Delivery is one of the key processes in a business. Regardless of whether you are a corporate giant or operating from your bedroom, delivery services matter. There is no point in having a great product that is delivered in an unprofessional manner, is there? For small and medium businesses, delivery might be a bit tricky. The process of packaging and delivering demands dedication, and it’s time-consuming.
To improve your delivery system, you can try implementing some or all of the following recommendations.
Investing in Automated Software
Besides your laundry point of sale hardware, consider automating everything that can be automated. Orders should be registered into the system automatically, and address labels generated the same way. The system will help track the deliveries through the entire process, checking off all boxes.
This way, you can easily trace a problem back to its root when something goes wrong. Since the software tracks the packages throughout the process, you can always tell where things are. Additionally, software like this will help you eliminate repetitive tasks.
Working with the Best Logistics Company
Your business will gradually grow, and you will need to manage the increasing orders. You will soon realize that you cannot handle everything by yourself or with a team of 3-4 employees. When your business gets to that point, you want to outsource your delivery department to a reputable and reliable logistics company.
The major advantage with logistics companies is that they can deliver your products overseas with ease, and their operations are around the clock.
Using Telematics and GPS
Measuring and monitoring are some of the most critical parts of any delivery process. Every parcel or package that leaves your warehouse should be tracked to its final destination. If a package was to go missing, you could easily tell its last check-in.
You can also install telematics and GPS trackers on the delivery trucks to monitor performance. You will be able to tell how fast your delivery process is.
Updating Your Customers
You do not want to keep your customers in the dark when it comes to deliveries. You can use the tracking and automated software resources to update your customers on the progress of their deliveries.
Let them know when the package is dispatched, when it is out of delivery, where and when to collects it. With a delivery process designed around customer satisfaction, you will be able to keep your customers happy.
Exceed Expectations
To further improve customer satisfaction, try going above and beyond the bare minimum. Of course, your customers have their expectations, such as timely delivery and safe packaging. Besides meeting these expectations, try adding something extra such as having a delivery team with professional and polite individuals.
Your delivery system is responsible for creating a positive impression. Execute this process with unparalleled precision by exceeding customer expectations.
Define Everything
Since delivery is a service, you should make sure it’s well defined. See to it that you and your customers are in agreement on what to expect from your delivery services. This includes telling them what your delivery services do/don’t entail, costs, eligibility, how to seek assistance if needed, and potential limitations.
Your service definition should not stop with your customers. For an effective delivery process, your internal team should be well-rehearsed to offer professional customer support.
Simplify the Internal Processes
It’s not surprising that some companies are using multiple programs for a single simple internal process like delivery. Such a practice will slow down the process and render it complicated, causing frustrations along the way.
If your delivery process is long, slow, and painful, consider building a fresh, simple process that is fast and efficient.
Prior Planning of Customs Clearance
Clearing customs can be a long and frustrating process, and there is no way of avoiding it – unfortunately. The best way to simplify it is by preparing custom clearance in advance by clearing them online.
This way, your package will skip customs and head straight to the intended destination. This will save you and your customers a lot of time and hassle.
Tie Deliveries to Incentives
The delivery chain has so many moving parts, from packing, shipping to picking. To improve the efficiency of your delivery process, get your employees on board. You can easily do this by tying delivery performance to incentives.
Reward your employees for faster deliveries and withhold the reward for poor performance. This happens to be the best way to improve your delivery process from within your company.
Summary
This guide is not exhaustive, and there are numerous other ways to improve your business delivery process. For better results, constantly improve the process by looking for new ways to make it better. I wish you luck!
