Courier management software: Is it a worthy investment?
Due to the boom of online shopping services (partly motivated by the pandemic, partly by the existing trends), the delivery business is also on the rise. But it’s not easy to open a courier or delivery business and drive to the peaks of success.
According to Statista, the same-day delivery market size in the U.S. is expected to reach $15.6 billion by 2024. This is a lot of competition! Even if the demand is still growing, customers have high expectations and can easily jump ship if they’re not happy.
As your business grows, your business will have to manage more people (employees, customers, collaborators). While you can do so with a primitive management system that uses sheets, the most efficient way is to hurry up and implement a software for courier management.
It may seem like a hefty investment, especially if you’re just beginning, but it makes a lot of sense for the long term. If you’re not convinced, here are some of the benefits your business can reap once the system is up and running.
Faster & more efficient operations
A courier management software can help you plan for the most efficient routes, find ways to avoid traffic jams, identify bottlenecks and/or lags in your current practices, and more.
It’s also a central communication model that connects drivers with the main database so it can track, manage, and communicate with everyone.
This way, if there is a problem, the system can notify management, but it can also make suggestions based on real-time data coming from the field. As a result, your drivers can make fast and efficient deliveries, which will keep customers quite happy.
Fewer errors & better time management
If you’ve ever stayed late at night with a map in front of you and an insolvable spreadsheet, you know just how frustrating and time-consuming it can be to do route planning. Also, you know there’s plenty of room for errors!
The human brain is amazing but it wasn’t designed to keep track of several hundred data points while plotting the most fuel and time-efficient routes. That’s why we need intelligent software tools capable of doing this job without much human input or assistance.
This is where courier management software comes in. The more advanced systems come with automation features that take over the delivery process and simplify the process for human operators.
Once a parcel is in the system, it has a unique tracking number, it is automatically scheduled and dispatched to its destination.
Since the system is connected to the main database and has the capacity to analyze all the data streams, errors are rare. Also, the manager won’t have to spend hours on end manually charting the routes – the system does this in minutes, based on real-time data.
Cost efficiency
A courier management software takes over most of the planning, tracks orders, and can be hyper-focused on reducing fuel consumption and keeping drivers out of trouble in traffic.
But it can also keep track of your vehicles’ maintenance schedule and signal any patterns that encourage time waste.
Plus, everything is automatically logged into the system. This can mean you won’t need as many people involved in running the business.
If this is the case, you can either re-distribute the human resource to improve overall operations or cut down costs by letting go of the people you don’t need.
In conclusion
Yes, courier management software is a worthy investment. Of course, you should also consider implementing other reliable methods that help keep your customers happy. After all, one system can’t solve all your problems and can’t find all the solutions. A successful delivery business needs a combination of innovative tools and forward-thinking to keep the momentum.