Make Your Logistics Wings Efficient And Productive Today!

Enterprises today are looking at plethora of solutions available in the market, that help them make their logistics processes better. From building an internal team to deploying third party vendor solution, CxOs are investing resources in making the teams better. A recent report by Gartner shows that, Artificial Intelligence (AI) would be the top priority for more than 30% of the  CIOs.

Logistics with a mix right IT solution will help enterprises cut the cost, reduce the Turn Around Time, increase process efficiency and the productivity of the organisation. For achieving the desired objectives, companies are integrating logistics with IT function and CIOs today are rethinking their digital strategies to make their logistics processes ‘smarter.’

With a backdrop of IT, a well integrated logistics management helps in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation. From dispatching of the run sheets to providing 360 degree visibility to generating actionable insights, a logistics management solution will help enterprises work better.

The elements that go into the planning of integrated logistics include, planning inventory, transportation, information processing, demand forecasting, planning of pick-ups and deliveries and analysing the logistics operations.The logistics systems can also be incorporated in the company itself where there is lot of movement on daily basis. This will call for an appointment of bigger staff with logistics experience. The company will also need to invest in specialized equipments and transportation systems.

The investment required for all these would be huge and the human resource requirement would also be considerably high.  The outsourcing of this service is therefore advisable for cost effective and efficient logistics. There are many companies that offer this service as per your budget. These companies have their websites and online tracking system that can be utilized to track your shipment from tie to time. Many of these companies also offer quotes to make the job easier. The cost depends on the type of shipment as well as the source and destination of the shipment.

So, it developing customised solutions or deploying an integrated logistics management solution is important for building today’s connected landscapes.

Great customer experiences with Omnichannel Logistics

Omni-channel logistics has become a key focus area in supply chain management today, especially with the spurring growth of ecommerce. With customers becoming more sophisticated with the innumerous options available, retailers are gearing up to redefine their operations so as to  help them build a supply chain that will reflect the customer experience in the existing processes.

The reason behind this major move is the behaviour and preferences of the millennial customers. The customer journey typically moves across channels, starting and ending at different points based on individual preferences. A surge in the internet sales is fuelled by the growth of customer expectations and the purchasing power.  By 2030, APAC’s urbanization rate will increase by 30% and the similar growth is observed in the developing markets.

Great customer experiences start with great interactions at every opportunity. It is essential to understand the customer behaviour, his preferences regarding ordering a product, delivery options and payment options. Today’s customer is exceptional personalized experiences beyond the store, fulfilling customer journeys and fulfilling customer promises.

The need to create an agile, innovative supply chain has arised to deliver brand-promise ‘real-time.’ This helps in fulfilling the customer promises, collaborative customer journeys and visibility in the operations.

Building an agile supply chain framework:

The omni-channel trends are following the same path in the developed and developing countries, more often. However, consumer expectations are growing more than the pace at which the digital technologies are growing. Logistics providers today have to enable omnichannel logistics and here are the four pointers that help them support the concept and build a flexible supply chain:

1. IT back-end integration
2. Integration of payment options   
3. Automation of processes   
4. Flexible delivery options.

The omni-channel requirements are intensely cross-functional efforts, they are the product of a clear and focused strategy based on key insights about customers, they require a custom-designed supply-chain network, they build—or acquire—new supply-chain capabilities.

Critically, the companies that are doing omni-channel logistics well don’t pick and choose from these characteristics—they have all five. The reason all five are critical starts with an understanding of how omnichannel became such an urgent priority for all the logistics companies.

The online sales are growing 15 percent a year, against just 1.5 percent for overall retail sales. Last year, online sales accounted for 7.3 percent of total retail sales. Customers tend to order more when they buy online—up to four times as much as when they buy from a single-channel retailer. And when customers collect online orders in stores, they often make additional purchases while they are there.

This transformation in retailing is happening all the faster because new entrants are piling in and disrupting the market, dismaying incumbents and delighting customers. 

Create A Smarter Supply Chain

Creating Smarter Supply Chains is a vision of today’s enterprise. Ask the Chief Digital Officer of any enterprise, you will hear that building their smarter supply chain is the strategic objective. Gaining visibility has risen from the sixth most important strategic priority in 2015 to third in 2017. However, only 6% of firms said they had achieved this aim.

