Bringg CEO Guy Bloch was among the industry leaders in attendance. After a packed few days of meetings with senior executives and speaker sessions, Bloch shared his biggest takeaways. His insights are also supported by other thought executives who spoke at the event.

Ultimately, Bloch’s reflections offer retailers a quick-but-potent prescription on what they should be thinking about this year to see last-mile success.

Key takeaway: “Better together”

• Businesses will form strategic partnerships and concentrate on their core strengths to create an interconnected ecosystem that improves last-mile fulfillment and customer experience.

The most popular topics at NRF 2025

Between the more than 175 speaker sessions and countless peer-to-peer conversations, a huge variety of important last-mile topics were discussed at NRF. Bloch outlined the three topics he found most vital across his time at the event.

Topic 1: Partnerships and ecosystem collaboration

“A recurring theme was the shift toward a ‘better together’ mindset,” said Bloch. “Companies are increasingly focusing on their core strengths and building partnerships to fill gaps in areas where they lack expertise—whether in last-mile delivery, fulfillment, customer experience, and more. This collaborative approach is driving a more interconnected ecosystem, where technology providers, retailers, and logistics partners work together to deliver value.”

“The retail ecosystem thrives when it works together.”

Topic 2: The return to core competencies

“After two years of internal adjustments—including reorganizations, revived teams, and recalibrated strategies—companies are returning to their core competencies while innovating to propel the digital transformation of retail,” said Bloch. “The emphasis is on creating sustainable, scalable solutions that drive operational efficiency and customer loyalty.”

Topic 3: AI and automation in last-mile delivery

“Retailers and technology providers are doubling down on AI-driven innovations to optimize the last-mile delivery experiences,” said Bloch. “This includes smarter routing, predictive demand planning, and enhanced delivery orchestration to meet customer expectations for speed and reliability.”

Levi Strauss & Co. was represented at the event by Chief Digital Officer Jason Gowans, who spoke on a panel with executives from Ralph Lauren and Starbucks. Gowans shared details of how Levi’s is using AI in a new platform called BackPocket, which gives in-store associates a 360-degree view of the shopper across all channels. The AI-driven solution helps associates quickly personalize the customer experience all the way down to determining the most convenient delivery method if a particular product isn’t in the store.

AI investments are also happening faster than ever in retail according to Joe Austin, VP of solutions architecture at Comcast Business.

“When decision-makers make a decision, they’re ready to move,” Austin commented during the conference. “Before in retail, we would see a decision-maker want to implement a new technology, and they were okay with a 12- to 18-month rollout, especially major nationwide, large retailers. Now when those CIOs are making that decision and they want to bring in the latest AI technology, they want it implemented tomorrow, and they’re ready to invest and they’re ready to grow.”

The biggest learning: Collaboration will be key

The last two years have been about adapting to the new economy. But Bloch said the learning from NRF 2025 is clear: “The industry is now pivoting to growth through collaboration and targeted innovation.”

“Companies are more willing to share components of the value chain where they lack strengths, ensuring better outcomes for everyone,” Bloch continued. “This collaborative mindset—paired with an accelerated focus on the last mile—shows that the retail ecosystem thrives when it works together.”

Ellen Svanström, chief digital information officer with H&M, echoed the need for partnerships during a panel discussion with leaders from Qurate Retail Group and Tapestry. She said partnerships and industry collaboration will be vital to keep up with the rapid pace of technological and customer changes.

“No single player can succeed alone in this rapidly evolving market.”

The universal appreciation for partnerships this year

When asked what takeaway from the event he found most surprising, Bloch  doubled-down on the excitement around “the universal acknowledgment that no single player can succeed alone in this rapidly evolving market.”

He said, “Even the largest retailers are embracing partnerships, combining their strengths with technology providers and delivery networks to build hybrid, scalable solutions. This openness to collaboration signals a profound shift in the market and highlights how the last mile is becoming a shared strategic priority across the ecosystem.”

More retail collaboration means there will be more opportunities to guarantee customer satisfaction in the last mile. By working together, retailers will ensure that products are delivered on time and in excellent condition, leading to a positive customer experience. This increased satisfaction not only fosters loyalty among existing customers but also incentivizes them to become repeat buyers, generating greater revenue and long-term success for retailers.

A collaborative approach among retailers will also optimize delivery routes, reduce shipping costs, and diversify delivery options like same-day or scheduled delivery. By sharing resources and expertise, retailers can create a more efficient and sustainable last-mile delivery network that benefits both businesses and consumers.

Read Bringg’s State of the Last Mile report to access even more 2025 delivery insights

The post Retail’s New Mantra: The Future Is “Better together”—Insights from NRF 2025 appeared first on Bringg.

With consignees demanding more flexibility from their delivery options, retailers, shippers and delivery providers need to understand how to optimize this delivery model – and when to offer their customers other delivery options as well.

This article covers everything you need to know about:

• How a scheduled delivery service differs from other major shipping options 
• Challenges facing scheduled delivery services today 
• Best practices for scheduled delivery options, including when to use other alternatives
• How technology can help you deliver efficiently and cost-effectively for better customer experiences

First, the basics:

What is scheduled delivery?

Scheduled delivery is a method of shipping that plans the date of delivery based on a fixed time window that is convenient for the shipper, the carrier or the consignee. The delivery date may be set by the shipper or carrier or selected by the consignee from a range of one or more delivery options.

How scheduled delivery works

In some cases, the shipper may instruct the carrier to deliver on a specific date, or to choose the first available delivery date among a range of available dates. Other times, the carrier may set the delivery time based on their internal policies and route optimization planning. Alternatively, the delivery time and date can be set by the customer at checkout, if the shipper or carrier allows this option.

The customer receives a delivery estimate, which shows when they can expect to receive the order. 

Why scheduled delivery is still popular

Scheduled or ‘planned’ delivery is a popular shipping option because it usually allows for delivery at a time window which fits the needs of all parties involved, including the shipper, the carrier and the customer. It usually costs significantly less than on demand or same-day delivery as well.

It’s a great option for carriers and shippers, who have enough advanced notice to optimize routes as well as optimally filling delivery vehicles to full capacity and potentially reducing the runs per delivery vehicle.

A potential disadvantage is that the customer may be locked into a delivery time that is slower than what they would prefer. On the other end of the process, the shipper or carrier also may be locked into a service level agreement (SLA) which is less than ideal. If they are forced to make sudden changes to the delivery SLA, the customer may perceive this as a failure to follow through, particularly if they have paid extra for a specific delivery day or window.

Scheduled vs. on demand delivery

Scheduled delivery stands in contrast to on demand delivery, another increasingly popular delivery option. Whereas scheduled delivery involves a planned delivery time window which may be fixed by any party involved in the shipping process and usually represents a compromise between the needs of all parties involved, with on demand delivery, the delivery takes place a short time after the order has been made (within hours or even minutes). 

On demand delivery is common for local delivery, with orders fulfilled from stores, micro-fulfillment centers (MFC’s) or urban warehouses; scheduled deliveries are still most often fulfilled from warehouses belonging to retailers, other shippers, or 3pl logistics providers. 

As with planned delivery, on demand delivery management may be handled in-house or by a third party delivery provider. When using an outside delivery service, the delivery timeline and other variables are subject to the policies of the carrier. For example, the final delivery destination may be changed with on demand delivery just as it may with planned delivery options. 

The best option? Offer both.

On demand and planned delivery serve two different purposes: One is fast, but usually more expensive, while the other is usually free but slower. The best companies provide both options, giving customers additional choice over their order fulfillment. For example, a customer may want an item the same day, even if this comes with a higher delivery fee and inconvenience for the shipper.

Scheduled delivery vs. subscription delivery

Subscription delivery represents an alternative to both scheduled and on demand delivery. With subscription delivery, delivery dates are fixed on a regular schedule, such as every 30 days.

