The Benefits Of A Delivery Management System
The world that we live in at the moment demands rapid service. We don’t want to wait – our personal and our work lives are too busy to hang about.
We know that by managing customer expectations and meeting them, we retain customers and encourage loyalty from them, but it can be difficult when we are inundated with orders to get them out quickly and efficiently.
One of the ways that small to medium businesses can deal with this is by using effective delivery management software. Here, we look at how your business can benefit from using a delivery management.
It allows you to automate your workflow and streamline your business processes
Even now, there are still businesses out there that use spreadsheets to keep track of their orders and deliveries. This leaves a huge scope for errors when inputting data and also involves someone sitting and manually putting in and processing the information.
With a delivery management system, you are able to cut out multiple steps and automate the workflow. You can integrate it with other software and streamline your business operations, which removes the scope for human error.
It allows efficient management of orders
Management of orders will be vastly improved with end to end visibility being shown. Delivery drivers can use the interface to plan and schedule their deliveries and collections and assign responsibilities.
As the owner, you can look at all of the orders in one place without having to look through hundreds of spreadsheet entries, again minimising the chance of missing something. If there are any delays, you are notified, giving you a chance to rectify the situation and when an order is fulfilled, you are instantly updated.
It enhances communication with customers
Communication becomes easy and your customers can be kept in the loop throughout the whole order and delivery process. It is professional and what is expected by customers these days. The system will be updated when it hits the warehouse and send out an email to your customers informing them as to when they can expect their order to be delivered.
It allows you to track your drivers in real time
Knowing where your drivers all are is a challenge, but it is something that can give you plenty of valuable data. You can assess the time it takes to get to places and the distance travelled. It also reduces the need for drivers to self-report mileage and fuel costs, which prevents misuse or mistakes from being made. Again, it also can send your customers valuable information to the exact time that they will receive their order, allowing them to be present to receive it or make alternative arrangements. Team up your VisitUs subscription with Locate2u to unlock GPS tracking that provides a live view of your deliveries.
It enables you to plan routes more efficiently
Most companies depend on their drivers to work out the route of their deliveries. Generally, they would cover all the drops in a specific location and move to the next zone.
However, this system is really ineffective and leaves room for errors and delays. Your delivery management is powered by the algorithms that provide the best route based on, traffic conditions, driver availability, and location proximity. The route is displayed on a GPS map both to the driver and to the admin in charge of the DMS dashboard. Route optimization allows drivers to make more deliveries in less time while also achieving business goals.
It gives you valuable insight
The main way that a business can improve itself is through the use of data. Tracking performance is essential to identify areas of concern. As another stand out feature, access to all data relating to your orders, customers and drivers is outlayed in a really easy to understand way.
This then gives you the chance to identify trends and patterns in your delivery processes and allows you to build insights and make informed decisions. Using insights and analytics will help you to work out seasonal peaks, peak hours and make predictions around delivery needs as you move forward.
It saves you time and money
All of the above benefits assist you in saving time and completing deliveries more quickly. You don’t have to rely on manual entries when you automate tasks, which saves the price of labour for that responsibility. Not only does it save money for your manufacturing business, a visitor management system also improves time efficiencies and makes the office an overall safer environment. The chances for human error and delay are also removed by the system. You will increase your clients and sales by making quicker deliveries, thus increasing your profit margins.