Charles Neumann has heard every “save-you-money” story in the book. It’s a common refrain among vendors, but it rarely works out as promised.
As senior manager of inventory and logistics at LinkBio, he hears it a lot and that’s how the sales team at Sifted approached him.
While the Sifted promise may have sounded like the others, the larger story, the experience, and most importantly – the results – turned out to be much different. So, what made Neumann stop and want to learn more?
“The credibility and trustworthiness came through right away, Neumann said. “They asked the right questions, piqued my interest, and made me want to listen. And I’m glad I did.”
LinkBio ships over 10,000 packages each year and spends more than $1 million annually with parcel carriers. Neumann uses the Sifted Logistics Intelligence (LI) platform to analyze data, identify billing errors, and claim refunds. He also used Sifted’s Contract Simulation for a recent carrier agreement negotiation.
“Carrier agreements are complex and intimidating. We didn’t know exactly how to start,” Neumann said. “Sifted calculated all the background charges, showed us the areas we could do better, and then modeled it based on our own shipping data. This helped us negotiate a fair deal, with better service. That’s what they promised and that’s what they delivered.”
Action: Small Hidden Fees Turn into Big Savings Opportunity
Easily configured account integrations allow LinkBio’s shipping data to flow into the Sifted Logistics Intelligence (LI) platform. Dashboards are updated instantly, and alerts and notifications indicate anomalies that need further action.
“Our small office does a lot of shipping, and I don’t have the time or the staff to review invoices for errors and overcharges,” Neumann said. “Sifted is automatic and runs in the background. The support is extremely responsive, maybe the best I’ve worked with. They’re always ready to answer questions, dig deeper when necessary, and guide us through the platform.”
As part of the Contract Simulation engagement, weights, dimensions, days, and destinations were modeled and analyzed. Favorable adjustments in rates were applied and the total annual spend was recalculated.
“We found that a few small adjustments in the right areas could yield anywhere from $75,000 to $85,000 in savings,” Neumann said. “And those are conservative estimates. The results could be as much as $125,000 in total savings over the next two years.”
“The Sifted Rate Simulation analysis of our carrier agreement, and the recommended rate changes, have made a big impact on our shipping expenses,” Neumann said. “We’re now on track to save more than $85,000 in our first 18 months. We’ve also been able to use more next-day air. We would have never achieved those savings without Sifted.”
-Charles Neumann, Senior Manager of Inventory and Logistics at LinkBio Corp.
Outcomes: Driving Carrier Agreement Value
Vendor relationships that account for large expenditures need constant attention. The Sifted LI platform provides ongoing monitoring of current agreements and rates, while Sifted’s Contract Simulation software takes a longitudinal look at all shipping activities and identifies specific points to be negotiated.
“The Sifted Contract Simulation analysis of our carrier agreement, and the recommended rate changes, have made a big impact on our shipping expenses,” Neumann said. “We’re now on track to save more than $85,000 in our first 18 months. We’ve also been able to use more next-day air. We would have never achieved those savings without Sifted.”
Neumann said Sifted pointed out the opportunity to secure deeper discounts on next-day air rather than 2nd-day air. It’s been a win-win for LinkBio and its customers. Rates are lower and packages arrive faster.
“Sifted levels the playing field when dealing with the carriers and I recommend them 100 percent,” Neumann said. “They do what they say they’re going to do, and they are a great partner in every sense of the word.
