Running a delivery service means regularly dealing with a long list of delivery constraints. Usually inherent to logistics work, they turn up at every stage of the delivery process. Vehicle capacity and availability, handling, traffic, accidents, organisation, costs and so on — all of it has a marked impact on how parcels get where they are going. Every constraint has to be managed as efficiently as possible.
*Originally published on Medium.com 27/12/2019
How do you manage the different delivery constraints?
What is the best way to manage constraints when there are so many, and they are so varied?
Some of them conflict with each other, so it is important to rank them. Depending on how the company and its delivery service are run, and on their priorities, one constraint or another will come first.
A company that stresses both profitability and speed of service will have to decide which matters more. To make deliveries as profitable and as fast as possible, you have to optimise your resources — equipment and people — as well as the routing itself. Customer satisfaction has to sit at the heart of the business.
The constraints to master if you want happier customers
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning” (Bill Gates). There is nothing worse than a customer whose delivery does not meet their expectations. Those expectations are endless: deliver the right product, charge the agreed price and, above all, deliver on time and to the right place. Managing dispatch and hand-over times well becomes essential. Other things matter a great deal to customers too.
What does a well-run delivery process actually get right?
- Giving a delivery time slot
Nothing is more frustrating for a customer than being stuck at the office because nobody told them when the driver would come. So give them a time.
2. Being able to reach the driver and the delivery company
For a hold-up, a last-minute change, or simply to know when the driver will arrive, customers appreciate being able to reach the driver if they need to. Communication between the customer and the delivery company matters just as much as communication between the company and its partner drivers.
If a customer has a question or a complaint about a delivery, they contact the delivery company. If nobody answers, the customer becomes frustrated and worried about their goods. They will assume the company has something to hide, and trust suffers. After-sales support therefore plays a key part in that conversation.
3. Telling the customer a delivery is coming or under way
Nobody likes uncertainty. It is always worth confirming to your customers that their order has been received, digitally or otherwise. Communicating with them all the way to their door is very important. Do not communicate only delays, changes of plan and cancellations. Call or email to talk through the situation, or to make a goodwill gesture, rather than lose them.
Conclusion
Meeting every constraint in the delivery process sounds simple in theory and is extremely complex in practice. It is not only about optimising people; the movement of goods has to be optimised too. Fortunately there are solutions that are both effective and practical: delivery optimisation software.
The right tools let you optimise mileage, routes and delivery schedules, and get the most out of your resources, while meeting the customer delivery constraints listed above. With route optimisation software that suits you, your logistics get simpler and your delivery process gets better.
Improve your delivery process and manage your delivery constraints with Shippr!
Questions?
We hope this has told you more about the subject. If you have any questions, do get in touch with the Shippr team at “hello@shippr.be”.
