AlphaGraphics, a printing and design company, has daily orders they need to deliver to their local customers. They saw tremendous growth in their business and were no longer able to use their method of internal staffers doing the deliveries. Created with social responsibility in mind, the brand is known for its apparel and its support of local nonprofits.
What started as a side project for Founder and CEO Geoff Miles soon developed into a thriving business. But as the demand for his products increased, Miles quickly noticed an issue in his supply chain. Whether he was delivering locally or shipping outside of the Midwest, the costs of using a traditional courier service were the same — not to mention expensive.
Since the majority of his retail and wholesale partnerships were local, Miles could often deliver the orders that came in himself. While this approach kept his overhead low, Miles knew that this would not be sustainable as his customer base grew. He needed a more efficient and cost-effective way to fulfill local deliveries.
Tired of expensive shipping fees and losing valuable stretches of time in his workday, Miles found himself searching online for a local delivery service. This was how he came across Dispatch.
"I was looking for a way to get my shipments delivered to my customers without having to use a traditional courier like UPS locally. In comparing your service rates to UPS, I realized that Dispatch could offer a more economical solution to my delivery situation. Then when you rolled out your new Multi-Stop, the whole process got even easier."
Because the new Multi-Stop allowed for multiple drop-offs within one order, it meant that Miles no longer had to coordinate with different drivers for separate deliveries. This decreased load times, reduced distance traveled, and added efficiency — saving him time and money.
After completing his first multiple-stop order, Miles estimates he saved anywhere from 10–15%. But for him, the benefit of this service expansion went beyond cutting costs. Given that his distribution schedule was subject to change depending on his suppliers and the inventory needs of his wholesalers, what he valued most was its flexibility.
"If I place an order for one of my customers and half of it arrives early while the other half is late, I don't have to delay the entire order to minimize my expenses. Even if it's just one box, I can tack it on to the route of one of my other deliveries with Multi-Stop, and I'd still be saving."
Although he still had to utilize traditional couriers for out-of-state orders, he now relies on Dispatch for local deliveries. Miles could see that with its easy-to-use platform and network of independent contract drivers — Dispatch was both convenient and reliable.
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