FAQ

Bumbal is user-friendly transport software designed to make your life a little easier. It can be used to make appointments with customers for service or delivery, create transport schedules, and monitor deliveries live via the integrated Bumbal drivers’ app. Bumbal includes a Track & Trace feature available to both you and your customers. Bumbal is suitable for carriers and wholesale traders, retailers, e-tailers, and production companies with their own vehicles.

You can use Bumbal as a complete package, but you can also opt to use separate parts of the service. Take a look at our references to see what businesses use Bumbal.

Bumbal has no maximum number of vehicles. If any changes occur, e.g., when a vehicle is out of order, Bumbal automatically adjusts the schedule to account for the changes. Contact us if you have any further questions about Bumbal’s capabilities.

Bumbal has many advantages, so we’ve listed the main ones below.

No more complicated ride planning in Excel
Bumbal transport software is simple and user-friendly. It doesn’t have any unnecessary features; it goes back to basics. You enter an activity, and Bumbal plans it for you. You can then follow the live status when the delivery is in progress. If something changes in the planning, you can fix it with the click of a button.

Scheduling on any device
Whether you use a computer, tablet, or only have your phone at hand, Bumbal is available on any device. This way, you can check the planning and delivery status whenever you need. All of this is possible because of the Bumbal drivers’ app. It allows your driver to register any exceptions, and uses Track & Trace to communicate ETAs to you and your customers.

Wasting kilometres is in the past
Bumbal automatically makes appointments with your customers or allows customers to schedule one themselves. Whichever option applies, Bumbal ensures efficient planning that’s optimised to avoid wasting time or kilometres.

Affordable and flexible
The Bumbal subscriptions come in different packages and are designed to be affordable and accommodate as many businesses as possible. The software is tailored to your company and even includes a short training, so you and your employees are supported from the start. Consult the Bumbal subscriptions page for more information on costs.

Yes, Bumbal can operate as a completely independent system.

You can connect virtually any system to Bumbal. We’ve already established a long list of partners, which you can view on our ‘Partners & Systems’ page. Is your system not listed here? Just send us an email! Bumbal can be coupled to any system, and we’re happy to get you started.

In most cases, Bumbal can be linked quickly and at a limited charge. Other systems require a bit more precision. Be sure to contact us, and we’ll gladly provide you with a personalised solution.

The Bumbal app is a versatile service. On the one hand, it’s used to determine an ETA and update customers and planners. On the other hand, the app is used to instruct drivers on routes and provides a registration function. We’ve listed some of the functions below:

• Ride schedules are available for the driver, including the order of stops and any instructions regarding loading/service;
• Survey of products scheduled per ride;
• Registration times of arrival and departure;

   

• Digital signature;

   

• Option to take pictures;

   

• Registration packaging;

   

• Scanning barcodes (also bulk scanning several barcodes at the same time);

   

• Processing driver instructions. This includes order-specific instructions and address-specific instructions

   

•  Registration of driver remarks;

   

• Adding extra (non-planned) driver activities;

   

• Registration of irregularities (e.g., shortage or damage)

Anything that the driver registers on the road is immediately available in the Activities and Ride folder for the planner or other employees. In case of shortages or irregularities, the Bumbal app can send automated emails to anyone who may be concerned. This way, immediate action can be taken.

Yes! With Bumbal, you can plan several rides and for multiple days at the push of a button. Bumbal will automatically take into account all basic principles concerning stops and rides. This includes time frames, appointment duration and time, and even vehicle types, possible product characteristics (correct product placement within the vehicle), or any vehicle characteristics. If you’d like, Bumbal can even use historical traffic information and capacity – like weight or volume – to compose your ideal schedule.

Of course you can! In your personal Bumbal portal, you can customize zones based on postal codes. In the ride schedule, these zones can subsequently be linked to specific rides – e.g., the Tuesday ride in Limburg. When you enter stops into your schedule, these zones are automatically linked to the rides via the postal codes. Subsequently, the planning algorithm will see to it that the right addresses are included in the right rides. All of this is completely automated; you only need to enter the right order into the system.

Bumbal is completely customizable. That means that you can also indicate whether Bumbal has to combine different orders for one address or not. You can also decide whether the stop times of the different orders will be added or whether Bumbal should just use the longest stop time.

Rides do not become less efficient if you allow customers to pick a date and time frame. Bumbal only offers your customers time frames that work for your schedule, not the other way around. Customers schedule their own appointments, and Bumbal registers them. Your role as planner shifts from a full-time job to a monitoring function. That way, you can invest your time in more urgent matters!

Not at all, Bumbal can be used with and without other software. You can enter orders and addresses manually or even upload them in an Excel file. You can also manage the master data of customers/addresses, vehicles, and drivers. Bumbal can also be coupled to other systems. Whether you choose to use Bumbal as a standalone software or linked to an ERP, web shop, or TMS, Bumbal functionalities are available in all forms.

