Technology can be your salvation or your downfall—it all depends. If you let technology be your master, you're headed for trouble. You often see this scenario playing out with companies that run out and buy packaged software applications for a given logistics activity, say transportation management or warehouse management, without giving thought to anything but the technology. They plug in the program, sit back, and wait for the wonders of the software to take care of everything.

There's just one problem with this approach—and it's a big one. Unless the software is aligned with well-defined business objectives and unless the internal processes and procedures already in place are efficient to begin with, the software will do little more than automate a substandard operation. In fact, it could even make things worse because it becomes more difficult to change those inefficient processes. In a sense, you become a slave to the technology.

The key is to master the technology and not let it master you. That means streamlining processes for moving outbound shipments, for receiving and storing inventory, for running your fleet operations, and so on before you purchase that new software package. Through this approach, the software will automate and optimize efficient rather than inefficient processes. And this, in turn, means that it will deliver a faster payback.

The issue of whether you're a master or slave to your technology extends beyond shippers, of course. It includes carriers and logistics service providers as well. The feature story on regional trucking companies in this issue offers a good example. As they have expanded their service offerings and coverage areas, the leading regionals have successfully applied new technology. They are using the Internet to attract new customers and to offer a range of services never before offered at the regional level. They're applying optimization technology for routing and scheduling that allows them to cost-effectively expand their next-day service area. In short, they are mastering the technology.

With all of the new technology now available (to say nothing of all the vendor hype swirling around these offerings), it's easy for logistics professionals to get confused about what kind of software to buy and how to use it. Yet by following a few basic steps, they can increase the chances that their purchase will result in a more productive operation and deliver the expected payback. The steps are fairly simple and straightforward: identify the business goals you want the technology to support; make sure that your internal logistics processes are efficient and aligned with those goals; and select software that will allow you to enhance those processes and reach the business goals.

Then go for it!