Effective supply chain management is very important for businesses. Especially the last leg of the supply chain management, the last mile delivery is a sensitive aspect. The last mile delivery service provider is responsible for safely transporting and delivering your products/ items at the delivery location. If the delivery is delayed or the packages are lost during the transit, it can cause losses to the customers along with hurt sentiments and values.
The reputation of a moving company can be compromised without enough emphasis on effective last mile delivery services. This is why the best logistics companies when moving items state to state work proactively towards enhancing the credibility of their last mile delivery services.
So, what is last mile delivery?
Last mile delivery services as the name suggests is the process of moving the product or items from the warehouse of the storage-in-transit unit to the customer doorstep of any other delivery location. It is also known as last-mile logistics, last mile distribution, and final mile delivery. The logistics companies are very concerned about the last mile delivery as their clients demand them to ensure safe and timely delivery to the final customer. New age products like subscription services that require monthly delievery further demand high degree of precision and accuracy for higher customer satisfaction and retention. Rakuten SL Subscription Box is one such service that effectively meets the requirements for such online brands. This is why several companies charge an excess shipping cost of moving cost to speed up the last mile delivery.
What are the last mile delivery challenges?
The last mile delivery process is known to be an expensive part of the entire logistics system. However, it is also the most inefficient part of the process. Some common challenges root to this inefficiency aspect of the process.
High traffic
In urban areas, the roads are congested with traffic and this hinders the delivery time. Even if the distance between the pickup location and the delivery address is short, the driver fails to reach the address in time because of the high traffic on the road.
Long-distance
On the contrary, the distances in a rural setup are a concern. Even if the roads are empty, usually there is a small order or moving inventory to be delivered at several locations spread in several miles. This makes it an expensive affair to transport the product from point A to point B.
High customer expectations
The customer demands high-quality services. With the evolution of the e-commerce business, more businesses have entered the industry to enhance the competition. Delivering cost-effective services and high-quality results are expected from the service providers which makes it tough to maintain the efficacy of the last mile transportation process.
How to enhance the efficiency of last mile delivery?
If you are catering to the last mile delivery logistics requirements of the business, you must know how to improvise last mile delivery services for them. Similarly, businesses must have a clear understanding of how they can boost the efficiency of the delivery system and offer a great delivery experience to the customers. This will in return boost your business and customer satisfaction.
Here are a few ways how you can promote the efficiency of the last mile delivery process:
Set standard operating procedures
Check if there are SOPs for last mile delivery. If there aren’t, you must create them without losing any time. Make sure when you do, you consider the data related to previous last-mile deliveries, data such as load times and service times helps set realistic SOPs and provide the best delivery experience. Every step of the final mile delivery must be described through the SOPs.
The set procedure standards also help businesses evaluate the actual performance in comparison to the planned performance. In case of any shortcomings, the procedures must be tweaked to ensure that the customer demand and expectations are met with perfection.
Let the customer choose on its own
Offering options for delivery windows serves two distinctive purposes:
Increases the chances of success in the first time
With customers allowed to choose the delivery date and time the chances of a successful delivery and high customer experience increases. This happens because the customer chooses a convenient time and is physically present to take the delivery.
High customer satisfaction
Also, as the customer chooses a time and delivery date, they expect the package of time. And when the company delivers the packages at the chosen time and date, the customer feels more valued and satisfied.
Set priority for customer communication
Delivering the highest quality of customer services must be the top priority of every business. Besides allowing the customers to choose the delivery date and time, focus on keeping them informed about the packing, dispatch, and delivery location of their items. You must stay in touch with the customers all through the order fulfillment process.
With you sending the update about the progress of the order, you will not have to deal with customer queries now and then. Also, the customer will grow great trust and a sense of reliability towards your business.
Work on a tracking system
The modern moving and logistic companies offer shipment tracking features with the clients. The tracking ID can be shared with the customers and the customer can know the exact progress of the delivery process. This helps in maintaining a transparent delivery system. Moreover, as a business, you can keep a track of the movement of your items from Point A to B and identify the loopholes if any.
Find a reliable logistics company
Maintain and supervising an in-house logistics chain and outsourcing high-end services are two different options, while the former demands a lot of investments of money and efforts, the latter is a reliable way to offer high-quality delivery solutions to your final client. It is recommended to find a reliable logistics company and strengthen the business delivery cycle.
The logistics and moving service industry are evolving. Businesses must take advantage of the modern delivery options and efficient last mile delivery options are the best option.