Supply chains across the globe are aiming to achieve complete visibility of all the processes for real-time collaboration and seamless visibility amongst all the stakeholders and the processes. Supply Chain Visibility is defined as connecting companies and giving the entire network access to information via a single platform.

FarEye has designed first Business Process Management Engine for mobility in supply chain to address greater visibility. Backed by advanced Machine-Learning algorithms and Artificial Intelligence, FarEye’s unique capability enables enterprises to customise workflows and blend logistics & IT to make supply chains ‘smarter’ with Cloud and Mobility.

Circumstances that call for changes in a workflow can be instantly accommodated with drag-and-drop ease on the FarEye’s BPM platform. With the help of advanced machine-learning algorithms, FarEye’s BPM engine adapts intelligent processes, blends it with the operations with minimal disruption.

Easy & Quick Adoption of Workflows: New modified workflow measures snap into place with minimal disruption, keeping the organisation agile and ready for new opportunities. Its ‘drag and drop’ tool help in blending the workflows with minimal disruption.

Decisioning – Flowcharts can be configured based on business events: The BPM platform can be leveraged to easily design and generate new processes/workflows.  Circumstances that call for changes in the workflow can be instantly accommodated with drag-and-drop ease on FarEye’s BPM platform.

Visibility in the run-sheets generation and work-order allotment:

The demand of the orders are volatile, the complexity and the volume increases. For e.g., planning the daily operations by efficiently allocating the orders to the right person helps in building the workforce. With real-time visibility into the run-sheet generation, you can now - assess the credibility of the job, efficient and responsive.

By integrating with the right mobility solutions, logistics companies can now improve their delivery happiness score as well as get a detailed view of what’s going on the field. Built on Business Intelligence and Machine-Learning algorithms, FarEye’s intuitive dashboard helps in solving the supply chain visibility challenge that all enterprises have been facing, in real-time. 

Enhance Your Customer Delight With Advanced Business Intelligence Platform

Every enterprise today is at the cusp of transforming its operations by leveraging digital solutions. With customers being at the heart of this transformation, enterprises have to focus on technologies that will help them ensure customer delight by providing ‘real-time’ information about their expected shipments. Logistics companies can take their learning curve to a higher level  through business intelligence platforms aka delivery happiness platform that enable ‘customer-delight.’

Using intuitive business intelligence, last-mile companies can visualise the data on the web and mobile platform through drill-down options available on the platform. This helps in getting a 360-degree view on the operations based on the location, job type and the hub.These intuitive dashboards and drill-down applications enhance the key applications and provide comprehensive information about the successful deliveries as well as failed attempts. This brings the desired understanding in terms of actionable insights at the right time. Therefore, the delivery operations can be managed more effectively. Often referred as the delivery happiness platform by the clients, the performance scoreboards and analytics tracks the  progress of  jobs towards pre-determined specific goals.

A delivery happiness platform understands the challenges that occur in the outlay of delivering customer delight ‘real-time.’ The visual representation of the operational data indicates  what’s going on the field. In simple terms, the core question for the logistics companies is- how to make use of this operational data to make the day-to-day operations smarter and more efficient?

Delivery Happiness Platform helps enhance customer experience with capabilities such as

1.         Estimated Time of Arrival

• a.         Real time tracker to engage and empower customers
• b.         Notifications/alerts to enhance customer experience       
• d.         Uberization: to cater to on-demand customer requests
• e.         Personalized and customized deliveries
• f.          New product developments like parcel & locker deliveries
• g.         Gamification in order to improve efficiencies

2.         Feedback – to measure delivery happiness score

FarEye’s delivery happiness platform uses advanced data visualisation tools that help turn the raw data into meaningful analytics. The toolset approach will help integrate with the operations on a day-to-day basis and further the capability of adding the enhancements for individual customers or even empowering them to create their own business intelligence environment.

Crucial Features of a Delivery Management System

Most of the people find online shopping to be more comfortable and less time-consuming. And they are willing to pay additional amount just to get the same day delivery of the ordered products. Keeping this mind, businesses need a well-managed system which makes deliveries on time without fail. Thus, every company which wants its customers to be satisfied adopts a delivery management system which can help in achieving better results.