The delivery schedule may be initially set by the customer, the shipper or the carrier. Typically, the customer selects a date for delivery day or timeframe (e.g. 2 day delivery, 4-5 day delivery, etc.). Once the original delivery date is set, it usually doesn’t change. However, delivery exception events may cause delivery commitment changes, including to the estimated delivery date. The customer also may request a different delivery date, but unlike with scheduled delivery, such a request implies a change to the date of delivery on a recurring basis going forward.

One of the advantages of subscription delivery is that it allows customers to pre-order future shipments on a recurring basis instead of placing an order for the same item periodically. This is convenient for the customer, and it encourages repeat business. 

However, subscription delivery offers less flexibility than either scheduled or on demand delivery. That means fewer opportunities to provide customers with convenient delivery options, compared with scheduled or on demand delivery.

When to use on demand or subscription delivery instead of scheduled delivery?

Each method of shipping has its pros and cons and best uses:

• Scheduled or planned delivery is useful when you want to offer customers efficient, affordable delivery and they don’t necessarily require next-day or same-day delivery.
• On demand is useful if your customers demand fast delivery and both you and they can afford the extra costs.
• Subscription delivery is useful if your customers need specific items on a regular periodic schedule.

These methods aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. You may offer different options for different products, customers or scenarios. For example, customers who pay an extra fee may get on demand shipping at a reduced rate.

Challenges of scheduled delivery

Planned delivery operations face a number of significant challenges, ranging from customer expectations to internal challenges meeting scheduled delivery timetables. Let’s look at some of the most common problems facing planned delivery operations before considering best practices designed to address these issues and optimize your delivery options.

Customer Expectations

The issue is simple: customers will go wherever there are more, and better, delivery options – as will shippers. In a recent survey, almost 1 in 2 retailers voiced some level of dissatisfaction with the delivery and pickup options they offered customers; 39% found digitized scheduling too expensive or complicated to offer. Yet in a logistics report, 61% of respondents said their shippers were requesting automated scheduling. 

Self-scheduling is just one element of the delivery experience which retailers and logistics providers struggle to provide end customers.

Manual delivery scheduling is costly

Outdated or disparate technologies can make it hard for delivery and logistics service providers to deliver efficiently and at scale while making their SLAs. 

Staging and dispatching scheduled deliveries is traditionally a low-tech process. For many logistics providers, staging is as simple as moving packages from a pile on a warehouse floor to a truck after it arrives. Too often, this is still a pen and paper process.  

Scheduling – Many companies still schedule delivery via phone, after the order has been made online. This wastes manpower resources, creating potential problems when there aren’t enough staff members available to manage phone calls. 

The time spent keeping customers and carriers on hold causes delays which can contribute to shipments missing their delivery SLAs. This manual process can drive customers away and reduce the number of customers who can be serviced, cutting into profits on two fronts.

Moreover, using the phone to schedule deliveries tends to go hand-in-hand with manual, reactive customer service. Instead of providing customers with digitized smart scheduling and automated delivery updates, too many shippers and carriers still provide customers with delivery estimate information by phone, or manually send them a delivery status update, leading to high WIZMO (“Where is my order”) rates that cost manpower hours and put a damper on the delivery experience. 

Meeting scheduled delivery date targets requires precise planning

Using inefficient technology can have a ripple effect by undermining delivery route planning. 

To consistently deliver on time, the shortest routes need to be identified, multiple delivery stops need to be consolidated, customer schedules need to be considered and timetables need to be drawn up. Inefficiencies or mistakes in any of these areas can cause shipments to miss their scheduled delivery date.

Last-minute changes and delivery exception events can disrupt your plans

Even the best planning can be disrupted by unplanned events. For example, a customer may request a change to their final delivery destination. Or delivery exception events such as snowstorms, flooding, flat tires or orders for out-of-stock items may interfere with the scheduled delivery date.

If you’re not prepared to deal with these kinds of events, and don’t have the tools to manage them in real time, then meeting delivery obligations can be challenging.

Adjusting to changes requires real-time communication with carriers and customers

Making effective adjustments to delivery exception events requires the ability to communicate with carriers and customers in real time. For example, using automated delivery notifications allows shippers to keep in touch with carriers and customers.

If a customer requests a change to the delivery address, this can be communicated to carriers through real-time notifications. When there are no automated delivery system notifications in place, it’s a recipe for miscommunication and failed delivery attempts, resulting in 4-5x the cost for rescheduled deliveries when considering added mileage, fuel, and driver pay 

Creating efficient, flexible and cost-effective scheduled delivery

To achieve efficiency at scale around planned deliveries, the delivery strategy must include accurate planning, the use of advanced technologies, and fully connected resources and processes with a focus on how they affect the customer. 

 Let’s look more closely at some of the best practices:

1. Connect your systems

If companies want to offer real-time capabilities, they need to be integrated with systems belonging to the relevant vendors, 3pl logistics providers, or shippers. 

Each company’s backend data must be synced seamlessly to a centralized repository. Changes in any system – like order cancellations or changes in the delivery window selected – are then automatically updated in both the central and end systems. 

2. Estimate travel time accurately

One of the most important keys to meeting the planned delivery date and time is accurate travel time estimations. Meeting delivery SLAs requires careful, accurate delivery time estimates. This depends on prudent consideration of routes, selection of the shortest routes and accurate estimation of distances.

It also depends on being able to factor in speed limits, traffic, construction and other variables which can impact travel time and affect the delivery SLA. If you have to make an adjustment, such as when a customer changes their final delivery destination, you’re able to estimate your new timetable accurately.

3. Factor in time for drop-offs

Accurate delivery estimates don’t just depend on travel time calculations. They also require factoring in time to drop off items at the scheduled stops.

Some stops may only require a minute to open a mailbox; others may require more time to get a signature or drop off bulk deliveries. In some cases, special delivery equipment may need to be available -for example, threshold or room of choice. 

For delivery stops which involve picking up items from customers, such as picking up recyclable containers, reverse logistics needs to be factored into your delivery calculations. 

4. Schedule deliveries based on priority

Another important tactic is to schedule your delivery timetable based on which shipments need to arrive first.

For example, if a customer has ordered overnight delivery, you may need to combine their shipment with another route run in order to meet your delivery commitment. Or if a customer has updated their final delivery destination, this may require adjusting priorities to meet your new scheduled delivery time.

5. Consolidate trips

Meeting the promised delivery time typically requires consolidating trips. The more deliveries you can make per trip, the less mileage you have to travel, making it easier for you to provide the delivery options your customers want. In the process, you can cut your average cost to deliver. We see this with LTL freight carriers who consolidate their freight with other shippers to reduce the shipping cost.

6. Use software to optimize route planning

Providing scheduled delivery shipping options and delivering on time requires the use of intelligent dispatch and routing software. 

Today’s cutting-edge delivery software can relieve you of the need to optimize routes manually by factoring in all the relevant data you need for timely deliveries and using it to automatically calculate your delivery schedule. This includes data about your fleet, carriers, customers, inventory and orders.

To harness this data for on-time last-mile delivery, all relevant information is processed through a central system which generates optimized route maps and schedules and keeps them updated. 

As orders travel along shipping routes, the system keeps track of where inventory is at all times. This gives shippers, carriers and customers the ability to communicate through real-time updates. 

If there is a change to the delivery address, then a new optimized route can be calculated automatically and relayed to the driver, while an automated notification is sent to the customer. 

7. Communicate with Customers

Everyone wants to stay updated on tracking information. This can be done through a scheduled ‘delivery pending’ message notification system which uses texts or emails to send customers the tracking number and update them on the order status and location. This lets customers see in real time when there are changes to their delivery time. 

Keeping delivery information up-to-date depends on real-time communication between shippers, carriers and customers. 

Customers can be kept in the loop both through access to a central portal with tracking information and through scheduled delivery pending message notifications delivered via text or email.

