After analyzing the client’s challenges and vision, our team of experts came up with the following technical solutions
1. Website development
We migrated their website from WordPress to Webflow, a no-code platform that allows for intuitive design. However, as a nocode platform Webflow has some limitations when it comes to customization, so we connected the website to a CDN (content delivery network) where we uploaded custom files and done customization using jQuery and JavaScript and display them on the frontend of Webflow.
The Webflow customizations included a slider for the number of units, Visual dashboards with graphs in donut format, bar charts, and line charts, dynamic tables to display the data, a checkbox dropdown for multiple field selection for 3PLs.
2. 3PL registration and contract management
We developed a marketplace for 3PLS where these third-party logistics providers can register themselves as a listing on the website and also can manage their contracts. They have two options for creating a contract: they can either manually enter all the details or upload a previously created contract. We also added a third-party tool called sensible.so, which can extract the details from an uploaded contract and add them to the system. To create a contract their associated brand should be available in the system, if the brand is not available, 3PLs will not be able to log in to the system or access their dashboard or brand page.
3. Solved Error of the Latest Webflow Version
Webflow’s latest version has disabled the password input type, so we created a custom input field to solve this issue.
4. Estimated Cost of 3 PLs
The system we built can automatically estimate the cost of 3PL services for brands’ next contracts, according to the inputs. To use the system, brands first need to select their current 3PL provider from a list of all available providers. They can then select a contract from a drop-down menu of all the contracts they have with that provider. Next, they need to select a rate card from the related rate cards drop-down menu. Finally, they can select the specific services and date range they need from another drop-down menu. The system will then automatically calculate the cost and display it on the frontend for the brands.
5. Match Me Functionality
The Match Me functionality allows brands to search for third-party logistics (3PL) providers that they are already working with or want to work with. We have made it easier to search for a 3PL by integrating with Google Maps, so brands can search by geographical location. Brands can also add their reviews for 3PL companies.
6. Upload Invoices
To audit invoices, brands can upload their invoices to the backend. They can then select an invoice that they want to audit and submit the request. The system will send the request to the audit team, and one of the team members can accept it. The auditor will then review the invoice and, if they need more information or if any details are missing, they can contact the brand.
7. After providing all the necessary details, the brand can track the status of their invoice audit request on their dashboard. Once the audit is complete, they will be able to see the invoice audit report on their dashboard, which is hosted on Webflow.
8. We developed dashboard and auditing interface using Backendless for auditors. The auditor can see the files uploaded by the client, as well as the list and details of the clients. The auditor can download the files, sort them in the default format, and convert them to CSV format. They can then upload the CSV file to the dashboard. When the auditor uploads the file, Backendless converts it to a database and starts auditing it according to the contract that the client has selected and the logic that we have set.
9. When an auditor uploads a file to the system, the system automatically converts the data into different dashboards. After the audit is complete, the system creates a dashboard contains invoice audit report that includes all of the findings. The auditor can then enable the option to share this dashboard with the client on the Webflow website. There will be two types of dashboards: one that contains the formatted version of the invoice that was uploaded by the client, and another one that contains the audited report.
10. A database has been created in Backendless and the data structure has been designed to meet the client’s requirements. All of the database operations that are used in the frontend are managed by Backendless.
11. To manage the data communication between Webflow and Backendless, we developed APIs using Backendless features, namely Cloud Code. Cloud Code is a serverless computing platform that allows us to deploy and run code in the Backendless cloud.
