Improving the customer experience

Using artificial intelligence-based software for efficient deliveries

In a world where everything is connected and customers are more discerning, businesses should take advantage of technological advancements for market differentiation. For those organisations involved in delivery operations, there has never been a better time to obtain intelligence from the data provided by vehicle telematics and related software, and use it to provide an enhanced service.

The millennial – the confident, achievement oriented individual who is equipped with the latest technology, is online 24/7, 365 days a year and expects exceptional service – is no longer a future customer but an existing customer. Even if not a millennial, most of today’s customers are behaving like millennials.

These tech-savvy customers have a preference for on-demand services. For instance, being able to shop or hail a taxi at the touch of a button, and having those goods or services delivered in minimal time. When it comes to deliveries, they want to be kept informed on the status of the delivery, and have little patience for inefficiencies.

To remain competitive, it is important for delivery businesses to meet these customer expectations and deliver an exceptional service. Especially as more customers start to shop online and more companies start to offer having those products delivered within an hour. Just as their customers are taking advantage of the latest technological innovations and the convenience that comes with it, so too should the businesses.

Before technological advancement, many delivery organisations have relied on manual sorting and planning of deliveries. While human intelligence and intuition can be beneficial, manual processes are tedious and prone to inefficiencies, including increased sorting and delivery time. This poses an issue for time-bound deliveries and fussy customers.

Advanced planning, optimisation and execution management includes artificial intelligence-based software which optimises sorting processes enabling a delivery business to reduce sorting time. The software can also be used to optimise delivery routes and increase deliveries per driver, thereby reducing delivery time. Addresses are mapped irrespective of the quality of address, thereby reducing failed deliveries.

This all ensures on-time and efficient delivery to customers. Plus, management has real-time visibility and tracking on the movement of a delivery van and delivery. While drivers can record shipment status via a mobile app. This tracking can be passed on to the customer, through regular message updates or enabling the customer to track the delivery in real-time, further enhancing the customer experience.

The automated processing also enables a delivery business to optimise delivery at scale. Therefore an entire logistics chain can be streamlined. In the case of mass delivery to stores, the digitalisation will optimise overall operational efficiency which will benefit the end customer, ensuring products are on shelves in a timeous manner. The data collected can also provide a greater view of sales in each delivery location and future delivery schedules can be based on historical data of demand.

“In today’s market, what makes a company stand out is not only the quality of the product, but also the ability to deliver the product at the time promised,” says Kobus Visagie, Executive: Business Solutions at Tracker South Africa. “With advanced planning, optimisation and execution management you can derive additional value from your traditional telematics solution and optimise the delivery process. It is inexpensive, easy to implement, understand and use, and is likely to change the course of logistics and deliveries in the future.”