This type of communication system lets customers know where their package is at all times. It alerts them if they should expect a change because of an exception event. It further allows them to request last-minute changes, such as asking for a final delivery destination reroute to different delivery zip code.

8 Track results and make data-driven adjustments

When delivery data is captured via technology solutions, management can understand how fleet and drivers perform, breaking down elements like loading & dwell time, on-time delivery rate, number of deliveries, OTD (on time delivery) success rate, and customer satisfaction. 

This data helps companies gain actionable insights into their delivery KPIs and make data-driven decisions that can improve delivery efficiency, boost customer satisfaction, and lower the cost to deliver.

You also can harness analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions such as machine learning to drill down into your data for specialized improvements. For example, you might find that certain delivery problems occur mainly within a delivery specific zip code, or when using a specific fleet. We also see this in the white glove space for carriers who like to better understand what the time on-site is for certain products.

Making adjustments accordingly can dramatically improve your on time delivery rates and customer satisfaction. 

How to improve delivery efficiency

Implementing these best practices depends heavily on your selection of suitable technology to handle key tasks such as route optimization and scheduled delivery pending message notifications. An ideal platform should include features such as:

• Last-mile experience optimization tools such as a centralized system for tracking inventory through its journey and automated, real time alerts to customers and dispatchers with the updated delivery status
• Third party delivery integration for connecting with shipping companies seamlessly
• Fleet and driver management tools for handling tasks such as viewing available drivers and issuing driver payments
• Dispatching and routing automation tools
• A driver app to help drivers load items faster into trucks, get through their tasks faster, and deliver more
• Integrations that connect your delivery system and resources – internal and external – with your supply chain

Not all platforms will include all these features. Do your due diligence to select the platform appropriate for your needs.

Optimize your planned delivery procedures to maximize customer satisfaction

Offering scheduling delivery as part of an omnichannel fulfillment strategy is critical to meeting customer expectations today. But growing customer demand for fast delivery, inefficiencies of scheduling by phone, the need for precise planning, the risk of plans getting disrupted by exception events and the necessity of real-time communication. 

Best practices for addressing these issues revolve around accurate, optimized route planning, supported by real-time communication such as scheduled delivery pending message notifications to make adjustments to changes.

These best practices are best implemented using delivery technology to optimize route planning and shipment management. Coupled with analytics, this can enable you to continuously improve your performance through small, ongoing adjustments. 

Have multiple delivery models in your arsenal

As businesses prioritize supply chain optimization and adopt new tools and strategies – including customer-centric operations and automated delivery solutions that connect resources – they can become more efficient and cost-effective, while providing customers with the convenience they’re looking for from their delivery.

To optimize scheduled delivery, it’s imperative to choose the right last mile delivery platform. An ideal platform may include a wide range of features such as last-mile inventory tracking, order fulfillment, fleet management, automated dispatching and routing and third-party delivery and software integration. Some delivery apps may have one or more of these features, while best-in-class tools will have a full range of features. Choose the solution which best meets your needs.

The post Scheduled Delivery: How to Create Speed, Savings, and Better Delivery Experiences appeared first on Bringg.

To meet these new challenges in delivery volume and service type as well as to maintain customer satisfaction, businesses can hire more drivers or engage more contracted fleets. But to fulfill efficiently, taking into consideration jumps in demand, costs to deliver, and driver efficiency, businesses also need to be smarter about how they dispatch and use these fleets. This is where service dispatch software comes into play. 

The right dispatch software will free your team to focus on delivery performance, improving resource management, service speed and fuel costs, and ultimately the customer experience. This post covers the primary features to look for in dispatch software.

What is dispatch software?

Dispatch software utilizes automation to select the driver or fleet which will deliver an order. This technology can be anything from simple apps to ‘digitized’ pen and paper spreadsheets, to platforms which connect the entire supply chain, including integrations with external fleets, retail systems, and other logistics systems.

Why do you need dispatch software?

Today, customer experience is everything. When ordering delivery, customers expect transparency, efficiency and in many cases, speed. With mobile device orders and tracking becoming increasingly popular, service dispatch software is necessary to improve customer service. Utilizing the technology available today, businesses and logistics providers can boost service management to a new level and make sure their dispatch operations support a great customer experience.

It’s not just about customer satisfaction, however. Two-day shipping costs almost twice as much operationally as five-day shipping, yet it has become a standard in today’s market, as have on demand services. Optimizing dispatch operations can help businesses save time and money while meeting these competitive standards.

For example, optimized dispatch can cut down on some of the costs of faster delivery by reducing fuel costs. Estimated costs for a truck roll start at $150 and go as high as $500; reducing even one truck roll per day can add up to significant monthly and quarterly savings.

The problem with dispatching software today

Too many tech stacks used today for on demand and scheduled delivery are outdated and inefficient. If the software can’t be accessed by a mobile device, for example, it simply isn’t suited for the needs of a modern mobile workforce. 

Efficient job scheduling, route planning and trucking dispatch planning can be difficult if not impossible for logistics companies to handle without updated technology. Intelligent dispatch software can provide the enhanced flexibility companies need to enable the customer experience that brands and end customers expect, while remaining cost-effective. 

1. ‘Smart’ automated scheduling software

Both large and small businesses today know they have to prioritize reducing customer calls if they want to improve overall customer satisfaction. One way to do this is to offer automated appointment scheduling. 

With white glove delivery as well as many types of services, the end customer or consignee is required to be home for the delivery. Scheduling and dispatching go hand in hand in this process, since delivery windows, dates and pricing vary based on a fleet’s real-time capacity and availability. 

How does this work?

When someone places an order online and pays for 48-hour delivery, the retailer and logistics provider know where the inventory is, and that it must reach the customer within two days. Once the order is ready, either the brand or the logistics provider can send an automated message to the customer, directing them to schedule their exact delivery window online. This job scheduling software can save thousands of hours each month for service providers who would otherwise deal with many more customer calls. 

To be accurate and efficient, as well as saving time and resources, job scheduling should be part of a dispatching solution that bases scheduling on the availability of inventory and fleets.

2. Customized dispatching according to operational logic and business priorities

Different businesses have different KPIs and need dispatch solutions that suit their specific business goals. 

For businesses quickly ramping up capacity by engaging new fleets, dispatch limitations will hold back their ability to scale. It’s also unrealistic to expect dispatchers to take every factor into consideration. You need a ‘smart’ operating system that can make decisions for you, based on your unique considerations.

These considerations can include:

• Vehicle volume and weight capacity
• Driver costs
• Vehicle and fleet regional suitability (e.g. bike in cities)
• Time-to-delivery
• Advanced delivery requirements – Contactless, returns and rejections, age and regulatory restricted deliveries
• Estimated time on site, time to warehouse or dark kitchen and time-to-deliver to ensure on time deliveries

Driver and technician skills

To dispatch technicians for a white glove delivery or field service, you will need software that takes into consideration both the specific skills required for the delivery, and the availability of both the relevant drivers, and any special tools or vehicle that they may need to perform the service.

Field service management software

Field service management aims to meet the needs of today’s customer by providing shorter service windows, faster services, and tools to help field technicians with task management. This change is new for many field service companies who are used to relying on phone calls for scheduling and reminding customers of their scheduled service. Now, customers want the ability to make changes, have real time access to their orders and expect a digitized experience from field service businesses. 

To answer these demands, field service management must go beyond standard job management software or dispatching solutions. It must include additional capabilities such as identifying unique skill sets required for specific services. For example, if a service requires a specific set of skills, the field service management software can match an order requiring a specific set of skills with the relevant field technician, or identify when a service requires multiple technicians, and dispatches them accordingly. 

Giving field service technicians a mobile app for task management – such as digital proof of delivery, waste management, and editing job details on demand at the job site – will make it easier for them to perform more jobs and lead to better field service in general.

