With the world rapidly leaning towards e-commerce for their shopping duties, from groceries to leisurely purchases, businesses also have to keep up with the transforming demands of the time.
Customers today are used to getting things instantly, and online purchases are no exception. For your business to stay competitive, you have to keep looking for ways to speed up operations, especially your delivery speed. Fortunately, innovations in technology make it possible to pursue efficiency affordably.
It is now time to reassess your current methods and see how you can use available technologies to your advantage.
Five Practices that Slow Down Your Deliveries
If you still encounter speed issues with your deliveries, check if any of these practices apply to you and how you can change them.
1. You are using outdated technologies.
A surefire way to lag amongst other competitors is to be unwilling to let go of your “traditions.” These may sometimes be old excuses not to streamline your current practices. Other times, you might not even be aware that the technology you are using is outdated.
One way to assess is to look at your current lineup and determine how long you have been using everything. Five years is a long time, and seven could be pushing it. If you are experiencing a lot of downtime in your current systems, this is also a sign that it is time to upgrade.
Alternatively, you should also check if your slow processes are due to some broken equipment. Have your PSION scanners repaired to ensure that all of your warehouse inventory is accounted for and nothing gets lost when parcels are dispatched.
2. You do not do proper documentation.
Sometimes, the eagerness to adopt the latest technology has business owners making the mistake of using too many all at once. Instead of speeding up deliveries, these further slow down your internal processes.
First, you should simplify by sticking to one reliable internal software that you and the members of your organization can use to check on inventories, deliveries, and other parts of your business’s operations.
Also, create a process sheet that acts as a checklist for every step in delivery, from the order confirmation to successful shipping to the customer. This should be centralized for every department so that you are all on the same page.
3. Your products are located too far from your customers.
The issue in your shipments could also be the location of your warehouse. Did you make your base in an area that is too far from the majority of your customers? Be on the lookout for potential warehouse locations that could better serve you and your customers for future orders. However, switching warehouses is indeed no quick task.
One place to look is your current delivery routes because they may be all over the place. Doing your mapping manually takes too much time, too. Your delivery fleet should make use of route mapping apps to create the most cost-saving routes for multiple deliveries in one day.
4. You are not considering delivery alternatives.
Have you been relying on that one delivery company all these years? That could be what’s slowing you down. Diversify your couriers so that you can canvass the most affordable services for different delivery locations.
Make a list of couriers that you can use and compare their prices according to weight and areas served. This lets you and your team easily delegate your deliveries.
Additionally, have you considered pickup options? Maybe your business has shops in specific areas where you have many customers. You can use those as your pickup locations for customers who may prefer to get their parcels themselves.
5. You do not keep your customers updated.
Another factor that affects the perceived speed of delivery by any business is the customer experience from the moment they check out their items to the point when the shipment arrives at their doorstep. If you do not give regular updates to your customers, the wait is bound to feel much longer than it actually is.
Give them updates on every step of the delivery process to prevent customer service issues as they wait. Updates reassure them that their parcel is moving.
Should delays occur, inform them immediately and provide a concise explanation and a sincere apology. Even if you cannot make the shipment arrive faster, transparency about the process makes them feel more satisfied.
We hope the common issues listed above have helped you pinpoint where the setbacks are in your current delivery process. Always look to innovate and stay updated with your competitors, too, to know just how quickly you should be moving.