Many top ranking organizations are already using this system. If you are also planning to get one for your organization, following are the features one is advised to look for:

Real Time Tracking:

In order to make it to the top in their respective niche, companies consider re-designing their system to make it more transparent for their customers by enabling them to track their ordered products during delivery. This helps companies in gaining customers’ trust which is crucial from competition’s perspective. A delivery management system helps companies in keeping a track of the location of the driver. Further, every order related to any particular customer can also be tracked. The sender too is benefited by staying updated with the timings related to every step of the delivery.

All-In-One Option:

With the high level of competition, most companies have already installed this system into their operations. But, it is still advised to have a system which is compatible and capable of executing all (or at least most of your processes) the processes. This helps in decreasing the overall cost spent on various systems. If a company has just one integrated system, executing and managing everything becomes quick and gives a better growth curve for the company.

Managing All The Orders:

Scheduling deliveries and pickups are necessary components of any delivery system. Thus, organizations need a delivery management system that can manage orders proficiently. Once orders are managed well, it becomes easier for organizations to keep a record of the further activities.

Apart from all these, a delivery management system can have varied features depending upon the needs of the particular organization which includes business-centric features to make it suitable to conduct all crucial operations efficiently.

Adapting Courier Dispatch Software Is The Need Of The Hour

The need for right technology has arisen when the logistics companies were looking for the automated software that could solve their day-to-day challenges easily. In delivery business, speedy dispatch is an essential part of the service to stay competitive. The customer who has been let down in terms of expectations doesn’t know the barriers in delivering the parcel at the right time with lots of hassles. An efficient courier software will help you to track all your order & shipment details through the admin panel which can spot the problem before it happens.

A global and proven on-demand software and courier dispatch software helps logistics companies to keep track of all their order & dispatch details easily, so the dispatcher can identify the problem before they occur. Courier software allows riders to dispatch the shipment at the right place with the help of mobile phone app and the customer can make a payment through online. Both the riders & customers no longer have to deal with the paperwork which makes delivery of shipments faster than ever. All data will be stored in the database and it can be retrieved for later reference.

FarEye - Making your Logistics processes 'smarter' with 'cloud'

Real- Time Communication Made Easy:

Push notification & messaging feature lets you connect with your employees & customers through the mobile application. Push notification can be sent automatically to both riders once the order has been placed by the customer. The admin & dispatcher can able to generate reports automatically by accessing data stored in the database. Automated booking options & online payments are the comprehensive features in efficient courier software.

Location tracker:

To trace delivery personnel’s location, and to help enhance the control of the workforce, tracking serves the purpose without which the purpose is not solved.

Intuitive Dashboard:

The dashboard provides a comprehensive view of what’s going on, on the field. The dashboard gives a 360-degree visibility of the operations.

Admin panel and tracking solution:

Dispatching and tracking panel is an essential for any application to get business, improve process efficiency, and complete the task. Business apps need proper update and upgradations on time for effective results.

Analytics Engine:

How if your operations are not being optimised? Where do you have to develop resources? So will be the case with the operating system without analytical data. If you are buying one, make sure it has the feature of smart analytics system.

In recent days, logistics companies are adopting courier dispatch software that helps them streamline their processes and help them in easy dispatching.

3 Benefits of Installing Logistics Management Software

Logistics is considered to be one of the most unorganized sectors, especially in developing countries like India. Businesses at different occasions have often experienced certain issues like late and unplanned deliveries, goods not traceable, etc. But thanks to the introduction of advanced applications like logistics management software, the entire logistics processes have been simplified and improved. The logistics deliveries can now be better handled and delivered on time.

Installing logistics management software can optimize transport and fuel costs, enabling you to make better decisions. These systems can also boost process efficiency, increase employee productivity and improve customer experience by ensuring on-time deliveries and real-time visibility.

Benefits of logistics Management Software:

1. Availability in the choice of transport and real-time freight rates

This logistics software application has a TMS feature that makes it easy for users around the country to receive live carrier rates over the Internet. When your business has multiple carriers to choose from depending on a number of factors like transit time, cost and insurance, it allows you to make the best choice for your shipments, thus saving a lot of money in the long run.

2. Improved customer service

Logistics management software has features like auto pick-up, real-time freight tracking and freight accounting. This way, not only the delivery executive but even the customers can know exactly how much the freight will cost and when will it reach the destination through timely notifications.  

3. Access to real-time freight data and analysis

Having access to real-time freight data will help you make better business decisions based on the prevailing trends and history. This software will provide you with all the valuable data with just the push of a button, allowing you to see the total cost of your shipments. It will help you to mitigate future expenses and avoid bad decisions accordingly.

