With more and more people staying and working from home, the on-demand industry has come to the fore. Businesses now need new structures to cope with the unexpected surge in demand for products and services. To keep up with the increased market volatility, they have had to undergo swift transitions, the most apparent of all being their digital presence. In light of the pandemic-induced restrictions, every business has had to strengthen its online visibility, right from launching a website to instant app delivery services. But this is definitely not the extent of it!
The use of technology to optimize deliveries has never been more important. What we really need now is a seamless delivery experience powered by an AI-enabled dispatch system that prioritizes customer relationships, understands the buyer’s journey and requirements to optimize deliveries, finds the right delivery tools, and most important of all maintain consistency for best results. The systems are also known to perform remarkably well at handling exceptions, which would otherwise be extremely unsettling in such trying times.Â
Exception management takes center stage in global supply chains.
Exception management has taken center stage in the global supply chains ever since the outbreak. The ability to quickly decipher changes in order to devise immediate revival plans is what the organizations need at the moment. This swift transition from reactive to proactive exception management has saved industries from widespread destruction. The dispatch systems used by these industries marvel at handling such exceptions, saving companies thousands of extra hours and a substantial cost every month. The dispatch systems provide the basis for such exceptions, here’s how!Â
Market Volatility:
Unpredictability has taken over the entire world over the past year. The most common approach to address such challenges is increased visibility across all stages of the supply chain. Real-time visibility helps dispatchers take immediate actions in case things get slightly out of order.
Extended supply chains:
As the supply chain extends, the level of exception and personalization also multiplies. Spatial differences could also become a potential barrier, and the dispatch systems help address this. Immediate alerts or notifications improve process efficiency, increase transparency, and remove redundancy.Â
Reactive to proactive:
Instead of handling individual exceptions, the dispatch system takes multiple factors into account for better risk management and proactive exception handling. According to research conducted by Accenture, 71% of the global CIOs believe that customer service must be the primary function of the supply chain for better exception management.
Is your dispatch software well-equipped to handle exceptions? Let’s find out.
Exception management is not as easy as it appears. Catering to each and every request with great efficiency and speed requires an excellent dispatch system that becomes a central unit for communication at all levels of the supply chain. You need accurate data inputs and customer preferences to resolve issues quickly in order to maximize proficiency. To maintain business efficiency, make sure your business dispatch model is well equipped to address the following:
- Business process enforcement
The dispatch software must be capable of supporting specific business models, policies, and exception rules. Once the dispatch model is ready with a set of business instructions, it will be quick to respond to exceptions.
- Transaction validation
After each activity, the system will validate them against pre-defined business rules. The transaction may pass if it confirms with the documented rules or shows errors in case it deviates. It must notify the dispatchers immediately so that necessary actions can be taken.
- Real-time alerts & notifications
The system must be equipped with real-time alert functionality so that immediate actions are taken, or revival strategies are implemented as soon as an error is detected.
- Automated reports
Automated reports provide easy visibility into key metrics and partner performance. The dispatch software makes it easy for you to customize and share reports with your partners and re-strategize if necessary.Â
Six steps to seamless and efficient deliveriesÂ
No matter how good the product is, the efficacy of last-mile delivery decides the shopping experience for its customers. Being the most efficient leg of a supply chain, last-mile delivery represents the brand for its customers. Therefore, the transportation of goods from the warehouse to the final destination needs to be a hassle-free process for a benign customer experience. It’s true that customers today do not like compromising on the time factor, and businesses strive to make instant gratification a reality for their customers.
Having the goods arrive on time indicates how reliable your business is and elevates the overall buying experience. Here’s how industries can address the last-mile delivery challenges for the best results.
Route Optimization
The need for same-day deliveries has taken center stage in the last few months. Enterprises worldwide are enhancing their route planning strategies to make this happen. The route optimization feature in an efficient dispatch software like Tookan saves time and cost by providing 100% accurate, well-optimized and, fuel-efficient routes for its agents. Here’s why route optimization has become indispensable to dispatch systems used today:
Saves Time and Cost: Route optimization software saves thousands of hours and a substantial business cost every month by picking the fastest fuel-efficient routes for agents.
Advance Planning: Optimized route planning offers a hassle-free delivery experience. Catering to multiple fleets at a time becomes easier with a multi-stop route planner at your disposal.
