Skip to product menu
close
  • Sales
    Press Space or Enter to display list of options
EXPLORE ALL PRODUCTS

Sales

 
CRM

Comprehensive CRM platform for customer-facing teams.

CRM
 
Bigin

Simple CRM for small businesses moving from spreadsheets.

Bigin
 
Forms

Build online forms for every business need.

Forms
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
RouteIQ

Comprehensive sales map visualization and optimal route planning solution.

RouteIQ
 
Thrive

Complete loyalty and affiliate management platform.

Thrive
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
Suites
CRM Plus

Unified platform to deliver top-notch customer experience.

CRM Plus

Marketing

 
Social

All-in-one social media management software.

Social
 
Campaigns

Create, send, and track targeted email campaigns that drive sales.

Campaigns
 
Forms

Build online forms for every business need.

Forms
 
Survey

Design surveys to reach and interact with your audience.

Survey
 
Sites

Online website builder with extensive customisation options.

Sites
 
PageSense

Website conversion optimization and personalisation platform.

PageSense
 
Backstage

End-to-end event management software.

Backstage
 
Webinar

Webinar platform for webcasting online webinars.

Webinar
 
Marketing Automation

All-in-one marketing automation software.

Marketing Automation
 
LandingPage

Smart landing page builder to increase conversion rates

LandingPage
 
Publish

Manage all your local business listings on a single platform.

Publish
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Thrive

Complete loyalty and affiliate management platform.

Thrive
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
NEW
LeadChain

Sync, manage, and convert leads across channels seamlessly.

LeadChain
 
NEW
CommunitySpaces

Online community platform for individuals and businesses to grow their network and brand.

CommunitySpaces
 
Suites
Marketing Plus

Unified marketing platform for marketing teams.

Marketing Plus

Commerce and POS

 
Commerce

eCommerce platform to manage and market your online store.

Commerce

Service

 
Desk

Helpdesk software to deliver great customer support.

Desk
 
Assist

Remote support and unattended remote access software.

Assist
 
Lens

Interactive remote assistance software with augmented reality.

Lens
 
FSM

End-to-end field service management platform for service businesses.

FSM
 
SalesIQ

Live chat app to engage and convert website visitors.

SalesIQ
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
Suites
Service Plus

Unified platform for customer service and support teams.

Service Plus

Finance

 
Books

Powerful accounting platform for growing businesses.

Books
 
FREE
Invoice

100% Free invoicing solution.

Invoice
 
Expense

Effortless expense reporting platform.

Expense
 
Inventory

Powerful stock management and inventory control software.

Inventory
 
Billing

End-to-end billing solution for your business.

Billing
 
Checkout

Collect payments online with custom branded pages.

Checkout
 
NEW
Payroll

Payroll software with automated tax payments and filing.

Payroll
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo
 
Practice

Practice management software for accounting firms.

Practice
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Commerce

eCommerce platform to manage and market your online store.

Commerce
 
Suites
Finance Plus

All-in-one suite to manage your operations and finances.

Finance Plus

Email and Collaboration

 
Mail

Secure email service for teams of all sizes.

Mail
 
Meeting

Online meeting software for all your video conferencing & webinar needs.

Meeting
 
Writer

Word processor for focused writing and discussions.

Writer
 
Sheet

Spreadsheet software for collaborative teams.

Sheet
 
Show

Create, edit, and share slides with a sleek presentation app.

Show
 
Notebook

Beautiful home for all your notes.

Notebook
 
Cliq

Stay in touch with teams no matter where you are.

Cliq
 
Connect

Employee experience platform to communicate, engage, and build positive employee relations.

Connect
 
Bookings

Appointment scheduling app for consultations with customers.

Bookings
 
TeamInbox

Shared inboxes for teams.

TeamInbox
 
WorkDrive

Online file management for teams.

WorkDrive
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Office Suite

Powerful collaborative work platform for teams.

Office Suite
 
Office Integrator

Built in document editors for web apps.

Office Integrator
 
ZeptoMail

Secure and reliable transactional email sending service.

ZeptoMail
 
Calendar

Online business calendar to manage events and schedule appointments.

Calendar
 
Learn

Knowledge and learning management platform.

Learn
 
Voice

Cloud Contact Center Software for businesses.

Voice
 
ToDo

Collaborative task management for individuals and teams.

ToDo
 
Tables

Work management tool to connect people, processes, and information.

Tables
 
FREE
PDF Editor

Collaborative online PDF editing tool.