A mobile, all in one app can provide all the tools drivers and technicians need for on-site job management. Mobile apps can be used to

• Edit job details and schedule jobs ad hoc
• Assign jobs to others
• Digitally sign forms
• Edit the job location in case of a mistaken address
• Record job progress in real time

By embracing field service management software and putting an emphasis on customer management, a field service business can improve its delivery services while reducing service time and costs.

3. Route optimization and order batching

A simple way to fulfill more orders is to deliver more on a single run. Intelligent service dispatch software should therefore sync with or include route optimization software with automated order batching and drop density optimization.

Route planning and optimization – takes multiple variables into account – such as distance, estimated timing for all delivery stages, and custom business considerations – to calculate the optimal route.

Batching – Identify orders in the same delivery windows which are located near one another, and can be batched to reduce the cost of delivery.

Trucking dispatch software, route planning and optimization

For oversized deliveries and some services, dispatching trucks and timing delivery routes must take loading and unloading time into consideration. Dispatchers often want to know whether or not the consignee or recipient has a dedicated space for loading and unloading. Typically, dispatchers prefer to use smaller delivery vehicles for recipients that do not have a dedicated loading / unloading area, as these vehicles are easier to park closer to the recipient. However, if a larger vehicle is used for these deliveries, the time on site will often need to be adjusted for parking and unloading time.

The best trucking dispatch software will be able to optimize trucking dispatch and even truck loading on the vehicle level. These capabilities will both save time and ensure you are utilizing the optimal vehicle for each delivery or service.

4. Real time integrations

No logistics software exists in a vacuum, and your dispatch software should be no exception. Dispatching solutions exist within an ecosystem of highly specific variables – from inventory to orders, as well as driver, fleet and vehicle availability – so it’s worthwhile to check potential systems for how the software integrates with the relevant OMS (Order Management System), TMS and other operational systems.

When logistics providers were asked which technology would help them differentiate the most and win new last mile business, the top answer (43%) was easy integration to enable multiple delivery models. This means that shippers want the ability to be able to work with both owned fleets as well as contracted carriers (depending on demand and scheduled dispatching) with ease. The best way to facilitate this is a successful integration in order to connect data, resources and operations in real time, a feature that many are currently lacking. When checking new carriers, make sure to take into account which integrations are offered and what dispatch software is used for this. 

5. Automated dispatch and manual dispatch

Your dispatch solution must meet your business goals, even as those goals change according to market needs. For active routes and same-day delivery, make sure that the dispatch solution you choose can support real-time, automated dispatching. For planned routes and deliveries that are next day or later, ensure that the dispatch tool allows dispatchers to intervene manually, (e.g. to support a customer with an urgent need). Strong dispatch solutions will allow you to use the same delivery resources for static, dynamic and real-time dispatch and deliveries.

6. Fulfillment Flexibility and automation

Flexible dispatch allows businesses to create different delivery logic and flows for every use case. This can mean using different fleet models in tandem, with a fleet tethered to a store, or pooled within a region. It also means automatically allocating orders to the optimal fulfillment location (e.g. an MFC, dark kitchen, or one of several local retail locations), and then dispatching deliveries as needed. This way, different delivery or service providers can be used for local deliveries in different geographies.

Automation via a mobile app

Automation tools are not only for dispatch. In order to create a fully effective tool, dispatch software should be synced with a mobile app for drivers that creates streamlined communication between dispatchers and drivers or technicians. Mobile apps also help mobile workers manage customer delivery expectations, an important part of customer management. 

7. Visibility, communication and coordination

Intelligent service dispatch software works as part of an integrated, intelligent ecosystem, ensuring that every team works in sync. Each team in a delivery flow needs to know when and where they should be in order to hand off a delivery to the next team. This means drivers need to be told which location they should pick up from, which loading bay they should go to, and when they are needed. Similarly, retail staff need to know which orders need to be prepared, where they should be staged and when. Customers also want to have access to information to know where their driver or technician is, especially when it comes to emergency services. 

All of this must be fully automated and coordinated, in order to minimize expenses, while meeting the customer’s delivery windows. And in today’s market, all of this must be supported equally for multiple fulfillment models: delivery from store or MFC, curbside pickup, click and collect, reverse logistics, and more.

Mobile inventory and asset management should also be a part of your dispatching solution, whether as a separate integrated management system or as part of your dispatch technology.

Centralize dispatch operations with contractors and master contractors

In many cases, shippers need the ability to dispatch across internal and external drivers, as if they were a single team. Others want to dispatch on the fleet level, then delegate the final optimization of outsourced drivers and vehicles to the master contractors.

This calls for trucking dispatch software solutions with customized permissions that give the contractor customized visibility over their drivers and those orders which are assigned to them, as well as access to dispatching tools for both planned and active routes.

You will also need a dashboard which displays upcoming deliveries and those in progress. Ideally, this dashboard will have different views, so that dispatchers of contracted fleets can view only their drivers, while still keeping all of the data in one centralized location. This way, both contractor and provider can be alerted if a driver is running late, or if anything goes wrong.

Centralizing dispatch of both internal and external fleets will enable you to handle greater delivery volumes, while using contracted fleets more cost-effectively.

8. Real time data and alerts

Customers want GPS tracking for their deliveries. They want to know exactly where their order is and when they will receive it. 

Not only do the customers look for real-time data and alerts through mobile apps and other methods, so do the dispatchers. Dispatchers need visibility into their resources, from driver and fleet availability to understanding where trucks are when requests on existing routes come in.

A dispatch platform that is synced with inventory as well as fleet availability can create more efficient and cost-effective routes that ensure on-time deliveries, as well as potentially creating room for more orders per route. All of that can only be accomplished only through a tight loop of accurate real-time data, live alerts, and the resulting decisions made by dispatchers.

‘Smart’ dispatch software should contain automated delivery exception flows which trigger relevant processes and alert the right people when something unexpected happens.

Live alerts must be extremely rapid, accurate, and sent to the right people over the correct channels. These alerts act as a ‘decision hub’ for zero-hour delivery facts on the ground, and should include automatic sms notifications on delivery status, driver ratings, average time-to-delivery, missed deliveries, and everything else relevant to crucial dispatcher decision making. Software that include predictive capabilities on top of dispatching can even prevent or at least mitigate critical incidents – for example, alerting drivers and customers when a delay in delivery or service is predicted.

9. Robustness and Agility

Choose a modular platform with capabilities that can expand with your needs.

As your delivery services expand, so will your dispatching needs. You may engage additional contractors or external fleets, expand to crowdsourced delivery, or even use more internal drivers; you may work with trucks but then expand to other vehicles. The same goes for geographic reach, and dozens of variables.

The best service dispatch software platforms will  include dispatching alongside other tools for fast, efficient delivery. Choose a leading solution with modular capabilities that can expand with your needs, whether you work with a fleet of 50 vehicles or 5,000. For enterprises or businesses supporting multiple delivery and fulfillment models at scale, managing your different flows from a single, centralized platform is the best way to ensure optimal resource utilization.

Cloud based service dispatch software

Using top service dispatch software including fleet management solutions is critical in today’s delivery market. With demands rising and customers expecting easy and quick deliveries, companies looking to keep up with market standards must adapt new technologies. This includes using cloud based software for easy access to data by multiple teams across different geographic regions.

Look for a cloud based solution with all of the features discussed above to increase your efficiency and capacity for rapidly changing markets, and improve your service speed and costs.

Dispatch technology is just a small piece in the puzzle. Connecting, digitizing, automating and optimizing the entire delivery process will set market leaders apart from market donors in the era where, to shippers, customer experience is king.

Frequently asked questions:

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The average delivery driver can make dozens of stops a day. For post and parcel, that number goes up to the hundreds. There are trillions of different ways to sequence these stops — and that’s not factoring in variables like traffic patterns, custom delivery times and inventory requirements.

