Logistics Services Outsourcing - Rail Industry

Although the freight railroad sector is largely consolidated and enjoys significant pricing power in the US (mainly due to its famous deregulation in 1980, a time when railroads were hemorrhaging market share to the trucking industry), a slowdown in volumes caused by the recent downturn has re-emphasized the need to cut operating costs to maintain and improve margins across industry cycles. To make matters worse, rail companies in the US have experienced renewed regulatory challenges questioning their pricing power. While these challenges are widely expected to not go through, it does point to a need for freight railroad companies to continue to be nimble and competitive.

Companies in the freight railroad sector enjoy a competitive advantage due to the fact that they are cheaper and more fuel-efficient than truck and ship transport. However, there exists scope for freight rail operators to further improve their operating margins. Freight railroad companies also need to recoup the significant capital investments they have made over the years to improve service reliability and generate an effective return on investment.

WNS offers a range of customized business process outsourcing services for the freight rail sector to help them meet their strategic objectives of improved service delivery and enhanced operating margins. These offerings include:

Sales / Marketing

Rate quotes
Service contract / Rate agreement creation and maintenance
Transportation tender management support

Lead generation
Tariff and contract filings
Freight bookings

Marketing collateral design support
SEO campaign management support

Customer Service

Passenger reservation booking / Ticketing
Rail car booking management
Account management support
Vendor portal administration
New customer equipment planning

Car order assistance scheduling
Private equipment registration management
Active shipment inquiry service desk

Shipment and event tracking, tracing and load management
Equipment reject management

Document Processing

Document management (imaging and indexing)
Electronic connectivity and reporting

Record retention management
Transloading manifestation

Customer portal freight document services
Intermodal port document manifesting

Operations

Rail dispatching center
Rail traffic control monitoring
Weather condition monitoring and alert management
Grade crossing signal system failure monitoring

Daily operational reporting (Arrival / Departure, car counts, tonnage, etc.)
Intermodal equipment pool yard management
Rail car load and asset utilization reporting

Rail car maintenance management and bulletin reporting
Haz cargo approvals

Finance and HR

Dispatcher certification management (GCOR, hazmat, air and train break handling, etc.)
Labor pre-qualification and processing services
Work crew calling and shift schedule management
Pricing, rating, tariff and contract management
Shipment costing and invoicing