In business, time equals money. And when you own a fleet of vehicles, many operating expenses are tied into those assets. At times, it might be extremely difficult to manage those vehicles and daily delivery logistics.
In business, time equals money. And when you own a fleet of vehicles, many operating expenses are tied into those assets. At times, it might be extremely difficult to manage those vehicles and daily delivery logistics.
Are you in the market for a system to efficiently manage deliveries with your internal fleet? We may have the answer you’ve been looking for.
To start, we know customer satisfaction is at the center of delivery success. PwC discusses delivery outlook in the article Preparing for tomorrow’s consumers today: The future of consumer markets.
“Consumers expect transparency around order status and delivery, and some also want near-instant fulfillment. This experience is fast becoming a key differentiator, one that’s closely tied to perceptions of service and quality.”
With a delivery management solution like Dispatch Connect, you’ll experience full control of your operations, easier planning, faster deliveries, and as a result, happier customers.
Our first blog in this series, Understanding the Impact of Delivery Management Products, Part 1, described what Dispatch Connect offers along with the differences between delivery and fleet management tools. Now, let’s dive into the key benefits that Connect provides.
Key Benefits of Connect
1. Take Your Business Mobile
In today’s digital world, utilizing a mobile application — especially for a small- to medium-sized business — allows you to keep up with industry standards. Customers now expect frequent order communications, including order confirmations, live delivery tracking, and predicted arrival times. With routes coming right to their mobile devices, the app also helps your drivers be the most capable in their role.
2. Keep Everyone in the Loop
Keep all your employees and customers updated. Once you assign and send routes to your drivers, they use their mobile devices to check-in at each stop and complete deliveries. Your customers can see when you placed their order, review delays, and any other necessary updates. Add delivery notes to ensure the package gets to the exact location or intended recipient. You can even name your routes with a purchase order number or other company/branch-specific information to help your team stay organized.
3. Delivery Route Optimization
Not only can you plan out your routes ahead of time and repeat old deliveries, but we also offer several features that make route planning a simple process. The “Optimize My Route” button on the Connect dashboard determines the best route for deliveries assigned to a vehicle. Additionally, the ”Plan My Route” button automatically distributes all unassigned deliveries across your active vehicles in seconds. You’ll save on fuel and driver expenses by having the most cost-effective routes in place.
4. Driver Tracking and ETAs
Connect offers real-time driver location tracking. The mobile app monitors when a driver has moved a significant distance and automatically updates the driver’s location on the dashboard. Real-time Estimated Time of Arrivals (ETAs) gives you visibility into your deliveries, so you know when your driver is expected to arrive at their delivery location or if your driver is behind schedule. Additionally, this provides recipients with visibility into the driver's ETA as well.
You have the option to set up time buffers that determine the precision of ETAs that Connect shows your customers. This enables you to provide transparency to your customers while also giving a driver some leeway if there is traffic, unexpected delays, bad weather, or if they need to take a break.
5. Proof of Delivery
The market leaders in last-mile delivery can offer proof of delivery photos of a package at the door. With Connect, you’re able to provide the same level of service. Drivers can upload photos proving the delivery was made and arrived at its destination. This is an important feature when addressing any missing packages or customer issues.
6. Marketplace Overflow Delivery
With Dispatch Connect, you have the ability to utilize the Dispatch Marketplace to fulfill orders for you when:
Now that you have an understanding of the key benefits of Connect, stay tuned for part three of this blog series!
Ready to dive right in? Get started with Connect by contacting us today.