With consumer eCommerce habits showing no signs of slowing down, managing smooth delivery operations stands to grow even more complex and costly.

Industry-wide, last-mile delivery now contributes to at least 41 percent of supply chain expenses. Inefficiencies don’t just keep these costs sky-high – they compromise a business’s ability to scale.  

Today’s route planner apps help to fill these gaps. These routing apps empower carriers and retailers with delivery drivers to go the extra mile — boosting customer satisfaction, scalability and profit margins alike.  

What are delivery route planner apps? 

A route planner app is a software application that digitizes itineraries. At its core, the objective of a route planner is to find the quickest way to get drivers from point A to point B.

Google Maps is an example of a route planner at its most basic. Whether you’re running errands, touring a new city or want to get around a construction zone on the way to work, the Google maps app sources the most efficient path you can take while listing several relevant options. You get turn-by-turn directions and routes that aim to minimize your time spent on the road.  

This route planner functionality benefits everyday drivers, but becomes pivotal for delivery drivers. Route planning helps businesses lower shipping costs like fuel consumption, increase capacity and meet their customers’ expectations for on-time deliveries.

And while a basic route planner like Google Maps is handy for speeding up morning commutes, it is not a delivery route planner app. The average route planner app in the app store simply does not meet the needs of today’s delivery driver, courier or the delivery industry as a whole.

Delivery route planning constraints

In the past, simple A to B to C route planning — whether manual or automated — sufficiently accommodated delivery demands. Businesses generally cut orders off a full day before inventory shipped, giving teams ample time to plan and tweak the best delivery route. Alternatively businesses used milk routes with set routes that never changed.

eCommerce changed all that. Today’s delivery ecosystem is far more complex, thanks to factors like on-demand delivery models and wide-ranging product requirements. Delivery businesses need to adapt to today’s challenges to stay competitive — because according to experts, our accelerating digital economy is a trend that’s here to stay.

Consumers are turning up the pressure

The volume and variety of online orders aren’t the only things on the rise. Customers expect more from the delivery service itself today, and the list of expectations keeps growing.

For example, it was once common to wait 7 to 10 business days for a package, but 43 percent of people now choose next-day delivery. They also expect it to be free — 73 percent say that they’ve abandoned their shopping cart when encountering a delivery fee.

Customers also have little tolerance for any hiccups and delays. According to one report, 98 percent of people say that reliable delivery is a key part of their brand loyalty. 

A route optimization app isn’t about increasing savings or driver retention alone; it’s about promising a delivery experience that builds brand loyalty.

Route planning features: more pieces in the delivery routing puzzle

The effects of today’s eCommerce demand trickle down into all aspects of the delivery lifecycle. When routing shipments to a destination, simply finding the best road to take is no longer enough.

Businesses today need to grapple with a range of logistical challenges and constraints.

The list of possible route planning constraints is long, and can include:

• Collection SLA (pickup time window)
• Customer SLA (delivery or service time window)
• Start and end location (distance)
• Inventory details (weight, volume, cost, quantity, services vs. goods)
• Time-on-site for pickups and drop-offs
• Cost structure (per drop, per km/mile, per shift, per day)
• Driver skill set
• Vehicle capabilities
• Resource availability
• Inventory-specific instructions

These complications become compounded the larger an enterprise is. Companies that deliver from hundreds of stores or warehouses often work with multiple fleets, managing multiple pickup locations on top of multiple stops.

All of these details about each delivery — the right driver, the right type of delivery transportation, the right fleet, picking up the right package from the right pickup point, and delivering it to the right stop — must be a part of any route planning software you use, if you want to truly provide more efficient, customer-friendly deliveries.

How to optimize multi stop deliveries

With delivery volumes on the upswing and logistics increasingly complex, throwing more trucks and drivers at the problem is a natural impulse. It’s not a sustainable solution, however.

Escalating fleet costs can quickly drain profits from an expanding business — while reducing your control over meeting customer expectations. This makes it difficult or altogether unfeasible to scale operations.

The key lies in making delivery routing smarter, not broader, by planning more delivery routes with multiple stops. The right delivery route planner app is an important step in a multi stop route strategy.

Here’s how intelligent route planners can help you plan better routes with multiple stops: 

Design inventory-specific routes

To increase multi stop route efficiency, businesses can organize delivery routes based on types of parcels, requirements and restrictions. This means categorizing orders given considerations like:

• Freight weight and limitations like bridge capacities and truck size
• How products are affected by time spent in transit, like groceries or other time-sensitive items
• Products that customers can reject or return on delivery
• Items with special requirements like age restrictions
• Recurring or subscription-based orders

If you compare different categories – for example couriers, and carriers performing oversized deliveries – it’s clear that their delivery teams will have different needs. Anticipating the best potential routes for certain categories helps construct a reliable route management framework. Route planning software then optimizes this structure hour-by-hour. It takes the outline you develop and makes the right tweaks within the day’s context, reflecting variables like traffic patterns, fleet availability, priorities and restrictions.

Improve drop density based on customer addresses

Planning delivery routes based on batches of customer addresses adds an extra layer to route optimization. This strategy considers your inventory-specific routes and leverages the logic of basic route mapping software  — covering the most locations and number of stops in the shortest amount of time.

This approach prioritizes drop density with respect to a business’s custom considerations. The route planning software crunches all the respective data together, engineering routes that meet delivery requirements while reducing drive time to a minimum.

Avoid left-hand turns

Basic route planning is intuitive by design — it identifies the best path based on the least total distance. While this approach is great for trips across town, it can actually chip away at cost-effectiveness over time.

Research shows that avoiding left-hand turns (or right-hand turns for regions that drive on the left side of the road) saves fuel, limits delays, and reduces the risk of accidents by up to 60 percent. This tactic can save delivery businesses significant time and money — and executing it doesn’t mean restricting left-hand turns altogether.

Quality routing apps can make the right distinction. They optimize routes to ensure drivers avoid the costly turn where possible but permit it when sensible, like in a residential area with light traffic.

Track driver activity

Even the best route planner won’t be effective if it’s not implemented properly. To keep efficiency high and costs low, businesses need a route optimization web app with driver tracking in order to see the location of drivers and understand their activity along the route.

Route optimization with driver tracking helps businesses take this human element into account — and then monitor operational adherence. The app forms multi stop routes that factor in drivers break times, skill sets and regulatory requirements. Real-time GPS tracking then works to prevent activity that compromises productivity, like unauthorized detours and idling at stops.

Continually analyze route data

Because the variables that can affect route efficiency are constantly in flux, multi stop route optimization is not a static process; . Gaining an in-depth understanding of your business’s delivery metrics and key performance indicators helps ensure your delivery route planner meets demands and challenges as they evolve and change. This ongoing analysis can also reveal gaps in operations — and optimization opportunities.

Does your delivery business need a delivery route planner app?

Optimized route planners empower businesses to scale deliveries, save costs and offer customers the options and high-level service they expect. They also provide a powerful tool for drivers that can increase retention. It’s a crucial logistical tool for any operation that manages multiple drivers or fleets, or that has a multi-stop use case.

With built-in flexibility, smart delivery route planners also cater to businesses’ individual needs. they integrate right into your workflow to overcome challenges today’s delivery businesses face, like:

• Managing both eCommerce and in-store orders
• Offering multiple delivery models and premium services
• Considering operational requirements like cut-off times and driver schedules
• Combining automated routing and manual dispatching
• Accommodating time-sensitive items like food, pharmaceuticals, and on demand delivery orders
• Adhering to regulatory restrictions

Route optimization software doesn’t just reduce logistical headaches for drivers around routes. It can maximize the potential of each driver, increasing drop density while limiting costs like fuel and extra vehicle support. These results empower businesses to continually scale up operations cost-effectively without adding to administrative burdens and organizational bloat. And as speed and efficiency improves, so do customer and shipper satisfaction.

