Last-mile delivery software provides many benefits for businesses that choose to use it as it assists them in improving operations and it takes the load off of them. Selecting last-mile delivery software that the company can use can be challenging as many options are available. This article will assist you by offering a guide you can use when looking for last-mile delivery software.
Last-mile delivery benefits
1. Flexible delivery
Last-mile delivery software allows consumers to reschedule their delivery dates and the time for delivery quickly. The software assists businesses in providing customisable and flexible delivery to their customer. This allows the customers to control delivery preferences, ensuring that the company receives positive feedback and increases customer loyalty.
2. Improved productivity
Businesses who use last-mile delivery software will see an improvement in productivity as the software can reduce delivery failures, unnecessary vehicle idling, route delays, unplanned route diversions, and unexpected stoppages.
3. Route optimisation
Last-mile delivery software assists companies with ensuring that customers receive their packages in the fastest time possible. When companies use the software, it will optimise real-time delivery routes for drivers as it factors real-world constraints, such as delivery windows, traffic, delivery priority, driver skillset, breaks and vehicle capacity. By using route planning, the software ensures that you increase the number of deliveries while also saving fuel.
4. Improves visibility
Last-mile visibility is an essential differentiating factor for the success or failure of your delivery operations. Last-mile delivery software assists businesses in gaining real-time visibility into their fleet operations. You will also receive alerts when the vehicle idles beyond a planned limit or when the driver diverts from the scheduled routes. The software also ensures that you reduce spoilage, vehicle downtimes, and theft.
How to choose the right last-mile delivery software
1. Quick and easy delivery address upload
The key to having an efficient delivery process occurs before drivers choose their delivery route. Having to input delivery addresses from ecommerce software manually is time-consuming. Still, it could also lead to mistakes, as it is possible to send drivers to the wrong location. These mistakes potentially lead to more re-deliveries, higher delivery costs and wasted dispatcher and driver time. Therefore, when choosing last-mile delivery software, ensure that it uploads addresses directly from the sales software and calculates the most efficient delivery route that drivers can use. By choosing last-mile delivery software that automatically uploads delivery addresses, you will eliminate the time drivers usually spend inputting the address themselves.
2. Route optimisation
Manual route planning requires in-depth knowledge of the delivery areas that must be covered for deliveries and using various detailed maps, which can all be exhausting. Once you have determined what you think is the best route, there is no guarantee that it will be faster than the other available routes. Last-mile delivery software should take the headache out of having to calculate the most efficient delivery route as it contains an algorithm that calculates the fastest route possible that drivers can use for deliveries. The software will save time for dispatchers when optimising delivery routes for drivers, allowing drivers to make more deliveries in a shorter period.
3. Real-time changes to deliveries and routes
Some interruptions might occur on the road while drivers are making deliveries, and it is vital to make changes to delivery routes in real-time. There might be instances when a customer requires their delivery sooner or adds a new address without notice. Therefore, your last-mile delivery software must allow useful route optimisation to make these changes. This won’t force you to start route calculation from the beginning. The software should allow for real-time route changes when there are changes in traffic conditions and automatically recalculate the best route and alternative driving instructions that drivers should follow.
4. Automated customer notifications
Customers require transparency throughout the delivery process, and you must provide them with routine communications, such as delivery status updates. However, if you are sending out emails and messages individually, it can become time-consuming. To send automatic notifications you must ensure that you have last-mile delivery software. It takes over this process for you and keeps customers informed at each stage of the delivery process. When customers receive regular updates through messages and emails, it will reassure them that their delivery is on the way. Automated customer notifications also free up dispatchers and drivers from dealing with calls from customers and providing them with updates over the phone.
5. Delivery and driver tracking
Having real-time visibility of drivers’ locations and tracking deliveries is crucial. It lets you know where exactly drivers are located at all times without having to call them, which essentially slows them down. When choosing last-mile delivery software, ensure that it allows dispatchers to track the entire delivery team in real-time while highlighting their progress on a route map. Having access to this data in real-time makes it easier to offer information to customers regarding the progress along the delivery routes. It also gives accurate ETA for their delivery if they ask for it.