With the advent of the global crisis and the Covid-19 situation, a lot of businesses and industries came to a standstill; the logistics industry being just another part of the big ball game. Last-mile delivery services, due to the abnormalities and interruptions in the entire working dynamic of industries, also experienced a major setback.
However, just as the world moved on, even while the virus has not been swept off or even found a solution for, last-mile deliveries and other operations need to restart too. The only way out of this situation for last-mile delivery solutions like ours is to refocus, re-strategize, and to adapt to the #new normal in order to enhance the ensure profitable operations. Having said that, last-mile delivery software, like our at FarEye, can surely help you tackle this.
Covid 19 and Last-Mile Delivery: Why does last-mile delivery need to be re-thought and re-invented?
COVID-19 and its subsequent impacts worldwide have led us to adapt to a lot of unimaginable changes. While social distancing, isolation, constant coverage of our faces with masks, and multiple other restrictions of sorts seem a big inconvenience; there are other bigger inconveniences people are suffering worldwide. The COVID-19 crisis has led to the shutting down of multiple businesses and institutions, rendering a lot many of us jobless. However, one thing that still has not changed is the demand for consumer commodities.
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Talking about the deliveries of essential consumer commodities, a big problem that has been experienced off late is the crippling doubt of consumers regarding the safety of the deliveries. Especially in cases of perishable goods or food deliveries, consumers have been more and more worried if they might catch COVID with the deliveries of the food items. The healthcare industry has also seen a huge flip with online consultations and the subsequent demand for healthcare drug deliveries.
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Since the consumer demand needs to be fulfilled as they are essential to the very ‘living’ of the beings, the whole re-invention concept of last-mile delivery carriers comes into the picture. It is essential to make sure that the deliveries take place like they always have, however, with all the necessary safety measures in place. This further brings up the need for last-mile delivery carriers to become more responsible with their operations and hence, the overhauling of the structure.
How have organizations ensured optimal last-mile deliveries even in the pandemic?
Some solutions that were looked at in order to ensure optimal operations of last-mile deliveries even while we deal with this whole chaos are as follows-
- Collaborations and Partnerships
The power of “Us” over the power of “I” is a massive takeaway from this entire situation; and more than at an individual level, organizations have come to well understand this. COVID 19 was a situation where no one really knew what to expect or had a solution. There was no previous data that could be referred to. So, in order to ensure effective and safe deliveries, multiple organizations in India like Uber, Big Basket, Dunzo, and other FMCG organizations partnered with smaller players to optimize the last-mile delivery ecosystem. Everybody, small or big, was cross-learning from one another to find an ultimate solution to the problem.The partnering and coming together of such organizations should not be looked at as a means to make individual profits. It actually is an essential step that was taken and should be continued by all businesses at their individual levels for the greater good of all. By combining the power of two, such partnerships not only help organizations and businesses to flourish individually but also help make sure that safe, timely, and quality last-mile deliveries are carried out.
- Incorporation of technology
Even before the whole COVID situation, companies had already started incorporating technology in their operations but the use of such apps and technology was not actualized as much before. Delivery apps and online payment platforms are one of the most essential forms of technology in question. For example, technology for making online payments was in place for quite some time even before COVID. However, it was only with this pandemic and the norms of social distancing, contactless deliveries that people, on mass, adapted to making online payments – much more than pre-COVID.Applications enhance the operations because they cut down the requirement of human labor, helping ensure deliveries even through difficult times when labor is not vastly available. COVID-19 has only gone an extra step to prove that investing in apps and technology is a pragmatic approach that can help yield some major long-term benefits.Technology helps companies run a business that boasts of speed, quality, assurance, and overall efficiency. Organizations are already in talks about initiating drone deliveries as a part of the future last-mile delivery systems. Even on a smaller scale, you would have noticed your local grocery stores sending out fliers that can let you order from them on Whatsapp.
Technology is going to disrupt the future of last-mile deliveries; and technological logistic solutions like FarEye only help you go a step ahead of your competitors.
How can FarEye help optimize last-mile solutions in the middle of this pandemic?
Having said it all, let us first face the harsh truth: Last-Mile delivery was anyway a majorly complicated procedure; and the pandemic just came around as an unsolicited, sour cherry on the cake.
Contactless deliveries, scaling delivery operations, social distancing norms, alterations in customer behavior were some of the major challenges faced as an offset of the pandemic. While the ultimate solution to the pandemic would surely still take some time to come around, a solution to the deliveries, since there has been hardly a change in demand, is the immediate requirement. This is also because even when the pandemic is over, the consumer behavior is unlikely to change and get back to the pre-COVID habits as quickly as you’d want it to.
Last-Mile carriers can take the help of FarEye as their technology-oriented solution partner to explore last-mile delivery capabilities for undisrupted services to the clients.
Optimization and Automation of Limited Resources Due To The Pandemic
With our solutions, you can make the most of your business even if you happen to face a shortage of staff or manpower as a last-mile delivery carrier. By leveraging our various technology-oriented solutions, you can flourish by optimization and automation of whatever resources you have at your end. The said optimization also helps you and your drivers enhance the whole contactless delivery requirements across regions. FarEye last-mile delivery technological solutions help you-
- Preserve your resources by route mapping and planning
- Balance the delivery load across drivers and networks through technology
- Ensure safe delivery options and client experience
- Communicate with your customers and keep them updated through real-time delivery updates and notifications
- Receive contactless confirmation/acknowledgments of deliveries through technology
- Reduce cases of delayed and lost packages
And hence, overall, we help ensure that you, as an organization, have full control of your operations and that your services are efficient even in tough times. Let not COVID-19 be a reason why your customers lose trust in you or they have to compromise on the quality delivery solutions you have always otherwise offered to them!
FAQs- The Global Pandemic, Lockdowns, and Last-Mile Delivery: How Can FarEye Help You Make The Most Of This Situation?
- How has COVID-19 affected last-mile delivery?
Apart from the major delaying of processes because the world, as a whole, was trying to understand how to tackle the pandemic, CVOID-19 also forced organizations to ponder on the future of last-mile deliveries. As per a report, the COVID-19 crisis could also prove to be a push for companies to start thinking about automated drone and robot deliveries as the future of last-mile deliveries.
- What is the future of last-mile delivery?
Intelligent, tech-driven solutions are the future of last-mile deliveries. COVID-19 in particular has pushed organizations and logistics companies to re-invent how last-mile delivery works. Drones or robots for efficiently fulfilling the purposes of last-mile deliveries could be a possible probability very soon.