PDF Editor
 
Suites
Workplace

Application suite built to improve team productivity and collaboration.

Workplace

Human Resources

 
People

Organize, automate, and simplify your HR processes.

People
 
Recruit

Intuitive recruiting platform built to provide hiring solutions.

Recruit
 
Expense

Effortless expense reporting platform.

Expense
 
Workerly

Manage temporary staffing with an employee scheduling solution.

Workerly
 
NEW
Payroll

Payroll software with automated tax payments and filing.

Payroll
 
Shifts

Employee scheduling and time tracking app.

Shifts
 
Sign

Digital signature app for businesses.

Sign
 
Suites
People Plus

Comprehensive HR platform for seamless employee experiences.

People Plus

Security and IT Management

 
Creator

Build custom apps to simplify business processes.

Creator
 
Directory

Workforce identity and access management solution for cloud businesses.

Directory
 
FREE
OneAuth

Secure multi-factor authenticator (MFA) for all your online accounts.

OneAuth
 
Vault

Online password manager for teams.

Vault
 
Catalyst

Pro-code platform to build and deploy your apps.

Catalyst
 
Toolkit

Complete resource for any admin-related lookup queries.

Toolkit
 
Lens

Interactive remote assistance software with augmented reality.

Lens
 
Assist

Remote support and unattended remote access software.

Assist
 
QEngine

Test automation software to build, manage, execute, and report testcases.

QEngine
 
NEW
RPA

Automate manual, tedious, and repetitive tasks easily.

RPA

BI and Analytics

 
Analytics

Modern self-service BI and analytics platform.

Analytics
 
Embedded BI

Embedded analytics and white label BI solutions, tailored for your needs.

Embedded BI
 
DataPrep

AI-powered data preparation service for your data-driven organization.

DataPrep
 
NEW
IoT

Harnessing IoT analytics for real-time operational intelligence.

IoT

Project Management

 
Projects

Manage, track, and collaborate on projects with teams.

Projects
 
Sprints

Planning and tracking tool for scrum teams.

Sprints
 
BugTracker

Automatic bug tracking software for managing bugs.

BugTracker
 
Solo

The all-in-one toolkit for solopreneurs.

Solo

Developer Platforms

 
Creator

Build custom apps to simplify business processes.

Creator
 
Flow

Automate business workflows by creating smart integrations.

Flow
 
Catalyst

Pro-code platform to build and deploy your apps.

Catalyst
 
Office Integrator

Built in document editors for web apps.

Office Integrator
 
ZeptoMail

Secure and reliable transactional email sending service.

ZeptoMail
 
QEngine

Test automation software to build, manage, execute, and report testcases.

QEngine
 
Tables

Work management tool to connect people, processes, and information.

Tables
 
NEW
RPA

Automate manual, tedious, and repetitive tasks easily.

RPA
 
NEW
Apptics

Application analytics for all apps.

Apptics
 
Embedded BI

Embedded analytics and white label BI solutions, tailored for your needs.

Embedded BI
 
NEW
IoT

Build, deploy, and scale IoT solutions for connected businesses.

IoT
 
DataPrep

AI-powered data preparation service for your data-driven organization.

DataPrep

IoT

 
NEW
IoT

Low-code IoT platform and solutions for connected businesses.

IoT

Search Result

 
CRM Plus

Unified platform to deliver top-notch customer experience.

Try now
CRM Plus
 
Service Plus

Unified platform for customer service and support teams.

Try now
Service Plus
 
Finance Plus

All-in-one suite to manage your operations and finances.

Try now
Finance Plus
 
People Plus

Comprehensive HR platform for seamless employee experiences.

Try now
People Plus
 
Workplace

Application suite built to improve team productivity and collaboration.

Try now
Workplace
 
Marketing Plus

Unified marketing platform for marketing teams.

Try now
Marketing Plus
 
All-in-one suite

Zoho One

The Operating System for Business

Run your entire business on Zoho with our unified cloud software, designed to help you break down silos between departments and increase organizational efficiency.

TRY ZOHO ONE
Zoho One
Zoho Marketplace

With over 2000 ready-to-use extensions across 40+ categories, connect your favorite business tools with the Zoho products you already use.

EXPLORE MARKETPLACE
Marketplace
Skip to main content

Energizing shipping with low-code

The thing I like best about Zoho Creator is that it allows business stakeholders like me, who do not have any programming experience, to create apps when I want, the way I want. It's reliable, affordable, and feature-rich.