However, it’s important to note that only a few apps address all of these challenges. When choosing a route planner app for deliveries, look for one that is built with delivery drivers and their needs in mind, that addresses your most pressing delivery challenges, and can work with the routing constraints that make sense for your delivery or logistics operations.

What is the best route planner app? 

It’s not just about finding the fastest routes for your delivery teams. In order to be effective, delivery route optimization software needs to be flexible enough to accommodate your business’s individual needs — from workflow processes to organizational rules, delivery teams and customer variables. It should also encourage growth by responding quickly to any changes as your business evolves.  

These outcomes require an app that goes beyond basic route mapping or route planning features. The best delivery optimization apps support every step of the delivery lifecycle — offering a comprehensive, tailored business solution.

The most supportive framework includes features such as:

Flexible fleet management

Great route optimization software offers complete control over fleet management processes. It isolates ideal shipping routes and then enables users to plan, dispatch and analyze deliveries from a 360-degree view.

This capability allows you to manage individual drivers and third-party fleets alike, accounting for factors like scheduling, availability, capacity planning, regulations and costs. It also helps identify which shipping methods, sequencing and vehicles are most suitable for each order based on factors like cold chain requirements, heavy or oversized items or unloading considerations.

Seamless integration

Any route planner software you use should amplify your business’s processes — not complicate them. Your route planning app should be easy to implement into your current workflow, including stress-free onboarding for current drivers and contractor partners. 

While this makes for a smooth transition to smarter routing, it also promotes scaled growth. A simple but powerful route optimization interface accommodates quick expansion to new terrains, like adding new fleets, regions and premium services.

Real-time driver tracking 

It’s not just about structuring and planning optimized delivery routes. ALL relevant stakeholders – the delivery team, dispatchers – managers, and others – need to be able to monitor your delivery framework in action.  

Real-time driver tracking provides up-to-date, accurate information about the locations of drivers and assets and helps ensure compliance to route strategies. This visibility also closes gaps that compromise operations. Dispatchers can make on-the-fly tweaks to routes, fleet managers have instant access to vehicle availability, and customers can set accurate expectations for package delivery.

Robust data reporting on routes

Today’s routing technologies also collect valuable data that speaks to the efficiency of your business’s operations. Make sure that the platform you choose allows real-time access to data, including:

• Driver data like driving distance, route compliance, break times and loading/unloading times.
• Performance data like on-time percentages, cost per delivery, and variations between drivers and regions.  
• Customer data like satisfaction levels, demand for different delivery timeframes or models and cases of rejected or damaged items.

Understanding these variables helps inform further route optimization, improve on time delivery rates and reduce failures. 

Smart route planning and route management

Platforms with built-in machine learning offer the most sustainable solution to total delivery management. Historical data informs increasingly optimized routes that cater directly to your business’s needs and priorities. It allows variables like fleet speed, driver time on-site and vehicle unloading time to become more defined — improving overall accuracy and more effective routing choices.

Proof of delivery

Drivers, especially experienced ones, are a commodity for carriers and delivery providers. With driver retention a major pain point, a smart business will look for a driver app that makes their drivers’ work easier, and which includes functionalities for improving driver performance. These multifunctional applications can help drivers manage the entire delivery flow, from mobile order management to digital proof of delivery. 

The best route planner app will include a proof of delivery interface, where drivers can collect an electronic signature from the consignee and automatically include it in the chain of custody. It should be available on iOS and Android for ease of use, as well. 

24/7 live support

Route optimization platforms help you anticipate challenges and plan for the unexpected to achieve optimal fleet efficiency. But whether you’re in a pinch or looking to scale operations, your system should have your back at any time.

Creating an efficiency, speedy route at scale with automated route management

Moving forward, last mile delivery will play an oversized role in ecommerce sales. Creating a speedy route and automating multi stop route planning will be critical for boosting operational efficiency, retaining drivers, and delivering great experiences that create brand trust. 

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Meeting The Modern Customer’s High Expectations

In the Era of Amazon and Uber, customers expect unprecedented levels of flexibility, speed and transparency.

Can’t make an appointment? They expect to be able to reschedule. Is it raining outside? Customers want to wait in a nearby McDonalds, and receive an automated notification when the roadside assistance technician has arrived. They also expect shorter service windows, and the ability to rate any service provider following a service call. They expect to be heard.

Field service providers must be able to meet these expectations across every touchpoint, from their call center, mobile app, website, support, chatbots, and more. Customers expect reasonable promise windows and to be updated in real-time as their service appointment nears.

While a patchwork of point solutions can address some of these requirements, this setup requires constant maintenance and often fails to scale.

Digital orchestration platforms, also called delivery orchestration platforms, provide the unique ability to manage the entire customer flow, while improving both agility and cost-efficiency.

Improving Agility & Efficiency

Traditional supply chains operations utilize distinct resources for on-demand delivery and scheduled services.

In contrast, modern logistics management software offers solutions for both, using a unified resource pool. The key to their success lies in their ability to translate complex logistical challenges into data-driven, automated decisions, at scale.

For example, delivery orchestration platforms now offer integrated, automated dispatch and routing. These solutions take a diverse set of criteria into consideration. A single service call to repair a laptop screen requires the technology platform dozens of parameters into consideration, including: technician availability, location and suitability – vehicle availability, location and suitability – inventory location, cost and availability – current schedules – the cost to serve – customer data (e.g. customer subscription package and renewal date) – external or contract resource options – time in transit, time to park and time on site – and more.

Offering the optimal balance of agility, quality and efficiency requires a remarkable amount of data, and a unique set of technologies.

Dispatch and routing is just one example of how Orchestration platforms are using data to transform service organizations at every level. Customized, intuitive mobile applications expedite technician onboarding, enforce process compliance and improve operational efficiency. Automation and real-time visibility free dispatchers and support staff from unnecessary busywork. Real-time performance insights help executives make informed business decisions. Every stakeholder and node in the logistics chain benefits from improved coordination, visibility, collaboration and efficiency.

Digitizing Field Service Management

Facing growing complexity, field service leaders are increasingly turning to digital transformation, and more specifically to orchestration platforms as the optimal solution to meeting growing market demand.

The principle is clear: when you digitize and connect every element of your field service management and operations, optimization and automation become a matter of data science.

When you apply the right models, modules and logical components, from machine learning to neural networks, there is no limit to your ability to improve and grow.

The post Modernizing Field Service to Meet Today’s Customer Expectations appeared first on Bringg.

Smarter, digitized route optimization can not only ensure an efficient route every time, but also provide the flexibility you need to grow your business.

This post explores the different elements of route optimization, and which technology you need in order to deliver more orders, in less time, at scale.

What is route optimization, and why you need it

Delivery route optimization takes route planning to the next level by maximizing the number of deliveries along a route in the shortest amount of time possible. By optimizing routes, shippers can increase the number of deliveries done per day, a critical capability in today’s eCommerce environment.

Traditionally, a dispatcher or manager plans the routes drivers will take for scheduled deliveries in order to deliver as many orders as possible, in as short a time as possible. As order volumes and drivers increase, the logistics become more complex. This becomes even more complicated when on demand (same day or next day) delivery is taken into consideration.

Whether in the form of a route planner app or as part of a larger logistics solution, automated route optimization is the digital answer to manual route planning and a standard requirement today for engineering faster and better routes.

Why you need automated, real-time route optimization software:

• Improve shipper and customer satisfaction by providing accurate quotes at online checkout
• Reduce cost to deliver – both by reducing fuel costs and increasing drop density
• scale up delivery operations cost effectively using your existing drivers and fleet

The right route optimization software can significantly boost drop density and reduce the cost to deliver.

Route optimization: providing reliable delivery quotes

When consumers shop on a retail site and go to checkout, they’re usually presented with only a few delivery options: next-day, 5 day, etc. Whether or not orders can be sent earlier depends on many factors, including order availability and driver availability.

