Never has online shopping been as popular as today. When the government announced lockdown restrictions between March and May, businesses have to think on their feet. Suddenly, they find themselves transitioning to digital stores and online deliveries. As people take shelter in their homes, more of them find the joys, challenges, and benefits of online shopping. So, why should businesses not adjust to these new demands? This is going to be part of the new norm we’ve heard so much about. It’s time businesses focus on efficient deliveries.
To keep pace with a competitive industry and demanding market, businesses don’t only need to transition to online platforms, but they also have to efficiently deliver the products and services. Consumers are not going to wait around a week for something they ordered today. They want their items delivered in the next couple of days, or you will not hear from them ever again.
So, how can businesses compete with such demands? You start by delivering the right items at the right time in the right way. It’s not easy, but it’s going to keep your business afloat, especially during these trying times.
Create a Delivery System
Are you going to outsource your deliveries to a third-party courier? Are you going to create an in-house delivery system? If you do the latter, you need a fleet management system to monitor your fleet and minimize the risks associated with this kind of investment. The system will improve the efficiency of your delivery system and the productivity of the fleet.
Identifying the Problems
What are the issues associated with deliveries? Most drivers have a hard time finding the addresses. This affects their productivity as they won’t be able to make all their deliveries on time. Scheduling tasks is a time-consuming task, but it’s the most vital factor of a successful delivery system. A business needs to identify the problems that plague its deliveries—slow pickups, problematic addresses, miscommunication, and lack of a proper database of drivers, agents, deliveries, and addresses.
Use GPS Tracking
It is hard to keep track of the drivers’ locations. That job is harder when you do not have a GPS tracking device attached to their trucks or bikes. Should you micromanage your drivers? This is not only for your peace of mind but for your customers, too. Some customers want to know the exact time when a package will be delivered. With GPS tracking, you can provide this information when they do call for a follow-up.
Send Updates to Customers Automatically
There’s nothing like waiting all day for a package to arrive only to realize it won’t. Your market is stressed enough these days, no thanks to the pandemic that continues to hover above them. To address their concerns, one of the many things you can do is to create a system that will send updates to your customers automatically.
If you have seen Domino’s delivery system, create something similar. Let your customers know when the package has been packed and picked up and when it arrives at certain locations. Send the updates automatically either by text or email.
Keep Records of Your Deliveries
One of the best ways to help your agents and drivers deliver the packages is to record every successful delivery. This will allow them to tap this information the next time they have to deliver to the same address. It saves time and makes the process more efficient.
Deliveries may be the end of the sales funnel, but it’s also the beginning of a good relationship with your customers. If you care about establishing a clientele, adjust your business operations according to their demands. Whether it is to deliver their orders in three days or less, you have to make an effort to satisfy these demands.