When Batch Scheduling Doesn’t Cut it for Big and Bulky Delivery

Why Precision Matters in Big and Bulky Delivery 

In the market for furniture and white goods, competition is fierce. The same fridge, sofa, or television is often available from multiple retailers at the same price.  

This makes customer experience the differentiator. Services such as installation and disposal of old items can tip the balance in favour of a sale. 

In addition, customers expect to choose a precise delivery window that suits their schedule. That’s because drivers can’t leave bulky or valuable items unattended on the doorstep – especially if they require white-glove service or installation.   

Imagine you’re ordering a new bed to align with a home move. 

If the item arrives too early, you won’t be there. If it arrives too late, you’ll have nowhere to sleep. Ideally, you need the retailer to offer named-day delivery and a two- to four-hour window. 

Why are Precise Delivery Windows a Challenge? 

Most retailers estimate their delivery capacity – and therefore their delivery time slots – based on historical averages. Fixed slots are offered to customers without taking into account current capacity including cube, weight, distance, time and driver skillset. 

This approach ignores the variability of big and bulky delivery. Delivering a set of light rattan garden furniture is faster than delivering a washing machine to a high-rise apartment. Equally, a simple drop off requires less time than an installation. 

As a result, planners don’t know whether time windows are achievable until batch planning takes place. Normally, that’s just a day in advance of the delivery. 

This three-step process (determining slots, making appointments, batch planning) inevitably leads to one of two scenarios: 

• Over-optimistic scheduling: There is insufficient capacity to carry out deliveries within the promised time slots. The retailer has to take profit-draining measures such as rescheduling or assigning the job to a third-party logistics provider (3PL). What’s worse, customer trust is eroded. 
• Over-conservative scheduling: The retailer underutilises vehicles and drivers, making delivery routes unnecessarily costly. Then there’s a potential loss of revenue from the missed opportunity to make more deliveries. 

With batch planning, you’re making a delivery promise to customers before you know the cost and feasibility of the route. This approach undermines profitability and puts a dent in customer satisfaction. 

Smart Delivery Appointment Scheduling 

That’s where smart scheduling comes in. With Descartes, appointment scheduling and route optimisation take place at the same time.   

The software generates slots dynamically based on the current route plan, true capacity, time, distance and order characteristics. Routes are optimised continuously as orders come in.  

Each delivery slot is assigned a score based on criteria such as: 

• Address 
• Volume 
• Customer priority 
• Density of planned deliveries in the area 
• Commercial strategy of the retailer 

This allows you to show customers the most feasible, profitable, and environmentally friendly delivery slots. Retailers can also highlight cost-effective slots, or price slots dynamically - offering premium delivery options to customers who want them. 

Benefits of Smart Appointment Scheduling 

Smart scheduling makes it possible to offer convenient options for big and bulky deliveries, without compromising profitability. 

The benefits of range from increased customer satisfaction through to tangible financial impacts, including:  

• Enhanced customer experience: Customers can choose a delivery slot based on their schedule and preferences. Since only feasible slots are displayed, customers are more likely to receive their goods on time. 
• Increased delivery profitability: The software optimises routes continuously, limiting unnecessary mileage and avoiding missed deliveries. Businesses can eliminate unprofitable delivery windows and charge more for costly stops. 
• Reduced carbon footprint: Better resource utilisation means fewer empty trips. You can also encourage customers to choose eco-friendly slots when a vehicle is already in their area. 
• Agile pricing: Retailers can build loyalty with premium and low-cost options to cater to different customer personas.  
• Less reliance on third parties: By planning deliveries based on the true capacity of your fleet, you can minimise reliance on 3PLs. This reduces logistics costs and allows you to provide consistent customer service. 
• Reduced checkout abandonment: If you aren’t offering customer-selected delivery slots, you could be leaving money on the table. Many consumers will abandon their cart if they can’t choose a delivery that meets their needs. 

Big and Bulky Delivery Success 

Leading retailers use smart delivery appointment scheduling to offer cost-effective, convenient options to customers.  

Reducing the cost per appointment 

Wren Kitchens is UK-based luxury kitchen retailer. Before building a kitchen, Wren sends a surveyor to measure the customer’s space.  

The retailer is using Descartes’ dynamic scheduling solution to improve surveyor productivity.  

“With Descartes, now when a customer books an appointment, the comprehensive solution works in the background to automatically optimise surveyor schedules and travel routes to appointments,” explains Lee Holmes, Transport and Logistics Director at Wren Kitchens. 

 “This enables us to increase the number of appointments per day in an area, which not only lowers mileage and fuel consumption but also drives down the cost per appointment. Working with Descartes, we’ve saved 13% on annual fuel costs, which equates to approximately 354,000 fewer miles driven.”   

With the solution, surveyors have been able to complete 56% more visits and significantly reduce the cost per appointment.

Bringing new delivery service options 

John Lewis + Partners set a goal that scheduling a delivery had to be easy, fast, and flexible. It also had to be profitable for the business. 

To this end, the retailer lets customers choose the delivery slot at the point of sale. There are no delays between placing an order and scheduling the delivery.  

“The advanced optimisation capabilities and architecture of the Descartes solutions were critical, bringing new delivery service options to our customers in an economically feasible way,” explained Andrew Gay, Systems Manager at John Lewis + Partners.