Canex Global has been in the logistics business since 2011, growing from a one-person operation to a dynamic team of 15. As they expanded, so did their email challenges.

"We started with just my personal email when I was solo," explains Jennifer Brown, co-owner of Canex Global. "When Diane joined in 2014, we created a distribution list that went to both of us. It worked fine because we were small, but as we kept growing, the system became inefficient."

The team's early struggles were familiar to many growing businesses:

• Multiple people replying to the same email
• No visibility on who was handling what
• Customers receiving duplicate responses
• Difficulty working remotely during COVID-19

The journey: From Microsoft to Front... and the growing pains

Canex Global's email evolution followed a common path for growing businesses. They moved from distribution lists to Microsoft's shared inbox feature, which brought its own headaches.

"If someone deleted an email, it disappeared for everyone," Jennifer recalls. "There was no tracking to see who did what, and it was chaos when working remotely."

On the recommendation of their IT partner and another logistics company, they eventually adopted Front. Initially, it seemed like the perfect solution.

But over time, Front's limitations became apparent:

• Pricing that Jennifer describes as "astronomical"
• Limited AI capabilities compared to widely available tools
• A shift toward call center functionality that didn't align with their business
• Customer support that was "awful" with slow response times
• Restrictive policies on feature access and onboarding for existing customers

Finding Missive: The right balance of functionality, support, and price

When Canex Global decided to explore alternatives to Front, they tasked their IT partner, Zoro, with finding a solution that would maintain their workflow without breaking the bank.

Zoro identified Missive as a strong contender, noting its Canadian origin, similar functionality to Front, and significantly better pricing. The transition proved remarkably smooth.

"Going from Front to Missive, we hardly skipped a beat," Jennifer says. "It was really easy to transfer, which is good for you guys because just the price alone and the support being Canadian is all winner-winner."

How Canex Global uses Missive

Canex Global operates multiple departments with different tempos of business:

1. ‍Ship team (regular freight) - operates 8:30 to 5:00‍
2. On demand team (expedite services) - operates 24 hours, high-velocity‍
3. Accounting team - handles customer and carrier payments

Their workflow relies heavily on Missive's features:

• Team inboxes for each department with appropriate SLAs (10-minute response for on-demand, 30 minutes for regular freight)
• Tasks created by rules when labels are applied to track shipment status
• Rules to manage carrier availability emails that don't need immediate response

The results: Better collaboration, less confusion, greater transparency

Switching to Missive has solved several key problems for Canex Global:

• ‍Cost efficiency: Significant savings compared to Front's enterprise pricing‍
• Better support: Quick responses when issues arise‍
• Improved workflow: Easier rules system for managing different team needs‍
• Team visibility: Clear tracking of who's handling what‍
• Flexible task management: Ability to reply to emails without taking ownership

The bottom line

For growing logistics providers like Canex Global, managing team email effectively is the difference between chaos and smooth operation. While Front initially solved their problems, its evolving business model and pricing eventually pushed them to find an alternative.

Missive offered a seamless transition with comparable functionality at a better price point, plus the added benefit of responsive support. For a business that lives and dies by email communication, having the right tool makes all the difference.