Real-time visibility: Route optimization provides real-time visibility into operations. With faster and efficient routes and set estimated service, drivers can now complete more tasks while ensuring complete efficiency on the field.
Monitor and Manage your routes: With the route optimization app, you can assign agents on deliveries based on their availability and location. You can also select the routes that you would like to optimize and dispatch to agents.
Dispatch to Agents: Once you have optimized a specific route, you can send the assigned task to drivers at a single click. This way, drivers will be able to deliver at multiple locations with ease.
Real-Time Tracking for Dispatchers
Greater operational efficiency leads to greater customer satisfaction. Live-tracking the delivery events is an important part of the dispatch cycle. Planning efficient and faster routes will only help if the drivers follow the routes as planned. The dispatch systems have a GPS tracking feature installed that monitors the real-time movements of the driver. The system makes a note of unauthorized stops and notifies the drivers in case the delivery span is way behind schedule.
The feature can also be used to ensure driver safety. For instance, if one of the vehicles breaks down, you will be able to track down the vehicle and send immediate roadside assistance. Real-time visibility into drivers’ or agents’ exact locations will increase operational efficiency. Sending alerts in case the driver is speeding or idling for too long also helps in timely deliveries.Â
Real-Time Tracking for customers
The level of customer satisfaction depends on how fast the order is received, packed, or shipped. The longer you keep the customers waiting, the more annoyed they’ll get. Well, dispatch systems and their remarkable customer interface comes to their rescue here. Increased visibility and real-time alerts and notifications enhance consumer engagement and flexibility for any business. Notifications on dispatch, shipping, and arrival ensure that the package is received by someone, even if the customer is not available at the time of delivery.Â
Geo-fencing technology
Manually checking in and checking out after each delivery takes up a lot of time, and dispatch scheduling software can address such challenges. The dispatch software comes with geofencing technology that automatically checks drivers in and out at each stop. Auto check-ins and check-outs also boost productivity, increase efficiency, and add more business. This also ensures driver safety as drivers won’t have to update planners on their phones that allow them to make more stops.Â
Multiple payment options
The on-demand service industry is all about convenience. Customers are more comfortable with apps that cover all bases, including debit/credit card, cash on delivery, PayPal, Paytm. The use of payment gateways results in better conversion since customers usually don’t like the idea of adding credit card details on every purchase. Some dispatch software like Tookan even offers 30+ payment gateways for swift and convenient business transactions. A system like this gets maximum traction.Â
Proactive communication
 Proactive communication has become indispensable to the on-demand industry today. Customers appreciate confirmation at every stage of the delivery cycle, right from order confirmation to when the order is packed, shipped, and arrived. Not just that, the app also lets you connect with the delivery agent once they are out for final dispatch. Private taxi service apps like UBER even offer real-time visibility into the driver’s location and arrival time along with an efficient two-way communication channel. The app has now upgraded its communication to in-app SMS service on arrival.Â
Little no-no communication often leaves the customers guessing, which keeps them from experiencing a seamless delivery experience. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to pick a dispatch system with an easy communication panel. For instance, Tookan has made delivery management much more streamlined through an in-built chat option that enables the admin to directly communicate with all the agents.
Benefits of using Tookan as your delivery management software
Now that we’ve discussed the kind of dispatch features that enterprises need to offer a seamless delivery experience, it’s time to take your pick. Out of all the dispatch software that we’ve reviewed for our readers so far, Tookan seems to have the right technologies for every business. It is a highly flexible dispatch software that fits in all kinds of industries, from food, furniture, service to cabs. Speaking of delivery efficiency, Tookan’s high-end functionalities offer beyond satisfactory results for both dispatchers and customers. Listed below are some of its best features:
- Automated scheduling to enhance operational efficiency
- Real-time tracking of agents/drivers/orders
- SMS based notifications for customers to track the status of deliveries
- On-the-go mobile optimized, browser-based solution to manage operations from anywhere
- Real-time remote coordination between managers, agents, drivers and customers
- Easy to use interface for easy communication
- Analytics and reports to make data-driven decisions
- In-app chat service for efficient communication
Hey, if you’re still unsure about whether or not it suits your business requirements, you always have a chance to sign up for a free 14 trial. Check out some extra features for instant signup here.
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