When something breaks in dispatch, it breaks during the US working day, while trucks are rolling and brokers are calling. That's when you need someone who knows your setup to answer. Yet plenty of software companies build and support their products with teams in time zones far from their customers, where the US afternoon is the middle of the night. A ticket sent at 2 PM gets an answer the next morning, and a small problem costs a day.
Before you choose a TMS, ask a simple question: where does support sit, and what hours does it work?
We're in Miami, on your clock
Ella's team is based in Miami, Florida, on US Eastern time. That's the same clock as the East Coast, one hour ahead of Chicago and three ahead of the West Coast. When your dispatchers are working, so are we. Questions get answered the same day, and changes are discussed live with the people who use the system, not through a chain of tickets.
The first 30 days: your base system
Every Ella system is built for one company. In the first 30 days we set up the base system with your company's name and logo: dispatch, loads, tracking, fleet, safety, maintenance, fuel and tolls, settlements, documents and reporting. We connect your ELD and your factoring company, free for the first of each.
The next two months: we change the system to fit your team
This is where most software stops and Ella keeps going. For the next two months, each department is onboarded one at a time, and the changes they ask for are included in the price:
- Training for each team, on their own screens, with their own data.
- Data migration: your first three years of history, from spreadsheets or your current TMS, moved free.
- Custom fields your safety team needs on drivers, trucks and inspections.
- Dispatch the way your dispatchers work: board layout, statuses, notes and the details brokers ask for.
- Settlements matched to your pay rules: deductions, escrow, percentages and reimbursements for each kind of driver.
- Reports the owner actually reads, in the format they want.
The goal of those two months is simple: by the end, your team uses the system because it fits how they work, not because they were told to. People get used to new software much faster when it was changed for them.
After onboarding: support when you want it
After the first three months, support is optional. If you want it, it's $299 a month. Any new change, such as a feature, a report or a new workflow, is quoted in hours and sent to you for approval before any work starts. Nothing is built or billed until you approve it, and changes go live within seven days at most, depending on their size. See build and support for details.
Questions to ask any TMS vendor about support
- Where is your support team, and what are its hours in our time zone?
- Will we talk to people who know our setup, or a different agent every time?
- What's included during onboarding: training, migration, custom fields?
- How are changes priced after onboarding, and how fast are they delivered?
- Who owns the customizations you build for us?
If you're comparing systems, our TMS buying guide has the full checklist. Or request a demo and talk to the team that would build yours.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Ella based?
Ella's team is based in Miami, Florida, on US Eastern time, so support works the same hours as your office.
How long does onboarding take?
The build takes three months. The base system runs in the first 30 days, then each department is onboarded over the next two months, with training, migration and the changes they ask for included.
Is data migration included?
Yes. The first three years of your history are migrated free, from spreadsheets or your current TMS.
What does support cost after onboarding?
Support is optional at $299 a month. New changes are quoted in hours, approved by you before work starts, and delivered within seven days at most.