Carriers can get more from their existing TMS by finding the people who are naturally curious about the system and turning their individual expertise into shared organizational knowledge.
This first article in KSMTA's TMS utilization series focuses on internal subject-matter experts, or SMEs. These users understand the system's functions and applications because they have explored it deeply and used it extensively.
Curiosity and Passion Are More Important Than Tenure
Tenure alone does not make someone a TMS expert. The strongest SMEs are curious and passionate about the software. They explore how it works, follow new features and updates, and continue expanding their knowledge.
That curiosity gives them a deeper understanding of the TMS and helps them identify new solutions. They do not simply repeat an existing process; they look for ways the technology can support continuous improvement.
Diverse SMEs Provide Holistic Software Expertise
No single person is likely to understand every part of a transportation management system. A TMS covers much more than dispatch, and expertise in one module does not guarantee expertise in another.
Carriers should identify multiple SMEs with different roles and experiences. That group provides wider coverage of the software's capabilities and reduces the risk that critical knowledge lives with only one employee.
Effective Knowledge Transfer Is Key
Expertise creates little organizational value if it stays with the expert. Some SMEs may also understand the software better than they can explain it, so the company must build methods for transferring their knowledge.
“Lunch & Learn” sessions and “Train the Trainer” programs can help spread useful practices. Management is responsible for creating the setting, cadence, and support that allow the SME's knowledge to reach the rest of the workforce.
SMEs Help Drive Productivity and Cultivate Innovation
SMEs serve as trusted advisors to their colleagues. They help users solve software-related problems, adopt better practices, and use functions that might otherwise remain hidden.
Their curiosity also encourages experimentation. By testing new features and questioning workarounds, they can identify ways to improve productivity and expand what the current TMS can accomplish.
The company should provide a regular forum for SMEs to bring forward issues, solutions, and opportunities. A TMS Steering Committee is one way to create that structure and cadence.
How To Identify SMEs
Finding the existing experts does not need to be complicated. The simplest method is to walk around and ask employees:
“Who do you go to when you don't know how to do something in the TMS?”
A small group of names will usually appear repeatedly.
The same question can be asked through an online survey. Another approach is a “Feature of the Week” or “Blocker of the Week” program. Users can share effective uses of existing features or explain the workarounds they have created to get past system limitations.
Those submissions can be collected through an intranet, a Microsoft Teams channel, or email to the training department.
SMEs Are a Key Resource for Efficient TMS Utilization
The people who combine software curiosity with a commitment to continued learning are central to better TMS utilization. Their value does not come from tenure; it comes from understanding the system, challenging how it is used, and helping others improve.
That value increases when the knowledge is shared. A carrier that identifies diverse SMEs and gives them a structured way to teach, experiment, and advise can improve productivity and innovation without replacing its technology stack.