Jet Lee Founder, America Ship

Created by : America Ship

Use case : Custom sales management solution

Industry : Logistics

Country : Texas

View FAQs

The company

America Ship is a logistics and shipping company located in Brownsville, Texas, USA. Strategically situated on the border with Mexico, the company serves as a bridge for international ecommerce. When people from Mexico want to buy products online from stores like Amazon or eBay, they face high international shipping costs. But America Ship provides them with a free mailing address in Texas, allowing the buyers to ship to this address and have it forwarded to them from there. The company also takes care of customs duties and other related specifications.

Compared to other carriers, like the USPS, FedEx or UPS, who charge a hefty sum, America Ship charges only two dollars per kilogram. The company also handles shipping from Mexico to the US. Buyers can ship products to America Ship's warehouse in Maramoros, Mexico, and the company then ships the products to the buyers' US address.

The challenge

The company originally conducted its operations on spreadsheets and used email to communicate with different stakeholders. As the business grew, those spreadsheets weren't able to handle the ever-increasing troves of data, which made it quite challenging for employees to make changes and work collaboratively. Emails were also difficult to track, and orders got lost in the email chains. Founder Jet Lee realized the need for an efficient and sophisticated alternative and started evaluating different solutions available on the market.

Initially, they thought that a customer relationship management (CRM) solution would be sufficient to run their operations. After searching the internet, they were able to find a lot of different options. Most of them offered varying degrees of customization, but they just weren't enough.

Finally, they narrowed it down to two choices: Salesforce and Zoho. They tried Salesforce initially but eventually gave up, finding the platform hard to get started, complicated, and expensive to boot. Then they tried Zoho CRM, and it led them to Zoho Creator. User-friendly, affordable, and feature-rich, they quickly realized that Zoho Creator was exactly what they needed.

The solution

"The first thing I noticed from the get-go was that Zoho Creator allowed me to create fully functional applications easily and quickly! The drag-and-drop methodology of creating applications was a game-changer for me."

- Jet Lee,Founder, America Ship

Lee developed the America Ship app by modelling forms based on his requirements. By quickly iterating upon it, he was able to deploy a working prototype in hours.

America Ship needed an interface to view the status of all the packages in their inventory. They also needed a perspective into the payments to be made to all the stakeholders.

The America Ship dashboard was built to display the following information in one place:

  • Packages in inventory: This is a counter indicating the total number of packages that reside in the company's warehouses.
  • Payments pending to Mexico: This widget shows the payments to be paid to various stakeholders for shipping packages to Mexico.
  • Payments pending to the US: This widget displays the payments that need to be made to various stakeholders for shipping packages to the US.
  • Shipments made: This second counter shows the total number of shipments made for the current period.

The dashboard also grants access to the various other modules of the application.

Lee required insight into all shipments that are outbound from his warehouses in Brownsville and Maramoros. The requirements were to be able to see the total number of shipments for any chosen period, and a widget that displayed a list of all items that resided in the warehouse at any given time.

Lee created a module named Outbound Shipments, and created forms per his requirements. This module contains:

  • A counter which displays an aggregate of outbound shipments for the chosen time period.
  • A report of the inventory displaying a list of all the items waiting to be shipped.

Lee wanted to visualize all the packages inbound to America Ship's warehouses. He wanted detailed in-depth statistics, and an ability to manually add inbound package orders if customers so required. He found Zoho Creator's dashboards a boon in translating the statistics aspect of this requirement to reality.

This module is comprised of:

  • Inbound packages view: A comprehensive report that provides an overview of all packages expected to be received.
  • "Add inbound packages" form: A form to add packages that are inbound to the Brownsville and Maramoros warehouses.
  • Statistics: A widget that provides a complete breakdown of all statistics related to inbound packages, such as their place of origin, weight, and cost.

Customers are the lifeblood of any enterprise. Cognizant of this, Lee sought out a module which would allow him to diligently manage his ever-growing user base. He envisioned a module which would grant him a view into all his customers, their addresses, whether they had active orders waiting to be shipped, and a list of customers who needed to furnish more information.

Lee leveraged Zoho Creator's form builder and reports features to develop the Customers module.

This module displays the following information about America Ship's customers:

  • Customers view: A report displaying details for all customers.
  • Address book: A list of the shipping addresses provided by customers.
  • Active customers view: An in-depth report displaying the details of customers whose packages are being shipped.
  • Incomplete customers view: This feature allows America Ship to avoid unsuccessful deliveries. The view presents a list of customers who have not provided all the mandatory details necessary to process shipments. Using this, the administrator can request that customers provide any missing information.

