Running a successful delivery business should be synonymous with excellence. That requires the use of tools to conduct a wide range of business processes, including scheduling deliveries, dispatching, tracking field employees, and providing ETAs to customers.
Since there is a wide range of software for field service businesses available, you should first ascertain your budget and then identify what your business needs. The discussion of these five must-have tools may offer assistance in determining your needs.
1. eSignature App
Consider the following scenario.
Your field service rep visits 40 customers and gets each customer’s signature on a paper slip. While returning, he misplaces a receipt. That very same customer files a complaint about unsatisfactory or delayed delivery. How would you resolve the issue?
Instead of using manually capturing proof of delivery, you should use an eSignature tool. It is a mobile-enabled signature capturing system that helps your field reps collect customer signatures on their smartphones. The eSignature software also ensures that you don’t need to store physical paper receipts and your reps can capture the location, time, and date of each customer signature. This will help you avoid disputes if a customer complains about delivery-related issues.
2. Warehouse Management Software
Inaccurate inventory predictions, a lack of information about inventory locations, and redundant processes are some of the warehouse management issues that every delivery service business deals with. Using a warehouse management tool can eliminate these issues!
Such a tool can assist with stock, tracking, procurement, and labeling. It can also help with picking, packing, and shipping parcels. Most importantly, the tool will allow you to capture, validate, and record every activity in your warehouse. So, they streamline every step of the delivery process which reduces logistics management costs. Ultimately, a warehouse management system is key to resolving all daily warehouse operation issues.
3. Demand Forecasting Software
A demand forecasting tool will help you run a lean inventory operation by taking into account past trends to generate a spot-on prediction of future demands. These advanced tools generate demand forecasts pretty quickly so that you have plenty of time to adjust your delivery strategy, before encountering problems.
So, they help you prevent shortages of stock when the demand is high and overstocking when the demand is low. By using an advanced demand forecasting software, you will have a more precise demand prediction, higher customer satisfaction, lower logistics cost, and minimum risk.
4. Delivery Route Planner App
Many delivery businesses still mistakenly plan routes manually. This is a waste of productive hours and the routes are neither 100% accurate nor fuel-efficient. This is why mid- to large-sized field service businesses rely on a delivery route planner app to create 100% optimized routes within minutes.
Such software considers factors like customer preferences, traffic, road conditions, weather forecasts, sunrise and sunset times, avoidance zones, load, height, and weight before creating optimized routes that are faster and shorter. Dynamic routing technology even allows users to change routes at the last minute, automatically reflecting the change on the drivers’ smartphones in real-time.
5. Vehicle Tracking Software
To reap all the benefits of optimizing your routes, you must track your field employees. You need to monitor their on-road activities to ensure that they are following the assigned route, not taking prolonged lunch breaks, making personal stops, napping or running personal errands during work hours. Such activities could lead to delayed deliveries and low productivity. Also, if you track your field reps, you will be in a better position to provide accurate and real-time estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) to your customers about their package deliveries.
Conclusion
Consider how these tools could empower your delivery service business in today’s digital age. If you are serious about growing your business, it’s time to invest in one or all of these tools. Careful consideration of your business needs will help you find the right tools to support your growth plans.
Have you used any of the tools mentioned above for your delivery business? Do you have any tools to recommend? Do you’ve any questions? Please feel free to leave your comments below, we would love hearing from you.