The “final mile” – when goods are moved from the last distribution hub to the customer’s location – is responsible for the bulk of delivery costs.
Why is the final mile so expensive? Well, there’s a lot that can go wrong at this stage of the delivery process. Maybe the customer accidentally gives you the wrong information about their location and availability. Or, maybe they give you the right information, but you enter it into your system incorrectly.
Even if all the information you’re working with is correct, things like traffic, construction, and weather can get in the way. The longer deliveries take, the more you’ll pay in fuel expenses and employee wages to get the job done.
When you have Route4Me route planner, you can minimize these costs of last-mile delivery and preserve your profits as much as possible.
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Manual Route Planning Is The Root Of Last Mile Delivery Problems
Do you still plan your routes with pen and paper?
If so, you should stop. Route planning is so confusing and time-consuming that you’ll probably make a mistake or two along the way, and all it takes is one mistake to delay your drivers and upset your customers.
Using a delivery route planner eliminates these last mile delivery problems. It provides your drivers with more efficient and accurate routes. They’ll have everything they need to show up on time consistently.
Make sure the route planner you invest in has geofencing technology.
Geofencing involves drawing borders over a real-world map. You can customize these borders so that certain actions are triggered when one of your drivers crosses through them.
For example, you can set up geofences so that a text message is automatically sent to the customer when your driver is about to arrive. They’ll appreciate the notice!
Balance Your Loads
Your route planner app should also have a load optimization feature.
An overloaded vehicle uses much more fuel than a properly loaded vehicle. You also need to consider the order in which items are loaded into the vehicle. The items that are to be delivered first should be loaded last. Otherwise, when your driver arrives at their first stop, they’ll need to unpack half their load just to complete the delivery and move on to their next stop. That’s extremely inefficient.
By balancing your loads in the best way possible, you’ll save money on gas and make your drivers more productive.
Keep An Eye On Your Fleet
Speeding eats up gas as well, and it puts your drivers at greater risk of getting into an accident.
How will you know if your drivers are speeding when they’re on the road and out of sight?
GPS tracking is how.
How does GPS tracking work?
GPS tracking helps you visualize your drivers’ activities on a map in real time so that you can immediately know if a field rep or driver makes an unauthorized stop or takes longer than planned at a specific destination.
Vehicle tracking will show you how fast your drivers are going in real-time. Whenever a driver starts speeding, you’ll know about it immediately. You can get them on the phone and tell them to cut it out right away. And when your drivers know they’re being watched, they’re less likely to drive recklessly in the first place.
Catch Mistakes Before They Slow You Down
All it takes is one data entry error – such as typing in “1434 Meridian St” when you meant to type “1344 Meridian St” – to mess up an entire route.
The best route optimizers will help you stop this from happening. They’ll review your addresses and flag anything that looks incorrect. Then, you’ll have a chance to change these flagged addresses (or confirm that they’re correct, if that’s the case) before your route is made.
Also, look for delivery software that offers a dedicated eCommerce plugin. This feature allows you to transfer customer data directly from your eCommerce platform (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) to your multi-stop route planner, which saves time and further reduces the risk of data entry errors.
Settle Disputes With eSignature Software
Here’s the problem with using pen and paper to collect delivery confirmation signatures – paper slips are easy to lose.
What would you do if a customer claims their order was never delivered, your driver says that they did drop it off, and then it turns out that you’ve lost the confirmation slip?
In that situation, you could either trust your driver and alienate the customer, or trust the customer and alienate your driver. There is no good option.
But when you have eSignature software, customers can sign for deliveries directly on your driver’s smartphone. You’ll never lose a confirmation again. Whenever there’s a dispute, you’ll know exactly what went down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mZLCH-S-So
Do you have any questions about last mile delivery? Have you ever used a road trip planner with multiple stops before? Let us know in the comments section below.
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