Fleet Visibility Is a Must—Without it, You're Blind

Providing customers with visibility on their orders seems to be the priority of any online seller. After all, client engagement and satisfaction are of the utmost importance for any business. However, e-commerce customers not only demand to see their orders since they also want to have their packages delivered on time.

Unfortunately, many companies fail to realize that timely delivery is just as important as customer visibility during the delivery process. Equally important is for businesses to ensure timely deliveries. And the best formula in the creation of an efficient delivery process is to have fleet visibility along every step of the supply chain.

How to Improve Fleet Vehicle Tracking

Having complete visibility on your supply chain process entails investing in technology, particularly best-in-class vehicle fleet management software and hardware. Businesses eager to create efficient processes in each step of the supply and delivery chain must automate and centralize their data.

Visibility is not limited to the fleet movements as goods can be marked with a barcode, scanned and listed before they are loaded onto the trucks and service units. The information is stored in the database, thus allowing fleet managers to know which driver and vehicle have a particular order. While on the road, the software allows for the fleet dispatch team to track the vehicles and their drivers in real-time.

Why Is Fleet Visibility Important?

Indeed, there are many benefits to having complete visibility on the goods and the movements of drivers delivering the packages. But how do these affect a company's performance and revenues?

Reduction of Late Deliveries

Having an eye on delivery vehicles means getting their orders to the clients in a timely fashion, thanks to the communication between the drivers and the fleet managers. Drivers can get alerts from the warehouse team anytime during their shift.

For example, a driver who is taking an unusually long break can be called out by the dispatch team. Likewise, a driver who has trouble with the routes can call in for help so the warehouse team can help him get back on track, and turn a bad day into a win.

Open, easy, and quick communication between the fleet management team in the warehouse and the drivers on the road allows the team to make the necessary adjustments in real-time as well as learn from past errors for a more efficient delivery service long term.

Measuring Distance Traveled By Drivers

In many cases, drivers' compensation is based on the distance they have driven, or much like the honor system where drivers provide the amount they have driven and are compensated accordingly.

However, errors do happen, and unfortunately, not all personnel are honest. Thus, let technology take over and do the proper accounting of the miles traveled per driver.

Optimizing Routes

With the centralized database, fleet managers can plan their drivers' routes more efficiently. Consider establishments like restaurant delivery services, couriers, or restaurant chains, requiring a single driver picking up deliveries from various locations. With technology, managers can plan which driver will pick-up and deliver in a particular area rather than have drivers run all over town.

Avoiding Upset Customers

Consumers now want information with just a few clicks. In the world of quick deliveries, this means giving customers access to information and communication immediately. They want to track their merchandise and communicate directly with the drivers on the day of delivery.

An app that lets customers track the movement of their orders and message the drivers directly increases customer satisfaction. Clients can communicate with the driver for additional instructions or set a time for delivery, reducing failed deliveries while making patrons satisfied.

Managing fleets is no easy task. But thankfully, last mile logistics software solutions are there to help companies create efficient and cost-effective processes that keep lowering operating costs and raising customer satisfaction.