For many business owners and managers engaged in ground transportation and delivery operations, the double punch delivered by the global supply chain crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic prompted them to reevaluate their processes. If we stop to think about it, the delivery sector performed admirably during the pandemic despite the various disruptions to the supply chain; moreover, the reach of the sector was expanded throughout the B2C and B2B spaces as more Americans became aware of how much essential convenience it provides.
The good news for delivery operators is that general demand for their services continues to grow strongly beyond the pandemic. There is no bad news to report in this regard; the only exception would come from delivery managers who are lagging in terms of route optimization and efficiency. Competition in this sector is heating up; as such, more delivery operators are resorting to technology to sharpen their competitive edge. To this effect, here are some tools and solutions you can implement today:
Predictive Analytics and Demand Forecasting
Tools to project seasonal and future demand have been around for more than a decade, but they were largely part of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Initially, advanced analytics and smart forecasts were mostly in the purview of the C-suite and senior management. When the lockdown stages of the COVID-19 pandemic began, executives and senior managers realized that their delivery managers and personnel stood to benefit the most from these forecasting tools.
These days, predictive analytics and insights solutions are being developed with delivery operators in mind. Instead of being solely available as ERP components, predictive insight, and forecasting tools can now be accessed by managers, supervisors, and even drivers; they are typically live-tracking solutions that look at historical data and real-time information to make projections about demand fluctuations, pricing models, and how the customer experience may be impacted.
Affordable Distance API and Geolocation Tools
Connected telematics have thoroughly revolutionized modern delivery operations. All delivery managers and transportation company owners love using route planning tools, address validation systems, and turn-by-turn navigation systems that follow specific geocoding API instructions, but these love affairs usually turn sour when you get the monthly API bill from Google Maps or Mapbox.
When route optimization becomes mission-critical to your business, you’ll want to implement a geolocation tool that is not going to fleece you when calculating trip distances or ETAs, which are tasks that your drivers, planners, and customers use several times in a shift. With solutions such as the Distance Matrix API, your geolocation costs can be sharply reduced without having to sacrifice accuracy or efficiency. Instead of trying to wing it with the public version of Google Maps, which does not incorporate commercial datasets for accuracy, tools such as the Distance Matrix API from Radar give you 100,000 free API requests per month; after that, the base pricing starts at just $0.50 for a thousand server calls, and you can still get volume discounts.
With affordable tools such as Distance Matrix API, you get more than just relief from API billing shock. All the features you can expect from a modern geolocation API service are included, so you can experiment with geofencing, reverse geocoding, and more.
Mobile Delivery Management Apps
While tools such as Distance Matrix are developed with delivery operations of all sizes and scopes, not all delivery companies will be able to deploy ERP solutions or custom predictive analytics. Individual owner-operators, contractors, and smaller businesses can get started with apps developed for Android and iOS, so you have the option of running them on smartphones or tablets to optimize your routes and operations.
Mobile apps such as Circuit, MyWay, and Upper Route Planner allow users to test them out with some free stops, usually up to 10, before a monthly subscription is required. Although these apps are driver-focused, some offer a desktop companion that provides a bit of dispatch and back-office functionality. These apps will get the job done to a certain extent; they are ideal for multi-stop routes, and some will review historical data when suggesting optimal route plans, but not all provide access to reliable commercial datasets, and they rarely support scaling.
