's that simple. So that's the important part to me, and that's what I think we really pride ourselves on, is making sure that it's reliable. Because without that, what good is it?
- [41:29]
B
Yes, that's such an excellent comment there. Because, you know, y' all remember back in the day when certain implementations were talking a matter of quarters, not weeks. And of course, industry doesn't have time for that anymore. And that's kind of one of the examples of the velocity that we're charging ahead with. Shannon, get you to comment here. We're talking about implementations transparently, then it's never like picking up a magic wand. Bibbidi bobbidi boo. Everything is perfect. Unicorns and candy and chocolate and nuts. That's just not reality, right?
- [42:04]
A
Unicorns and glitter, I'm afraid.
- [42:06]
B
Yes, it's not unicorns and glitter and Doug, for the sake of our time here, there's a couple of things I want to ask you about, but I want to focus in on kind of what you learned, some of those hurdles that came with implementing and taking your supply chain organization in a new direction. And I think.
- [42:22]
C
Go ahead. Yeah. As I say, I think you're right. Like any software implementation, there's always things you learn about your business that you were initially unaware of. Business users love to squirrel away little secrets and workarounds that they've developed over the years. So for them, it's just normal life. So asking probing questions early on is necessary to understand the real implementation. Second, I think is the complexity of a new erp. We were essentially learning two systems and figuring out how to connect the two all at the same time. What does a data exchange look like? And where do we get the data from? So having the right people engaged in the project is necessary. And this wasn't just an IT integration project for us. So next, what we are experiencing now is carrier integrations. Not all carriers have APIs, such as our carrier in Japan. And so we need to find other ways of communicating with them through the TMS and working with RateLink's implementation team. They understood the request and are now creating that solution. I have little doubt that It'll be done successfully. And then lastly, we have hardware that we use in the manufacturing floor. It's not part of the standard TMS product. What we were able to do is get the implementation team at Raytlinx in contact with the device manufacturer and they're actually working together to build that into the standard product. So I really feel it's the effort they gave to us that shows they're committed to us and delivering the solution that we require.
- [43:58]
B
I want to go back to something he said midstream there, Shannon, that I bet makes your day. And I think I can quote Doug here. He's got little doubt basically that the Rate Links team is going to deliver what the business needs. Little doubt was the words he used to. Shannon, comment on that really quick. And then I want to ask you about what's next for Ping's TMS journey. That's got to make your day, huh?
- [44:19]
A
You always love hearing that. And I think it's just because of what the team has done already. I mean, first of all, I've got a great team and they're incredibly responsive and they don't sit on stuff. And then we've got a great team around the team and the fact that we're all here together, I think in Scottsdale, you know, our support implementation, myself, they're all right here. So it just allows us to move a lot faster to make sure that we take care of this stuff because we have the experience, we have the know how somebody has it here. So even if it's not the particular person talking with Doug, they at least understand the requirement and then they can go ask somebody real quick and we can make sure we get them the right answer because that's at the end of the day, this, there's really nothing here that difficult for us anymore at this point in the process. So that's good.
- [45:10]
B
All right, really quick before I ask you what's next, Doug, we're big Dog fans here at Supply Chain now and we've had a special guest behind you joining us. What is the name of your dog there? Because it looks like a great.
- [45:20]
C
Oh, that is Vegas. She's a 12 year old black lab deaf burglar. Could come in, rob the whole house. She'll sleep right through it.
- [45:30]
A
Yeah. All right.
- [45:31]
B
We love Vegas. We love Vegas. Make sure you pet our pet Vegas for us. Okay? So Shannon, breaking out your crystal ball. Breaking out crystal ball. Your take on what's next for Ping's TMS journey.
- [45:44]
A
We're going to finish up uk, get all Those carriers up and running, finish up Japan, get all of those carriers up and running, and then be here to support them with whatever they need in the future. Because one of the things in transportation that we know is things change as soon as we get this settled in, then they're going to come up with something new that they want to do or the carriers are going to force them to have to do something new. So that's where we were constantly evolving around that stuff. So I'm sure there'll be lots of fun stuff that we'll have to do to help them out.
- [46:18]
B
Hey, making supply chain boring and simple, but very capable right here in 2025. And I love that element of the story. I really enjoy the story and I appreciate the transparent way and how both y' all delivered that here today as we start to wrap here today. And again, I wish we had a couple more hours. Me and Shannon and Doug in Vegas would sit down and really expound on what y' all have heard here today. But I want to give each of y' all a chance to share a final thought or two, especially for folks out there that might be. Maybe they're in the middle of an implementation, maybe they're still in selection, but maybe they're staring right down the barrel of a similar journey in their organizations. So, Doug, let's start with you. What's one thing that you would offer a couple things you'd offer maybe to companies considering that TMS upgrade, I think.
