Logistics have become an integral part of everyday life. With advancements in technology, one can order products from different geographical regions and get them delivered to their doorstep. E-commerce has grown significantly over the years, with customer expectations alleviating to an all-time high.
You probably started your business to make profits. Yet, you have to incur costs to run your business. To remain relevant in the market, you have to strategize effectively to meet the customers’ needs while reducing the costs incurred in your daily operations.
You may have accrued losses in shipping and delivering products to your customers. Mainly, last-mile delivery attributes to the highest cost in delivery. The last-mile delivery has to be optimized to ensure you meet your business objectives. Keep on reading this article to learn some of the ways you can reduce these costs.
Optimization of the Delivery Routes and Maps
The cost of delivery is determined by the distance between the warehouse and the delivery point. To cut off these costs, it is essential to optimize mapping and routing. You can use Multi Stop Route Planner to help you plan your routes accordingly by considering factors such as time, distance, traffic, and location.
You can easily type in the delivery address lists, find the most appropriate routes and get multiple delivery directions, which gives you several choices. You can then export these routes to GPS or mobile while receiving live maps of all destinations. This optimization helps in reducing the last-mile delivery costs.
Verification of Deliveries
You can incorporate technologies to get verification that the deliveries have been made. Proof of delivery will give a record of the driver who made the delivery, the customer who received it, and the location in which they were delivered.
This verification process can take a few minutes, making it effective. You can use this information to identify hurdles and ensure the deliveries were made correctly. It also ensures that the delivery process is customized, reducing the costs incurred in last-mile delivery.
Automation of Dispatch
Dispatching and assigning products for delivery may be hectic. A lot of time is spent on this process which affects the overall logistics operations. Automation of this process will allow you and your team members to focus on other demanding activities.
Automation will also reduce errors, ensuring the customers receive the right packages. Cutting labor will result in reduced last-mile delivery costs.Â
Enhance Real-time Product Tracking for Customers.
Technology has enhanced instant communication through messages and calls. While customers trust you to deliver products, they expect constant updates on what is happening in the delivery process. Therefore, you can use this technology to improve customer satisfaction and reduce last-mile delivery costs.
With these technologies, the customers will receive updates on the delivery status from the packing process to when it is shipped. They will also provide details on the estimated date and time of delivery. Your customers will also see the real-time locations of these drivers and contact them where need be.
So how does this reduce last-mile delivery costs? Real-time product tracking will ensure they are lesser failures, such as delivering to someone else’s house. It will also ensure the customer is available to receive the package, reducing the costs of making the trip again.
Conclusion
Logistics have become a crucial part of today’s business operations. Hopefully, this article has provided you with some tips on reducing last-time delivery costs.
