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Improving Last Mile Logistics Through Technology
Companies must find a means to increase productivity and reduce expenses in order to pay for their shipping operations if they want to remain competitive.
This largely comes down to how a business handles last-mile deliveries. This means that in order for a business to thrive in the current market, it must discover ways to increase its level of efficiency.
Descartes routing software, when integrated with your online sales system can offer a host of last mile delivery optimisation solutions.
Features & Benefits
Automated route scheduling
High density delivery routes are created, utilising your resources to the full and saving costs, these can be based on most efficient routes not just fastest routes.
Dynamic slot scheduling
Increased customer satisfaction and increased sales through self-selecting delivery times and days.
Continuous optimisation of routes
Later orders whose delivery addresses are close geographically to previous orders may be brought forward and combined, improving delivery times and customer satisfaction.
Delivery notifications
Reduces missed deliveries and improves customer communicatons prior to delivery.
Home Delivery
Improve the customers' buying & delivery experience, from booking a delivery slot through to receiving and acknowledging their delivery.
Delivery Appointment Windows
Distributors, retailers, and other delivery companies can offer various appointment window sizes and value-added services at the time of ordering thanks to the flexibility of Descartes' last mile solution. By offering appointment flexibility and the potential for the implementation of additional services, these crucial aspects assist retailers in generating income.
When the delivery scheduling system is integrated with the route optimisation system, precise delivery costs and capacity can be validated in real time across a number of days, and the information can then be used to improve delivery schedules and enhance service.
Turn your Last Mile Delivery Operations into a Competitive Advantage
Why not download our most recent eBook to see how enhancing your last mile delivery can give you a competitive edge over your rivals and win more business?
Last Mile Delivery - Competitive Advantage
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This has the effect of improving customer service and the last mile of delivery while also leveraging the fleet capacity and improving delivery density. These types of delivery slots can also be incentivised, if delivery is being charged for, and be made cheaper than alternative slots when other local deliveries are not taking place.
When moving to a more automated approach with our tools, we typically see an 8-12% reduction in miles if customers can't be moved across days and up to 15-20% reduction in miles when our customers have the flexibility to move customers across days.
Last Mile Delivery & Proof of Delivery
The Descartes Mobile Applications and Devices enable real-time electronic collection for Proof of delivery. With information on location, time and data about deliveries being uploaded at the time of recording. The routing and scheduling software system is updated with the data, enabling deliveries further along the schedule to be improved and notified of expected delivery times.
Customer Successes
“The Descartes Reservations™ and Descartes Route Planner™ solutions were integral to our strategy of offering more extensive, but unified , delivery services. The advanced optimisation capabilities and architecture of the Descartes solutions were critical to bringing new delivery service options to our customers in an economically feasible way. ”
Andrew Gay - Systems Manager
Delivery mileage reduced per annum 1.5m
Savings from fuel costs & vehicle servicing £1m
Increased delivery capacity 35%
“Descartes ePOD solution has unlocked considerable benefits for both our business and our customers. We have seen the number of requests for PoD decline dramatically and have received increasingly positive feedback from our customers.”
Peter Russell, IT Director, Carpet & Flooring
Reduced Customer requests for POD -80%
Covid-19 Safe Contactless Deliveries Solved
Successful 1st Time Deliveries Increased
“The Descartes solution provides the advanced capabilities we need to transform our logistics processes and, in doing so, improve the responsiveness of our delivery operations and reach higher standards of customer service. ”
Einar Geir Jónsson, Head of Business Development
Optimised delivery routes
Electronic proof-of-delivery
On the fly adjustments to deliveries
You may also be interested in
Route Planning & Scheduling
Plan, dispatch, and control fleet resources. Build optimised routes and schedules with costed delivery options in seconds. Achieve more deliveries in fewer miles to reduce fuel, servicing, and maintenance costs.
Delivery Reservations
Automated delivery scheduling, the ability to allow customers to choose their own delivery slots, determined by resources available will improve customer satisfaction.
Delivery Route Scheduling
The concept of delivery route scheduling is to determine which delivery vehicle an order should be transported on and the best order in which a delivery vehicle should make its deliveries.
Route Optimisation
Use clever mathematical algorithms and artificial intelligence to dynamically optimise delivery routes from the latest road network data in real time.
Planned v. Actual
Compare planned routes against actual routes taken and use for future improvements.