- [47:04]
C
First, understand what it is you want to achieve, whether it's improving accuracy, reduce costs, streamline your operations, have those clear objectives and not stray away from those. I think it's really easy to get sidetracked by shiny objects and get away from what it is you're really trying to solve and then really don't compromise and select a provider when they say, I don't have this feature, but I would love to build it for you, resist going on that journey for them. And that's a true statement from when we were interviewing people we use UPS Worldies in Europe. And it was, hey, we don't have it, but we would love to have you as a customer and we'll build that for you. And it was just, I don't know, I didn't want a software project. If I wanted that, I would do it myself. And then I think, I think one of the things is just training. I'll end on, on this one training. And I think this is, if I'm being honest, I think we kind of dropped the ball a Little bit on this and training around reporting, setting those expectations, getting your business users involved a little earlier. So, so that when you go live, it's not okay, what is this? They have input. Well, up front, I think we focus maybe a little bit too much on the technology side and did not get to the reporting side because I think one of the underlying things that we've talked about today is the TMS is really about data. It's how do you get that data, save that data, preserve it and present it. All those things just make both internal customers and external customers get the information that they want from your tms and it makes it just a really good product.
- [48:42]
B
Doug. Outstanding. There are, as you look back on any, especially a big consequential improvement in any business. There's always reflections and some things you, you wish you did more of, things you wish you didn't do more of. But I really appreciate those reflections here. Supply chain now. Shannon, what else would you share? Final words, challenges, reminders, you name it. For our audience members out there, I.
- [49:04]
A
Always tell the team that when you get requests from customers, always ask them why, what problem are you trying to solve? We have to stay aligned with the customer around what problem are they trying to solve? Whether it's a business rule, carrier addition, something. Because then that helps us make sure that we're giving not only the right advice on how to do it with our software, but then when we put it in place, we know how they're going to test it, how they're going to look at it. So that way we can deliver it a little bit more completely from the get go. But I think that's the one thing that a lot of people are afraid to ask because they feel though, oh my God, they're. I'm going to sound stupid if I ask them what problem they're trying to solve by adding that. But it's amazing what you learn because I've, I've not asked in the past. There was a time when I was in my 20s as well and learning and I've got, that's why I wear long sleeves because I got all the scars from those days. And it's like, no more, man. And I'm curious. I'm always genuine. Yeah, see, it's the sleeves. That's why, that's how you know that, you know, you've got experience, man. It's the scars. So I always ask why, what problem are we trying to solve? And then that's what enables us to truly collaborate. Because now I'm, I've got the same goal that Ping has and it's easier to do and definitely you don't want to be the one to develop world ease. As I was taught in the 90s. They said they, they call it bleeding edge for a reason.
- [50:39]
C
Don't do that.
- [50:40]
B
Don't do that. Folks. Take what Shannon and Doug are saying. Take it to the bank and, or, or hey, reach out to him, ask him more questions. And whatever you do, take Shannon's advice. Ask the question assumptions. Y' all know the old saying with assumptions, right? What we do when we assume right. I'm not gonna state it here, but folks, ask the questions. Don't play it cool. Ask the questions. Okay, let's make sure we got two things here. I want to make sure folks know how to connect with Doug and Shannon. And we got a couple resources that we want to share with our audience here as we start to wrap Doug Wilson with Ping. Really appreciate your time here today and laying the story out for. I think it's gonna be helpful for a lot of folks. How can folks connect with you, Doug?
- [51:20]
C
I think the easiest way is I'm on LinkedIn. I'm not exactly sure my profile is, but you can find me out there. Shoot me a connection request or a message if you have a question or, or a comment or. Appreciate it.
- [51:32]
B
Outstanding. I bet we're going to drop your LinkedIn profile here. And folks, hey, I am not a paid spokesperson. Trust me for anything paying. But hey, I've loved my paying irons that I've had for a long time now. The G10s, I think we were talking pre show and I know that will make Doug really happy for those interested golfers out there. Hey, Shannon. Shannon Valancourt. How can folks connect with you and the Ratelynx team?
- [51:56]
A
Ratelynx.com, go to the website or hit me up on LinkedIn.
- [52:00]
B
Awesome. It is just that easy. Thanks to Doug and Shannon. Would you like to learn more about one other company and how they were able to reduce 78,000 labor hours? They were able to lower label printing time by a whopping 83% and they saved big time, bottom line dollars. So you can check out all that, learn more, Check out the Power Sales case study from our friends at Ray Lynx. And if you'd rather tune in, hear the story, you can listen and watch Scott Wolfer with Power Sales talk about how they've really been able to change the game. I promise you'll enjoy that one as well. Okay, big thanks again. Doug Wilson with Ping and Shannon Valencourt. With rate links folks. Make the connections, check out the resources and most importantly, most importantly folks, take something. I'll tell you, Doug and Shannon have laid out a lot of actionable takeaways here. I've got my 17 pages notes and then some. The smartest audience in all the world. I got one piece of homework for you. Take one thing that Doug or Shannon shared here today. Put it into practice. Share it with your teams. But most importantly, act, act, act, act, act with it. These not words. That's how things get done. With that said, on behalf, the entire team is here at Supply Chain Now. Scott Luton challenge you do good, get forward, be the change that's needed and we'll see you next time right back here at Supply Chain Now.
- [53:20]
C
Thanks everybody.
- [53:22]
B
Join the Supply Chain now community. For more Supply Chain perspectives, news and innovation, check out supply chain now.com subscribe to Supply Chain now on YouTube and follow and listen to Supply Chain Now. Wherever you get your podcasts.