Bumbal is designed to be linked to other systems, like ERP, web shops, or TMS. This enables the automatic transfer of order information. In other words, Bumbal doesn’t require you to enter all order information manually; it does that for you. This includes changes or cancellations of orders. To add to these features, Bumbal allows you to finalise everything concerning appointments, planning, and Track and Trace/registration of execution. Once Bumbal has processed the order, all of its information can be transferred back to the coupled system, e.g., for further administrative finalisation. Bumbal can be linked in various ways, some of the possibilities are via:

• XML via Bumbal FTP location
• XML posts to URL
• Restful API (json)

It is most convenient to work with API links. For API documentation, also see the following page: Bumbal API info.

Bumbal consciously focuses on transport and delivery planning and everything connected with it. Bumbal doesn’t focus on specific management of orders, bookkeeping, article management, stock management, rates management, etc. This is what ERP/TMS solutions are good at. In this way, various systems are a good complementary fit.

Yes. Via the Track and Trace screen, the planner can see the latest status of activities and active rides. In the Bumbal Web Environment, you can see all updates on activities that have been completed or are still open. These updates also tell you whether the activities have been carried out within the time frame, or whether the next activities are likely to be performed within the right time frame. You can even view the latest known position of your drivers on the road. You can also find the folder for finalizing activity and ride registrations in the Web Environment.

In summary, the planner has the current status of all active rides.

Bumbal can be used in every language or even multilingually, including customer contact and the drivers’ app. For the app, the language is automatically set based on the default language of the driver’s smartphone or tablet.

Bumbal takes care of that for you. Bumbal sends your customers an automated message, informing them of the ETA. Even if your driver is not on schedule, Bumbal makes sure that the customer is well-informed on the status of their delivery or service appointment. In the planned ETA message, a link can be added to the live ETA portal, where customers themselves can view the most up-to-date expected time of arrival on the day of delivery. This status is determined based on the position of the driver via the Bumbal app, which is compared to the ride schedule.
ETA messages can be sent via email or SMS.

Bumbal has a secure cloud environment. To this effect, the following technical measures have been taken:

·       The Bumbal servers (Linux CentOS virtual servers) are housed in the Iron Mountain Data Centre in Amsterdam. This data centre meets the relevant security certificates (ISO 9001, ISP 27001, ISO 50001, ISO 14001, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3, PCI-DSS). For more information on the data centre, view this web page.

• All communication from and to Bumbal services takes place via SSL certificates.
• All authentication passwords are stored using the BCrypt encryption method.
• The (appointment/ETA) portals for customers work based on tokens. For each visit via an ETA message, a new, unique single-use token is generated.

Bumbal meets the requirements of the AVG because Bumbal works based on a dataprocessing agreement. This means that Bumbal users themselves are responsible for the data they process via Bumbal. By law, Bumbal is considered a processor. The Bumbal software only processes personal data on behalf of users. Of course, in doing so, Bumbal takes care of thorough technical security, and we commit ourselves via the processor’s agreement to report possible data leakages that we are aware of to customers.

Transport software is an umbrella term for all software that is used to manage transport-related logistics. It is flexible, can be connected to everything, and takes as much work as possible off your hands via automatic processes that you can tune yourself.

Bumbal is not a TMS (Transport Management System). We do not offer matters such as rate management, invoicing, remuneration (collective agreement (CAO) registration of hours), or Canbus link for the drivers’ app. When logistic service providers use Bumbal, we are always coupled to the TMS. However, you can also use Bumbal standalone (manual input or Excel order-upload).

An implementation without a system interface (link with another software system) can be accomplished in one day. If an interface must be set up, implementation takes about 4 weeks. We’ll set up the Bumbal environment, think of the master data, planning settings, and the possible setup of your own corporate identity for customer communication. During implementation, tests take place, and we train users via online methods. In other words, we deliver a ready-to-use system.

You only pay for what you use, a set cost per vehicle per month. This basic subscription includes order management, (automatic) planning, Track and Trace for the planner, and the drivers’ app. You can opt for the automatic appointments solution. It offers your customers dates or time slots that fit into your planning seamlessly. This feature includes a small fee per appointment. Do you not want to use the appointment feature, but use the ETA feature instead? Bumbal is completely customizable, so this is no trouble at all. You can even send PODs (Proof of Delivery) to your clients if you’d like. All these features are charged separately, as we believe you should only pay for what you use.

A volume-based discount applies to both the subscriptions (basic + communication) and the fee per appointment. The user costs are charged monthly afterwards based on actual use. This also allows the possibility to unsubscribe every month.

In addition to the user costs, we charge a small one-time fee for activating your own Bumbal account. Additional charges may apply if you opt for a custom set-up and online training, and if applicable, realizing a system interface with i.e. ERP of a web shop. We then deliver your new Bumbal software ready for use.

Wondering if Bumbal is profitable for your company? Do the calculation yourself, check the tariffs page, or contact us for more information.

Bumbal aims to build long-term relationships with both customers and partners. Thanks to our partners, Bumbal can continue developing in its dynamic environment. The partners Bumbal proudly cooperates with can be seen on this page.

Bumbal is proud of its product and therefore offers a free, no-obligation demo. This demonstration can be given online or on-site, but we are also happy to receive you at our office. It is truly a demonstration free of any obligations, so it does not tie you to anything.

Request your demo now