What are the Benefits of a Courier Management Software?

Courier tracking software helps logistics firms evaluate the best possible route to ensure timely delivery. The managements of courier companies mention that it is essential to understand the best route for ‘last mile delivery’ so that the deliverable reach the recipients on time. Additionally, it is the prerogative of the courier firms to guarantee the customers that the products reach them in the best condition. All of these can be ascertained with the help of a good tracking software. Some essential features of this particular type of software have been discussed below.

Updating the List of Deliverable

A courier dispatch software is one which you can update manually by entering the details of the items that have to be delivered. In other words, herein you can update the pickup date, time, pickup point, and destination. You have to enter the precise delivery address to generate a probable delivery date.  This software will give you an overall view of the movement of the package from the pickup point. This ensures that the system is automatically updated and you have an idea of the packages that are high priority deliverable.

Advantages of Courier Tracking Software

With the help of a courier tracking software, you can be assured of the following advantages:

• The dashboard will provide you with the precise details regarding the movement of the packages.
• You will get a better purview of the movement of your ground staff.
• The manager will be able to guide the ground staff better during ‘last mile delivery’.
• Improve the overall efficiency and performance of your company.

Thus, installing a courier tracking software will aid in improving the overall performance of your company and ground staff. However, if you want to install and use a tracking software, ensure that you have hired a renowned software firm that has years of experience in developing logistics management software.

What are the Advantages that a Courier Service Company can expect from a Tracking Software?

The prerogative of any good courier company is to ensure that the deliverables are picked up and reaches the customers on time. This means the company has to provide the ground staff with ample support to ensure that the items are delivered at the earliest, in pristine condition and with the minimum wastage of fuel.

Importance of Tracking Deliverables for Courier Companies

Tracking the items that have been dispatched, ensuring that the ground staff is delivering the items on time and real time tracking of the deliverables are all essential activities carried out by a courier company. In other words, right from the time a deliverable is picked up till the product reaches the recipient; the courier company has to be aware of the movement of the item. However, this entire process can be simplified with the help oftracking software. Some of the essential features of such tracking software have been discussed below.

Tracking Services Required by Courier Companies

A courier tracking software will provide you with a detailed report regarding the exact movement of the product from the pickup point to the delivery of the item. Additionally, it will also provide you with detailed analysis of the routes to be taken to ensure speedy delivery of the items. Some of the services that you can expect on installing tracking software are as follows:

• Trouble free dispatch: The tracking software aids with resource allocations, scheduling jobs and constantly updating the system regarding the movement of the respective deliverables, on a daily basis. Additionally, the tracking software will help with route optimization to identify the best delivery route. This will help you get a better overview of your ground staff and ensure cost effective delivery of the products.
• Real time management: The tracking software can help you gain real time visibility on the movement of the deliverables. If you install the tracking software of a recognized software development firm, then you can be assured of additional services such as data analytics, which will help you improve the efficiency of your ground staff. The intuitive dashboards will help you gain a thorough understanding of the movement of your ground staff.
• Reporting capabilities: The mobile tracking system of such software comes with reporting capabilities. The software will be automatically updated as the deliveries are made and, you will get an immediate update. This will help you evaluate the movement of the deliverables and provide support to the ground staff especially with last mile delivery.

Thus, by installing good tracking software you can help your ground staff with the delivery of the items. Additionally, you can evaluate better methods to reduce delivery time and improve customer satisfaction.

Procure Tracking Software from a Renowned Software Development Firm

If you are thinking of installing tracking software, then it is essential that you first get in touch with a renowned software development firm and discuss your requirements with the company experts. Based on your requirements the company will develop tracking software that ideally addresses your company requirements.

Give your Company the edge by using a Courier Software

Running a business where shipping goods and merchandise on a regular basis is compulsory? Then you must know how important it is to make a delivery on time. Not only the delivery should be made on time but the product should reach your customer intact and without any damages too. This helps build trust with your customer and also gets you the brownie points.

Use Technology for Delivering the Products

Now, getting everything done in time and also in a perfect manner is something that would be impossible if you have plenty of manual work. People sometimes make errors and this could lead to a big loss for your company. This is the reason why having a courier software or the services of a good logistic company always helps.

