In December 2022, The Scheduling Standards Consortium (SSC) was formed “to simplify the integration of systems across the fragmented ecosystem between shippers, carriers and intermediaries and create a more efficient appointment scheduling process.” According to the press release at the time:
The primary objectives of the SSC are to (1) define an API standard for sharing scheduling information, (2) eliminate manual processes by automating interactions where possible, (3) implement the standardized interfaces and integrations across core systems, and (4) advocate for the standard across the industry.
In July 2024, we explored dock appointment scheduling with our Indago supply chain research community, who are all supply chain and logistics executives from manufacturing, retail, and distribution companies. We asked our members, “Do you believe the creation and adoption of an industry standard for dock appointment scheduling will improve your logistics operations?”
Almost three quarters of our member respondents (74%) either “Agreed” (41%) or “Strongly Agreed” (33%) that the creation and adoption of an industry standard for dock appointment scheduling will improve their logistics operations; only 4% disagreed.
“Dock schedules are the heart and soul of the end-to-end supply chain flow,” said one Indago supply chain executive member. “It is essential to have a clear, standardized scheduling system to ensure our DCs have sufficient throughput to execute, and our carriers and customers can get the appointments they need.”
Another executive commented, “We are in the CPG space and deliver to grocery warehouses and distribution centers. Having a streamlined process from our system to theirs would enable better movement of goods.”
We also asked our members, “How would you characterize your dock appointment scheduling process in terms of being able to plan and execute inbound and outbound shipments through your distribution centers as efficiently as possible?”
More than a third of the respondents (37%) characterized their dock appointment scheduling process as “Good,” while 4% characterized it as “Excellent.” However, more than half the respondents (52%) said their dock appointment scheduling process was either “Average” (30%) or “Poor” (22%).
“A huge struggle for us is the communication gap that arises from shipper to carrier/broker to the actual driver to the receiver,” said one executive. “Too many moving parts and even though we have technology, there are still gaps in how well any of these parties understands and uses dock scheduling technology.”
Here is another comment from an Indago member:
“As a large manufacturer, our challenges lie more with scheduling deliveries vs. shipments. Across our top 25 customers there are 16 different systems to work with on scheduling delivery appointments. As our customers struggle to maintain order within their inbound scheduling at DCs/warehouses, it impacts the flow of our outbound shipments, DC operations, and order management. This creates friction, delays, waste, and cost in the process.”
What other issues do companies face with dock appointment scheduling? How are companies currently managing their dock appointment scheduling process? What tools and systems are they using? For insights on those questions and more, Indago members can download the report from our website.
What about you? How does dock appointment scheduling impact your overall logistics operations? What improvements would you like to see in your dock appointment scheduling process? Post a comment and share your perspective!
The Road to 1,000 Indago Members
Last month marked 6 years since we launched Indago. Our goal is to reach 1,000 members by the end of 2025 — and to break the $30,000 mark in charity donations since we launched.
Why join Indago? Here’s how a couple of our members answered that question:
“Joining Indago has been great. On a monthly basis I complete an easy, 5 minute survey about important topics in Supply Chain (I often complete the survey on my smartphone). I find value in completing the survey; it gives me a reason to spend a moment defining my perspective on strategic topics. In return, I am able to see the results of the survey and the perspectives of my peers. On a few occasions, I’ve reconsidered my position based on what the community suggests, and other times, I’m happy to see the validation of my views (especially on topics that have been overhyped in the trade journals). Because the surveys are anonymous, it’s a risk free way to engage the Supply Chain community and get quick, honest feedback.” — VP of Operations, Food & Beverage Company
“I decided to join Indago for two reasons. One is to be part of a group that provides real time feedback from companies on topics in the supply chain world. The second reason is that Indago supports charities that make the world a better place. It’s a great one – two combination!” — Director of Freight & Warehousing, $1B+ Food & Beverage Company
So, what are you waiting for? Find out what you’ve been missing and join Indago today!
If you’re a supply chain or logistics practitioner from a MANUFACTURING, RETAIL, or DISTRIBUTION company and you’re interested in learning from your peers, I encourage you to learn more about Indago and join our research community. It is confidential, there is no cost to join and the time commitment is minimal (2-4 minutes per week) — plus your participation will help support charitable causes like Breakthrough T1D, American Logistics Aid Network, American Cancer Society, Feeding America, and Make-A-Wish.
(If you’re a TECHNOLOGY VENDOR or THIRD-PARTY LOGISTICS COMPANY, please do not apply. If you’re interested in receiving our research results and contributing questions for us to ask our members, we have a subscription service available. Please contact me for additional information.)