Route Optimization Software should take the following variables into consideration:

• Business rules which may be unique to your business – as compared to preset variables
• Fleet Variables
• Driver Variables
• Customer Variables
• Order Variables

Real time delivery quotes at Bringg

Upon checkout, customers are presented with scheduling slots. These slots can either be based on real-time available capacity or they can just consider cut-off times and not real capacity

If scheduling is based on real-time capacity, slots that can be inserted into the existing delivery scheduling are presented. This is done via route optimization by crunching together data related to the driver and fleet capacity with data related to the specific order and customer and achieving optimal slots.

Learn more about the Last Mile Experience with Bringg >>

However, not all route optimization solutions are equal. Moreover, every business has different logic and operational requirements, and not every route optimization solution will take those requirements into consideration, or provide the flexibility your business requires.

Routing constraints

An intelligent routing engine is one that can be configured in multiple ways, to meet multiple delivery models, including on demand and scheduled delivery.

What to look for:

• Software that can run optimization several times a day, or several times an hour, making it ideal for supporting multiple commercial and operational needs.
• A routing engine that determines which orders go together in the same run, then plans the route based on these priorities as well as your operational constraints.

There are hundreds of different hard and soft constraints that can be taken into consideration. When looking at route optimization tools, it’s important to check whether there are a set list of constraints, how flexible this list is, and how the constraints are prioritized against one another.

The best route optimization software will not only include multiple variables, but give business the choice of how much weight to give each variable during optimization.

Hard vs. soft constraints
A hard constraint is a question with a clear yes/no answer, one that the routing engine treats as a mandate before deciding on how to route the order. For example, if trucks past a certain weight are not allowed on a bridge, they will be routed through another road. If a grocery order can’t be left in the vehicle for more than an hour, then the order will be delivered on a route within that time frame – or moved to another driver, and another run, where the hard constraint can be met. This helps grocers support the cold chain, but it is also relevant for delivering anything whose quality is affected by time spent in transit.

A soft constraint is one which a routing engine treats as a preference, and tries to apply whenever possible. It’s often the soft constraints which separate the ‘acceptable’ route from the optimal route. Businesses can set soft constraints around parameters like fleet, time and cost considerations, such as preferring to deliver with fleet X (the less expensive fleet, or the one with the best rating) over fleet Y, whenever possible.

• Hard Constraints – strict requirements
• Soft Constraints – preference
• Custom parameters – variables that the business adds for consideration

Soft and hard constraints are typically combined to determine the optimal route. For example, when an order cannot be delivered within the requested delivery time window because the refrigerated truck does not have the capacity (hard constraint), the business may choose to deliver it as close as possible to the requested time window (soft constraint).

Customer parameters – Many businesses want to plan routes based on customized parameters that most route optimization software does not include. For this reason, until recently, many large enterprises attempted to create automated route optimization in house. Today, there are platforms which support the ability to add custom parameters which the routing engine can take into consideration when routing orders. For example, a business may want to take the customer’s lifetime value into consideration.

Variables and business Rules for route optimization to consider can include:

• Driver Variables – The number of drivers, maximum time on the road, maximum distance from the starting point, driver working hours (including regulatory restrictions); driver break times; driver skills (for example, assembly or installation)
• Data received from the OMS/CRM/Scheduling system – This can include availability and priority
• Order Variables – Prep, staging or loading time; the package size; hot, cold, or fragile storage; requires a specific certification; requires age verification – for example, selling alcohol;
• Vehicle and Road Variables – Estimated time on site; the number of vehicles; vehicle type; vehicle capacity (weight and volume); capability (e.g. the ability to lift loads); fleet runs (on a recurring route); cost

This list is broad, and not every variable here will be necessary for your operations. However, it shows the breadth and depth of variables that exist across orders, customers, vehicles, drivers and fleets that you may want your routing system to take into consideration when automatically planning routes.

Traffic patterns and road restrictions

Traditionally, a route planner app would take traffic patterns into consideration, but often this would be supplemented by experienced dispatchers and their on-the-ground knowledge of hourly, weekly and seasonal traffic behavior. Routing software can have preset traffic patterns identified, in order to automatically plan different routes based on traffic considerations.

Similarly, many route optimization solutions do not take road restrictions into consideration. These can be legal restrictions such as roads with weight limits, or paths restricted to bicycles. However, there can be individual business restrictions to traveling through a certain area – for example, traveling through a dangerous neighborhood. These variables require a great deal of customization in order to fit the demands of a specific business.

Routing and truck navigation

Large trucks used in commercial transport often face unique routing considerations. Heavy commercial trucks may not be allowed to drive on some roads and require routes designed around their weight, model or delivery volume.

A good route optimization system will take highway and route regulations as well as vehicle variables into consideration. This prevents companies from accidentally planning a route which trucks cannot travel, thereby avoiding rerouting while a truck is en route and the subsequent massive (and massively expensive) delays.

Integration with other systems

Many of the variables defined above will only be available on a delivery platform that includes, or integrates with, systems such as OMS, CRM and scheduling systems. Most route optimization systems lack these integrations and therefore cannot optimize routes based on order or customer data.

What is flexible route optimization software?

The secret to creating the optimal route at scale is flexibility. The more flexible the routing engine, the more optimal the results will be for each team’s particular needs.

What a flexible Route Optimization solution should support:

• Planned and on demand delivery models with the same resources
• Automated, manual and semi-automated routing
• Internal and external fleets, and different fleet models

Planned vs. on-demand delivery services

A strong route optimization solution should support multiple delivery models, from same-day and on-demand delivery, to routes planned days in advance. Businesses may need to include planned orders coming in from eCommerce sites alongside requests for home delivery from in-store orders. In this scenario, the in-store orders are added to the orders already planned, and the routing engine automatically recalculates the route, including that new order. This lets businesses plan routes based on what is optimal for each region or operation, and use the same resources – fleets, store staff, and inventory – to fulfill both types of deliveries.

Automatic and manual route optimization

As the above example shows, part of routing flexibility is the ability for a solution to run routing automatically, to suggest routes, or to provide dispatchers with the tools to manually plan out and optimize their routes.

Businesses can apply one or several different routing solutions per geographic area or location, such as using a dispatcher for a large supermarket, but using automatic route optimization for smaller suburban stores. Some may want to run routes three times a day with specific cutoff times, while others may be entirely manual. Other organizations may want to standardize routing, which can be easily configured.
The decision on how much automation to apply is often based on order volume or speed. The largest volumes of orders, and the ones with the fastest promised times (i.e. on demand delivery) generally require automated routing.

Businesses that want to offer on-demand delivery generally require fully automated dispatch and routing to get the orders out fast: automatically choosing the optimal driver and vehicle, from the optimal fleet, and calculating the optimal route based on your businesses priorities and promised delivery time.

Supporting manual Route Optimization – Some businesses have experienced dispatchers with an encyclopedic knowledge of routes who prefer to manage routes manually. In this case, our Route Optimization saves the dispatcher time by supporting their manual planning. Some dispatchers prefer to have the system suggest a route, and then to manually tweak the routes as desired. Others prefer to plan the entire route manually. Bringg provides the recommendations and insights to support both scenarios. For example, the dispatch dashboard’s preview map automatically recalculates ETAs, providing the insights dispatchers need to optimize their route.

Flexibility around fleets and driver models

The most advanced routing solutions today are those that support multiple routing modes within a single environment, a single team, or even with the same resources.

Pooled vs. tethered fleets – Businesses can create routes for drivers who serve a designated region, moving in between different warehouses, stores and customers, and for drivers who only pick up orders from a single place.

Internal and external fleets – When businesses work with contractors and third party fleets, the most route optimization software should be available for the use of all, allowing both internal and external dispatchers and drivers to optimize routes.

