Delving into the role of logistics routing software in enhanced efficiency and productivity for delivery businesses, addressing the challenges of route planning, real-time tracking, and customer communication.
Due to the convenience and seamlessness introduced by globalization and digitization, the modern retail landscape has seen an undeniable shift towards door-to-door delivery in recent years. The giants of eCommerce like Amazon have increased their global net revenue by more than 35% in the last year as a result of Covid-19. The current sales don’t appear to be slowing down and businesses are employing the use of logistics routing software to help customers get their orders.
The increased demand for deliveries of commonplace items such as groceries has prompted logistics and ecommerce companies to expand their operations. As a result, new players have entered the market. Because of all these disruptions, logistics and supply chain businesses are constantly on high alert for changes. Logistics routing software is the only thing that helps and boosts these deliveries.
In this article, we’ll look at logistics businesses, the benefits of using logistics routing software, and a few pointers to help you pick the best routing software for your needs.
The term “logistics” is synonymous with the military. The logistics function in times of war meant supplying arms and equipment to the troops. Following World War II, many businesses in the United States realized the value of logistics. Beginning in 1960, they began to use logistics services to their advantage. The service is now regarded and used as a scientific subject around the world, with a market value of over $7000 billion.
The process of planning, implementing, and controlling the movement and storage of goods, services, data, or documents within a supply chain between the point of origin and the final destination is handled by a logistics company.
Logistics is now present in a variety of industries, including grocery and food delivery, courier delivery, e-Commerce, pharmacy, furniture and homeware, and so on.
This method of coordinating supplies and materials can now be applied to any small object or service that needs to be moved from one location to another. Logistics refers to the movement and storage of goods and services from point of origin to point of consumption.
These are just a few of the major advantages that a routing software solution can provide to logistics companies:
Businesses in the logistics industry do not have to worry about taking on more orders with their current resources. They have no trouble balancing deliveries between their drivers. A good route planner like EasyRoutes will be able to distribute multiple stops among your drivers. Dispatchers can create multiple routes with multiple stops with a single click of a button. With the same resources, you’ll be able to serve more customers each day.
Manual planning can take several hours. It saves time and money by utilizing a valuable workforce. However, with software like EasyRoutes, you can make route planning easier and more efficient. Not only will this save you time, but it will also speed up the reporting process, improve communication, and deliver quick results.
Businesses can keep track of deliveries and drivers using real-time GPS tracking. You will be able to identify any delays that may affect your drivers’ route plans as a result of this. Real-time driver tracking can also help with issues like drivers taking unscheduled breaks. The driver tracks can be set up on a web dashboard or integrated with other web tools with ease.
Many local businesses have to deal with late deliveries on a daily basis. Weather, detours, road maintenance, and other factors could cause delays. For delivery drivers to make on-time deliveries, they must be able to avoid these delays. Dynamic routing software can provide useful information, such as traffic alerts and other critical information. It allows for the flexibility of rerouting deliveries as needed. Not only will this reduce delays, but it will also save money on fuel, improve delivery efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction.
A good routing system can provide communication tools that make the dispatch team’s, drivers’, and clients’ connections easier and better. These tools can provide real-time ETAs, customer notifications, schedule and plan updates in real time, proof of delivery, and so on. Many problems that take up a lot of time and space can be avoided with better communication.
Logistics routing software provides on-demand routing capabilities as well as the necessary information and delivery data in the form of reporting and analytics, allowing businesses to make better business decisions. It can assist the management team in analyzing the efficiency of all aspects of the delivery process. Companies have something to fall back on with this data.
Customer satisfaction is just as important as any other aspect of a company’s operations. It’s a limit that needs to be pushed all the time. You’ll be able to improve planning, scheduling, fleet management, and overall delivery operations by focusing on customer satisfaction. Routing technology can help with all of this. You make service for your customers easier with features like real-time ETAs, delivery notifications, and proof of delivery.
Here are some features to think about before using logistics routing software.
Good logistics routing software like EasyRoutes on Shopify is integrated directly with your orders. So as soon as you install the EasyRoutes local delivery routes planner app, you will see your orders immediately, ready for routing. Also, any updates made to your orders in EasyRoutes, such as marking orders as delivered, also updates the order in Shopify’s backend instantly. Other route planners require you do to do complicated exports and imports of your order data to be able to create routes.
A business can easily accommodate more delivery orders per day by using a logistics routing software solution that allows you to create multiple routes for multiple drivers. Smaller businesses with fewer drivers will eventually require more drivers and will need to find ways to accommodate them in the route schedule. A business will need to keep up with the increasing demand due to region settings and dynamic changes. EasyRoutes can help a company create multiple routes with multiple stops for multiple drivers. Just select the orders you want to route, say how many routes you want, and EasyRoutes does the rest!
You can not only add multiple stops to a route but also optimize it in a matter of seconds using a sophisticated route planner. The logistics routing software is designed to take into account a variety of factors that can affect a route. The routing software can create the most well-optimized routes by taking those specific variables into account. For the entire dispatch and driver team, this reduces complexity. Route optimization software also allows for automatic route updates.
To manage delivery drivers and create proper scheduling, fleet managers can use real-time constraints such as real-time traffic consideration, order-vehicle constraints, and rider preference consideration.
For delivery drivers, receiving incorrect or outdated directions for a specific delivery can be aggravating. It also includes the cost of fuel and the time spent on a particular task. Whether using Google Maps, Apple Maps, Waze, or even paper maps, a delivery company must choose a logistics routing software that provides the most up-to-date maps. EasyRoutes integrates with all three of the aformentioned solutions.
For the multi-stop routes it creates, route optimization software must be able to generate reports and analytics. The reports provide valuable information to management about the deliveries that were made, the time it took to make those deliveries, and a comparison of actual vs. optimized routes. Fleet managers can receive data from which they can calculate the performance of their drivers and vehicles. Analytics and reports can aid fleet management, delivery planning, and decision-making during the delivery route planning process.
Any product or service you buy should come with excellent customer service. As a business, you are responsible for providing excellent customer service to your customers, and you would expect the same from the solutions you select. EasyRoutes strives to provide the best customer service possible in order to resolve any issues that may arise.
You can use EasyRoutes to plan out your daily delivery routes, whether it’s a single route with a single destination or multiple routes with multiple stops. EasyRoutes is a cloud-based logistics routing software app for Shopify that allows you to create delivery routes in minutes. You can also try Route4Me, Onfleet, and Optimoroute, which are all delivery route planning software.
UPS schedules and dispatches its deliveries using ORION (On-Road Integration Optimization and Navigation), an integrated logistics routing software. Advanced algorithms power the routing and fleet management software, which generates some of the most efficient multi-stop routes.
To use route planning software, a company does not need a large fleet. Smaller logistics companies that want to improve route efficiency and customer service can use route planning and optimization software. Companies in a variety of industries that deliver packages to customers can use route optimization software.
However, before you choose route planning software (route optimization software), make sure you go over the list of important features to look for. The purpose of this article was to provide users with simple ways to plan routes. You can contact us if you have any questions about route planning or route optimization.
Roundtrip's mission is to equip every business with the software tools they need to deliver products to their customers in a delightful way. Thousands of Shopify merchants worldwide choose EasyRoutes to power their local deliveries across dozens of product categories, from meal kits and groceries to coffee, cupcakes, kibble, and so much more. Our easy-to-use route planning and delivery optimization app is certified Built for Shopify, a two-time Shopify staff pick, and the top rated local delivery app on the Shopify App Store.
