From Registers to Software: Moving a Goods Transport Company Over in 30 Days
A four-week plan for moving a multi-station goods transport company from carbon bilty books and registers to software — without stopping the counter for a day.
Move one station first, for one week, with both the register and the software running side by side; then add a station a week, and switch the registers off only when the software's evening figures match the registers for a full week. Companies that try to move every station on the same morning usually end up back on paper by Thursday, with two half-kept records instead of one.
Week 1 — Set up and one station
- Stations and codes. Create every station with a short code (LHR, KHI, FSD) — it becomes the prefix of every bilty number.
- Freight rates. Enter the rate card for your main routes: per kg, per package and a minimum. Rates can be added as you go; the busiest ten routes cover most bookings.
- Staff logins. Each clerk gets their own login tied to their station. Shared logins make every mistake nobody's.
- Start booking at one station. Choose the busiest booking station, and book every new bilty in the software while the register carries on as usual.
Week 2 — Loading, receiving and the second station
- Write loading challans in the software for vehicles leaving the first station, with kiraya and advance.
- Bring the main destination station on: it receives those vehicles bilty by bilty and hands goods over at the delivery desk, collecting To-Pay.
- Compare each evening: bilties booked, freight, cash — software against register. Every difference is either a training point or a rule to settle.
Week 3 — The rest of the stations, and the money between them
- Add the remaining stations, one or two at a time.
- Enter each station's opening cash and the opening balances between stations — what each owes the others on the day you start. Get both station managers to agree the figure before it goes in.
- Old bilties still in the godown: enter them as bookings dated the day they were booked, so arrival and To-Pay collection happen in the software.
Week 4 — Alerts, the website and switching the registers off
- Switch on SMS or WhatsApp alerts once every station is booking in the software — a customer who gets alerts for some bilties and not others calls more, not less.
- Publish the tracking page and put the link and QR code on every bilty.
- When the evening figures have matched the registers for a full week, stop writing the registers. Keep the old books; do not keep writing them.
What usually goes wrong
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Clerks go back to paper when it is busy | Booking takes longer at first | Rates and regular customers entered in advance; one person to help at peak hours for the first week |
| Station balances never agree | Opening balances guessed | Agree them between managers before entering them |
| To-Pay "missing" in the first weeks | Old bilties not entered | Enter everything still in the godown on the day the station starts |
| The owner still phones stations for figures | Nobody looks at the reports | A fixed evening routine: the same six numbers every day |
Doing it with Irsaal
Irsaal for Goods Transport is set up for exactly this: your trial starts with your first station already made from your city, stations and staff are added as you go, and every station works in a browser from its first day. The trial is 14 days and takes no card — enough time for the first two weeks of this plan. Start here, and read how a transport company runs on bilty software for the day you are moving to.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to move a transport company to software?
About four weeks for a company with several stations, moving one station at a time and running the registers alongside until the figures match for a week.
Should every station start on the same day?
No. Start with the busiest booking station and its main destination, then add stations one or two at a time.
What about bilties already in the godown?
Enter them on the day each station starts, dated when they were booked, so their arrival and To-Pay collection are recorded in the software.
Do we need new computers?
Browser-based software runs on the computers and phones you already have; each station needs an internet connection and, ideally, a printer for bilties.