In addition to the above reports, the Customers module also contains two forms:

  • Add customer: A form to manually add a new customer to the database.
  • Add/edit address: The administrator can use this to add and edit the address of a customer.

Lee wanted a way to consolidate all of the company's shipment requests originating from Mexico or the USA. He envisioned this module to provide him with a perspective into all shipment requests made, both online and manually, by his customers.

To address the above requirements, Lee developed this module which contains the following reports:

  • Shipment to Mexico requests: This report displays all requests raised by customers for shipping products to Mexico.
  • Shipment to USA requests: This view grants insights into all requests raised by customers for shipping products to the US.

This module also contains two forms for the admin to manually create shipment requests:

  • Submit shipment request to Mexico
  • Submit shipment request to the US

The America Ship website is the prime source of customers for the company. Using the signup form on the website, new customers can register themselves. Lee needed a solution to help act upon the registrations on the website, and to make effective use of the data gathered when users submitted the registration form.

Lee created a signup module using Creator's form publish feature. The form in this signup module is integrated with America Ship's website: https://www.america-ship.com/. Whenever a customer signs up from the website, their data is captured and displayed in this form's report. The administrator can also manually use the signup form in this module to add a new customer.

Customers can face delays in shipping due to several factors. Initially, all customer support and issue addressal was carried out over the phone, and reports were created using spreadsheets. This was cumbersome, though, and an alternative was needed.

America Ship developed their Help Ticket module for customer support. When any customer encounters a problem with their shipment, this module comes to their rescue. It's also integrated with the website, so when a customer opens a help ticket, the information gets captured in this module's report. The administrator of the application can access this module's report to get an overview of the help tickets raised and can act upon them to drive issues to resolution.

Using the Add ticket form, the application's administrator can also manually open a help ticket to assist a customer.

Initially, customers had to manually call up America Ship's customer care division to get an estimate for their shipping needs. This was inefficient, and Lee had to employ customer care executives separately for this. A cheaper and more effective alternative was required.

America Ship developed their Cost Calculator module using Zoho Creator. This module is integrated with a Creator form published on the website. Its report contains a list of all cost calculation questions asked by prospective customers.

This module provides information such as:

  • Email of the customer who raised the cost calculation request
  • Billable weight of the shipment
  • Shipping type
  • From: This can be the USA or Mexico
  • To: This can be the USA or Mexico
  • Query added time

This module encapsulates the payments report, which provides detailed information on all the payments made by customers for their shipments.

Benefits and ROI

"The America Ship application built on Zoho Creator is essentially the operating system of our company"

- Jet Lee,Founder, America Ship

Lee says that whenever America Ship encounters a new functional requirement in their day-to-day operations, they leverage Zoho Creator to translate that requirement into a module which contains the necessary reports and forms that can be harnessed to attain the desired functionality.

"If it were not for Zoho, we would have had to rely on programmers, and the cost would have been prohibitive for us. We would have had to pay upwards of $3,000 per month for the programmers we would have hired."

- Jet Lee,Founder, America Ship

Zoho Creator has allowed America Ship to create applications for their use, all by their own staff. It has allowed them to focus on providing services instead of developing applications and programming. Zoho Creator has facilitated America Ship to grow exponentially since its inception.

Looking forward

Jet Lee is building a second flagship app for America Ship on the Zoho Creator platform, called the "America Ship Fulfilment System." He intends to take his shipping business worldwide by leveraging this Zoho Creator app some time this year.

Get a free, personalized demo.

Thank you for sharing your requirements with us. Our team will reach out to you soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Zoho Creator?

Zoho Creator is a low-code application development platform that allows users to create custom applications on their own, with minimal coding experience. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface empowers developers and business users to build web and mobile applications that satisfy all their unique requirements with ease.

Are applications built on Zoho Creator scalable?

Applications built on Zoho Creator are built to auto-scale—the back-end infrastructure seamlessly scales as business demand grows. Currently 22,000+ customers across are using over 6 million applications built using Zoho Creator, a testimony to the power of the platform.

Does Zoho Creator have a free plan?

Yes, Zoho Creator has a free plan. This plan comes with a limited feature set and allows for one user, one application, 250 MB of storage, and 1,000 records. However, you have the option to upgrade to a paid plan whenever you wish.

Expand All