A courier software helps in two ways. It will not only give your company all the tracking details of a package dispatched from your end but the same information can be accessed by the customers as well. All of this can be made possible with the help of the revolutionary technology called GPS tracking.

The software will also help you in calculating the commissions of the delivery person (if it is not your own employee) and add it to your accounts department. Thus, paying your delivery people will be easier and there won’t be an error of any kind as all of this will be done under automatic invoicing.

One of the top reasons why every company is going for courier software is affordability and how it helps in making the entire delivery process easy. You will not only be saving precious time of your company but also a great deal of money.

So, if you haven’t started using this software, you are still incurring huge losses and it is time to correct it.

How Courier Service Management Software can Increase Profitability?

If you want to reduce the expenses and increase the profitability of your courier service firm, you need to have real-time control over your field employees. In other words, for maximum customer satisfaction, you need to ensure that the products are dispatched on time and reach the customers without fail. If your field agents are unable to make the delivery on time, it is bound to produce a negative impression and subsequently affect your business. Some of the advantages of courier service management software have been discussed below.

Image Source: goo.gl/yyoOwt

Benefits of Courier Service Management Software

Some of the benefits of a good courier software are as follows:

• Effective Allocation of Resources: The dispatching of the items will be evaluated by the software that you have installed. Based on the statistics generated you can make changes in the resource allocations to make the entire process more efficient.
• Cost-Effective Method: With real-time control on all your field staff, you can supervise them in a better manner. You can assess the areas where fuel expenses or energy cost can be reduced. If the delivery cost can be reduced, it will improve your company’s profit margin.
• Getting Customer Feedback: An efficient courier service management software will ensure that the products are delivered on time, update the system accordingly and get genuine customer feedback. Based on the feedback received you can evaluate your delivery system and make improvements accordingly.
• Real Time Updates: With efficient courier software, you can receive status updates regarding your field staff in real time from your office. This will help you to attain a better purview over your field staff.

Courier Service Management Software

Thus, a good courier service management software can improve the overall performance of your firm. Improved performance means satisfied customers, who are essential to improve the profitability of your company.

The Big Last Mile Delivery Challenges for the E-commerce Industry

Customers nowadays prefer to shop on e-commerce websites because of the easy home delivery facilities offered by these sites. The last lap of delivery wherein the items ordered reach the end user is considered to be the most crucial by all e-commerce sites. Moreover, for most online stores, whether big or small, there are a number of additional challenges that must be overcome in order to ensure smooth delivery of commodities. Sometimes online stores offer a free of charge home delivery, wherein the products that you purchase will be delivered to the address that you provide without you incurring any delivery expenses. However, in order to provide you with free of charge delivery, the e-commerce portal must make sufficient profit from a single bill value to offset the delivery cost.

Understanding the Challenges of Ensuring Smooth Home Delivery Service

When it comes to last mile delivery, some of the basic challenges that online stores face are as follows:

Delivery Cost: It is essential for online stores to evaluate the delivery expenses in real time, before offering ‘free of charge’ delivery. In other words, even if free of charge delivery options may be attractive to customers; it might affect the base cost of the products and the retailer’s profit margin as well. Hence, it is essential that you take into account the mode of delivery, predicted expenses involved to ensure that the products are delivered on time and your profit margin remains unaffected. As mentioned earlier, the bill value should also offset the expenses involved in offering free of charge delivery.

Being Transparent with the Customer: With the advent of Internet and different types of GPS facilities, customers often want to know the physical location of the products ordered. In other words, instead of just having the tracking ID, customers want to track the exact location of the items ordered. The online store must offer this facility of the last mile tracking to assure the customer of the exact location of the delivery person and the precise time when the items would be delivered.

Efficiency: Customers nowadays want the deliveries to be done in an efficient manner. Hence, it is essential that you do a real-time analysis of the final mile delivery time. E-commerce sites need to make this evaluation even for same day deliveries. The best method to overcome this challenge would be using the latest technology with regard to data analysis, easy navigational systems, and other statistical tools, to give you a better idea of the time it will take to cover the last mile and make the delivery to the end-user.

Thus, it is essential that e-commerce sites evaluate the nature of issues that they are likely to face in the final lap of delivering the items purchased by customers. After careful evaluation of the possible lapse scenarios, you should develop accurate strategies to overcome these challenges. Using a reliable delivery management software is one of the most effective ways to ensure manage last mile delivery process.