Actionable Insights on select VitalFactors™ pages pinpoint potential areas where you can take action to improve your overall VitalFactors™ performance. These opportunities offer additional savings beyond our Audit Recovery and contract negotiation services, helping you further enhance efficiency and cost savings.
To explore the details of a specific Actionable Insight, click on the dropdown arrow. This will display the potential dollar impact of the insight, and you'll have the option to generate a detailed report in excel format for further analysis.
Below is a detailed description of the various Actionable Insights that may be available on each of the VitalFactors™ pages. These insights provide key data points and actionable recommendations to help optimize performance and drive meaningful results.
Service Spend VitalFactors™
| Actionable Insights | Description |
| Service Level Optimization Air -> Ground |
These are packages shipped using air/express services that could have been sent via ground services and still arrived on the same day. Identifying these opportunities can help you reduce unnecessary costs without compromising delivery speed. |
| Service Level Optimization Int'l Priority -> Int'l Economy |
These packages were shipped using International Priority (express) but could have been sent via International Economy. To unlock significant savings, consider opting for the more cost-effective, delayed international service when possible. |
| Service Level Optimization Overnight Priority -> Overnight Standard |
These packages were sent using the Overnight Priority service, though Overnight Standard would have been a more cost-effective option. By using Overnight Standard, you can still ensure next-day delivery at a lower cost—ideal for shipments that don’t require morning delivery. |
| Service Level Optimization FedEx Ground -> Home Delivery |
These packages should have been dispatched using FedEx Home Delivery but were sent via FedEx Ground, resulting in a higher residential surcharge cost. Utilizing FedEx Home Delivery could provide a more tailored service for residential shipments without compromising delivery speed. |
|
Service Level Optimization Heavy USPS Final Mile -> Home Delivery |
These packages weigh over 9 lbs and were sent using USPS Final Mile. It's important to note that rates for this service increase significantly for packages weighing 10 lbs and up. For better cost efficiency, consider shipping these packages via Ground Residential instead. |
| Early AM Usage | Overnight Early AM guarantees delivery by 8 AM, but it comes at a premium cost. If an 8 AM arrival isn't essential, consider choosing one of the alternative overnight delivery options for significant savings. |
| Service Spend Outliers | We employ statistical analysis to detect fraud and flag potential errors or sudden changes in your service spend, providing you with actionable insights to help lower costs. Carrier invoices often contain thousands of lines of shipping data, and our AI-powered tools efficiently identify errors and other issues that may be overlooked by humans, ensuring you achieve optimal savings in an economical manner. |
Surcharge Spend
| Actionable Insights | Description |
| Recurring Address Corrections | These shipments were sent to the same incorrect address multiple times. To avoid incurring costly extra fees repeatedly, consider updating your CRM or database accordingly. |
| Oversize Box Fees | These shipments contain packages whose dimensions exceed the limits set by the carriers. The charges for this overage can range from $100 to $145, impacting your shipping costs significantly. |
| Unauthorized Package (FedEx) / Over Maximum Limits (UPS) | These packages incurred the Over Maximum Limits surcharge, which is one of the most expensive fees available, costing $920. Many individuals may not realize this charge applies when a package exceeds 150 lbs in weight or surpasses the carriers' maximum dimensional limits. |
| Surcharge Spend Outliers | We're providing visibility into these outliers to help you stay informed about the significant contributors to your week-over-week surcharge spending. |
Weight
| Actionable Insight | Description |
| High Weight Detection | This alert notifies you of high-weight packages that fall outside your typical shipping patterns. |
Avg Zone
| Actionable Insight | Description |
| Zone Outliers | This provides visibility into sudden changes in shipping zones for a particular week, which may lead to a significant increase in your transportation costs. By identifying these outliers, you can review and potentially optimize your shipping strategies. |
Q: Why do the Actionable insights from the Service Spend VitalFactors™ suggest to downgrade the 1-day priority service (or other higher cost service) to ground service, even when ground service can take up to 5 days?
A: Besides the cost that will lead to lower expenses, carriers have pretty much improved their ground services recently. So if the packages are going to nearby zones, then they should have the same delivery timeline as with the higher cost services such as 1-Day Priority or 1-Day Standard. Our Reveel Platform has identified that some of our clients' shipments are going to nearby zones. We recommend an opportunity for our clients to reduce costs while ensuring that packages can still arrive as quickly as one day, even with ground commercial or ground residential services.