The most important aspect of delivery planning is the scheduling of the delivery slots.
With the Descartes delivery scheduling software customers can select a delivery slot at the Point of Sale that is convenient for them at a cost they are prepared to pay within your own optimised delivery operation, ideal for consumer home deliveries, but also suitable for b2b.
Delivery reservations at Point-of-Sale
At the Point-of-Sale, available delivery resources are visible to the software so that possible delivery options can be offered to the consumer in seconds. Selection of certain delivery slots can be incentivised using differential pricing. This encourages consumers to select the most optimal delivery slot for logistics based on previous orders in the system and existing delivery commitments. Understanding your delivery costs and using a differentiated pricing model to influence delivery choices is the best way to increase delivery density and cover costs associate with that delivery.
Allowing customers to self select delivery options that are convenient for them at a price they are prepared to pay drives buyer behaviour and loyalty. It also reduces failed deliveries, helping to ensure customers are present when delivery takes place and proof of delivery is required, such as a signature for the retailer or supplier.
Our scheduling software can also take into account value added services that are purchased and offer delivery options for the goods and services at the point of sale. For example, installation and removal of white goods will require more space on the vehicle and a delivery crew with the skills to carry out the task, this is taken into consideration at the time of ordering.
As the customer is selecting their delivery slot our optimisation engine is considering drver availablity, vehicle capacity and the skills required for any additional services.
Only costed and profitable delivery slots will be presented as being available to the consumer at the point of purchase.