This flexibility becomes a major factor in increasing drop density. Low drop density – a big factor in delivery costs – is often caused by ‘milkman’ routes that do not take multiple business needs or delivery models into consideration. Besides prioritizing drop density as a routing constraint, the most advanced route optimization solutions can also route orders for different delivery models on the same run. This means that a driver with a dedicated route can do pickups and dropoffs on the same run, optimized to ensure the truck is filled to (and not above) maximum volume.

Creating accurate, optimal routes based on data science

Flexible, automated route planning software can help increase efficiency, reduce overhead, and help grow your business.

At Bringg, Route Optimization is an integral part of our Intelligent Dispatch and Routing solution which focuses on providing the optimal route to meet your growing requirements. Bringg’s orchestration technology provides uniquely accurate routing times based on robust data science, extensive historical data and real-time data feeds. Machine learning algorithms accurately project the timing of the entire delivery run – the time to load, time to deliver, time on site, and time back to the loading area – based on each business’s actual performance. These accurate predictions improve the suggested routes, and increase delivery capacity without expanding your resources.

Just as importantly, accurate timing predictions allows businesses to reduce or eliminate timing buffers, so they can offer customers shorter time windows. This can also be a differentiator in service plans, with premium plans offering shorter delivery windows than basic plans, and Bringg’s routing engine taking those time windows into consideration when planning routes. This accuracy extends to the middle mile, including telling staging staff exactly which staging dock to go to, in order to increase delivery speed.

Bringg’s intelligent dispatch and routing technology help you achieve the optimal fleet and driver efficiency. Our data-led delivery and fulfillment platform digitizes route planning for scheduled and on demand delivery concurrently, optimally slotting in on demand orders into your scheduled delivery plan. This intelligent solution frees up your dispatchers to handle exceptions, increases drop density and reduces the cost to deliver.

Route optimization is part of Bringg’s general approach to helping retailers and logistics providers scale up and optimize their delivery operations for rapid growth and exceptional customer experience at scale. Using data-led delivery and fulfillment orchestration technology, we enable new fulfillment and delivery models that maximize customer experience, optimize operations and scale up the business.

The post The Buyer’s Guide to Route Optimization Software Choosing technology to ensure faster, more flexible delivery at scale appeared first on Bringg.

Punctuality in the last mile is an imperative for today’s consumer – whether they’re waiting for a piece of clothing, a new fridge or just a pizza. How to provide them with an agile, flexible and transparent experience is something that is widely discussed in our industry these days. But how can companies also improve process efficiency and driver performance while also making sure that you retain good drivers for the long term?

There are three main ways in which companies can reward their drivers and improve their fleet management. It’s important to mention that there is no silver bullet strategy as to the best way to motivate a fleet since it often depends on the company’s business objectives. For some businesses, the number of items each driver delivers would determine whether the operation is successful, while for others it would be the speed of the delivery or the customer service itself once the driver arrives at their destination. 

1.Tipping Drivers

Tips are a widely used method to reward services. In theory, the better the service, the bigger the tip. This works well for many companies, especially those for which speed and friendly service is paramount. What’s more, there are certain product categories, such as food deliveries, where people are used to the tip being a part of the experience. However, it is important to take into consideration that for other categories, people might not be accustomed to tipping. What’s more, a delay in a delivery might not always be directly related to the driver’s performance, even though it might still result in a lower tip. Nonetheless, tipping is still a strong incentive, as it motivates drivers to offer a service that is friendly, punctual and responsive to customer needs.

2.Number of Orders Target

Another alternative is to reward drivers based on the number of orders they deliver in a certain time period. This type of incentive usually sets a target number of orders which, once delivered, results in a financial bonus or reward. This is particularly beneficial for fleets that assign each driver to a relatively small neighbourhood or zone with numerous drop-offs. Obviously, it would be an unfair way to reward drivers that need to travel longer distances, or for service-oriented tasks, but for last-mile inner-city deliveries it can be a powerful incentive for employees, ensuring that they do not get distracted in between drop-offs.

3. Faster Deliveries

Speed is of the essence when it comes to deliveries. And many costs associated with them, from salaries to fuel, are currently on the rise. While no company would want their drivers to break the speed limit, they can definitely reward faster operations. For example, drivers can use delivery route optimization software with GPS technology to select the fastest routes, and can be rewarded for their efforts in order to focus their energies on providing a timely service. For customer-centric companies, rewarding speedy deliveries provides a clear win-win scenario. On the one hand, it gives customers a swift delivery experience, while on the other hand, it focuses on the fleet’s efficient use of time.

While not all incentives are relevant to every type of business and their compensation structure, the subject of driver rewards and improving fleet and driver efficiency is something that needs to be carefully managed through better fleet management . Depending on the type of goods or services delivered, you need to take into account the volume of orders, the distances covered, and the population density in a specific region. Drivers are one of the most crucial pieces in the delivery ecosystem. What’s more, they’re often the face of a brand in front of the final customer. The bottom-line is that companies need to make sure that their fleet is motivated, efficient and goal-oriented, providing your customers with exceptional experiences that fuel loyalty.

The post Top 3 Driver Incentives That Improve Fleet Performance appeared first on Bringg.

The important thing is that these contractors are poised to become an increasingly essential part of the logistics jigsaw puzzle for many companies that are trying to scale their delivery operations. Increasing delivery costs, truck capacity shortage, lack of qualified drivers, and growing customer demand for better delivery options are piling up the pressure for businesses, pushing them to look for the additional resources they need in order to expand and modernize their delivery infrastructure without damaging their profit margins.

Itamar Zur, the CEO of Veho, a crowdsourcing platform for final mile delivery explains that by understanding the economics, key benefits and technologies required to harness crowdsourcing, established carriers can also use the model to complement their existing fleets, differentiate on customer experience, and capitalize on the growing demand for last-mile drivers. He emphasized the importance of delivery companies helping their crowdsourced drivers skip the lengthy ‘learning curve’ by providing technology that takes them step by step through the delivery process and eliminates any opportunity for error.

It’s important to remember that the crowdsourced last-mile delivery market is still in its infancy. Retailers and restaurants are fully aware of the need to expand the way they deliver, and now start-ups are seizing the opportunity. Roadie, for example, wants to make the most of the empty space in the millions of cars and trucks on the roads, recruiting drivers who are already headed in the right direction to make the delivery. Other companies such as Ourbus are focusing on crowdsourcing the commute. In both cases, the bottom line is to find a way to more efficiently manage space and availability in vehicles. Established retailers are also looking at this strategy as a method to complement their fleets and delivery partners. For example, last summer Wal-Mart began testing an app that matches online order delivery addresses with its employees’ driving routes so they can deliver packages ordered online as they drive home. 

With the current shortage of trucks space and drivers, I look forward to seeing how companies implement crowdsourcing and crowdsourced delivery as a part of their supply chain. The reality is that businesses will have to get creative if they want to properly manage the capacity shortage, and using multiple fleets is going to be one of the fastest growing supply chain trends.  Axios reported this month that truck utilization rose to 100% in 2017, leaving the industry in a tight spot. The answer to this major challenge might be readily available through crowdsourced freelancers, or even employees, who are willing and available to help.

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Reduced vehicle capacity, driver shortage and increased traffic congestion are key challenges faced by any company that delivers goods. Modern fleets now have the ability to incorporate tools that will enable them to overcome these issues in real-time, with technologies designed to optimize resources and fleets while providing an optimal customer-centric experience.

These solutions are taking center stage as the speed of business increases, and customer demand often becomes the driving force behind newer and better delivery logistic systems. The challenge of simultaneously becoming more agile with customers while improving the efficiency of a delivery fleet can only be achieved through smarter and better management of routing and scheduling. Real-time visibility of traffic conditions and the status of every moving piece within the delivery logistics jigsaw is no small feat, but these technologies, Bringg included, are helping businesses evolve with full visibility, and with the right tools for companies, drivers, and customers to interact with unprecedented speed.

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