Logistics automation: evaluating off-the-shelf vs custom integrations and ROI.

[Jerry_G]

I'm the operations manager for a mid-sized logistics company, and we're drowning in manual data entry between our dispatch software, customer portal, and accounting system. I've been tasked with exploring business process automation to reduce errors and free up staff time, but I'm unsure where to start. We have a clear pain point with invoice generation and shipment tracking updates, but I'm worried about choosing a platform that's too rigid or expensive to maintain. For those who have implemented automation in a similar environment, did you start with off-the-shelf tools or build custom integrations? How did you calculate the ROI to justify the initial investment to leadership, and what was the biggest unexpected challenge during implementation?