(STL.News) In today’s day and age, businesses can’t survive without some sort of delivery service on their budget. The COVID-19 crisis showed that regular delivery channels can be unreliable, especially when the demand increases almost overnight.
As such, small businesses everywhere start adding in-house delivery services to their offer. However, this also means more work for managers as they have to plan the routes and make sure products reach destinations in time.
Luckily, there’s also the option of implementing routing software, which can bring a wide range of benefits to any company, like the ones we listed below.
Easy to Use for Everyone
In 2020, many small businesses were forced to add an in-house delivery service in the wake of Covid-19 to their offer. While this was the right move to make, not everyone can be a delivery driver. Furthermore, right now there is a shortage of professional drivers in the US as more companies need to extend their delivery services.
So, in order to keep up with the delivery requests and keep customers satisfied, you will need help planning the routes and monitoring progress. This is where a routing software earns all its money back!
While there are many products out there, all of them do basically the same thing which is to plan the most efficient delivery route using the addresses you input. Now, depending on your business size and needs, you can also have access to drivers’ daily schedule (to check availability), driving skills (to know which vehicle to assign), and more.
In the end, routing software is so easy to use that even inexperienced businesses can implement and use it!
It Saves Time & Money
Small business owners and managers wear a lot of hats, but they are not route planners! And, do you really want to spend several hours, at the end of the workday, planning the next day’s route?
In addition, there are a lot of factors to consider when making such a plan, which means hours of analysis and decisions. Luckily, a piece of software can automatically calculate all the risks in a few minutes. For instance, there are products that calculate the route considering traffic jams, idle time, loading & unloading, and the driver’s level of experience (among others).
As a result, each vehicle will be able to service more customers, consume less fuel, and avoid overtime (for the drivers). In short, you will save time and money by investing in the right piece of software for your company.
Get More Customers
According to Oracle Retail’s’ 2019 consumer study, 13% of buyers expect their delivery to be fast and on time. Any delays put a dent on your reputation as a company, and you risk losing customers over this aspect.
So, if you do decide to include delivery in your services, you better do it right!
On the other hand, happy customers will stay loyal and they may even bring new shoppers along. Also, if your business has a good reputation, word of mouth will start going online, which again, can be a sales boost.
Wrap Up
In conclusion, an easy to use piece of software that can save time and money while bringing more customers is a fantastic option for any business. Still, the secret to this success recipe is in selecting the right software for your specific needs, so make sure to do the research before making any purchase.