You need to consider many factors when planning a delivery route: driver schedules, traffic, and roadblocks. An efficient logistics system takes all these variables into account to build an optimal route, saving fuel and time. On-the-fly route decisions often lead to inefficiency and frustration, so it’s best to map out your routes before delivery day.
Customers like to check where their orders are and how long it will take to receive them. A last mile delivery system should include features like live tracking for your customers to see where their orders are in real-time.
It’s also important for customers to be able to communicate with a driver or the last mile logistics company. For example, customers can leave messages like “Don’t ring the doorbell” when ordering or provide feedback to the driver through automated text messaging. Features like these increase customer satisfaction, help customers feel like their concerns are heard and add a human touch to the delivery system.
All too often, businesses are plagued with problems of missing orders or phantom deliveries. Last mile delivery is often a black hole – it is difficult to track what exactly happened if a customer does not receive an order when the delivery partner claims to have delivered it. It’s important for companies to keep verifiable records like ‘proof of delivery,’ which requires a driver to get a signature and scan a barcode before leaving the delivery location. Using an efficient last mile logistics company can bring transparency to your delivery system by helping you track and store these records, resulting in a smooth experience for both customers and delivery partners.
With customers expecting timely deliveries and same-day service, you need to minimise delays and have a contingency plan for any problematic situation that arises. By streamlining communication within the last mile logistics team, drivers can inform dispatch operators of any unforeseen delays so that customers can be informed as soon as possible.
For modern businesses, using the same old delivery tracking and feedback mechanisms isn’t good enough. While these systems do end up generating valuable data about the delivery process, it is usually incredibly coarse and needs to be thoroughly analysed in order to produce any actionable insight.
Modern, AI driven last mile systems employ intelligent algorithms to automate the process. These systems closely monitor deliveries to collect data and use it to create optimum routes and fleet sizes to meet customer demand. They are also capable of predicting customer demands during different times of the day/year and reallocating delivery fleets accordingly.
