Stop Guessing ETAs: How dispatch and delivery software helps

If you have ever told a customer, “Your delivery will arrive any moment,” please listen up. Your customers need a better experience, and dispatch and delivery software can help you provide one. 

Trust me, timing is extremely important in logistics, and when it comes to cargo, your customers will want to stay informed. 

Logistics is not an easy industry to operate in, but with the right tools, like delivery technology, you can stay ahead in your operations. 

Picture this: You check in with your driver but can’t reach them. You give the customer an arrival time and hope the cargo will arrive on time. 

I lived through this scenario, too. My company handled everything from port imports to regional transportation of cargo, and providing accurate ETAs was difficult. 

Let’s examine how dispatch and delivery software helps and why your logistics operation needs it. 

I’m not using dispatch and delivery software: You’re losing out

Here are some of the things I wish I had known during my endless hours of planning truckloads: 

• Optimizes delivery routes in minutes. This saves you hours of manual planning.
• Ensures drivers stay on the best routes even when last-minute stops are needed. 
• Provides accurate ETAs so customers aren’t left wondering if their shipment is lost. 
• Reduces fuel costs and unnecessary miles.
• Improves driver efficiency: No more time wasted on longer routes. 

Why ETAs matter in the logistics industry

Picture this: Your customer, a hospital, has asked your business to transport urgent supplies needed for a procedure. Getting to the hospital on time is vital, and not being on time could affect patients. 

Your team constantly has to check, check, and check again for your truck’s location, but with dispatch and delivery software, you are able to give the hospital a definite ETA. 

My logistics team used to have several trucks on the road each day. Some trucks were headed to warehouses after loading cargo at the port. Other trucks were being dispatched for cross-boarder shipments. 

Here’s what providing ETAs did for our logistics team: 

• It allowed our company to manage client expectations: Clients were kept informed throughout each cargo movement. 
• Our team could plan better. 
• Providing an ETA helped us stand out above our competitors; some of our competitors did not use delivery technology. 

Route optimization: Your time saver in the logistics business 

Your team inputs the stops for each cargo delivery. The system automatically optimizes the stops. You avoid errors, and the route optimization feature puts you on the fastest route. 

I cannot begin to express what a helpful feature this is, no matter if I have a fleet of five or 20 trucks: 

• Drivers take the right road, avoiding scenic detours. 
• Your team doesn’t have to worry about human error. 

Once our logistics team started using dispatch and delivery software, we found that we were able to move cargo faster because of the fast routes we were using. 

Real-time tracking: Take control of your cargo movement 

I don’t know about you, but for me having control over my operations just makes things easier on me and the team. 

Imagine not being able to see where a truck is. Added to this, you may have 20 trucks on the road. 

Now, turn on the real-time tracking system. Instantly, you can see the location of every vehicle in your fleet. 

A bonus for your customers? They can physically see the location as well, and the ETA given to them is accurate. 

Here’s a scenario: Before I started using dispatch and delivery software, I was constantly late for cargo deliveries. 

When I made the switch from traditional spreadsheets to technology, trucks could be rerouted in a quick time to avoid costly delays. 

As a logistics professional, you will know that the high-value cargo your company is transporting cannot be misplaced. Real-time tracking gives you visibility over your trucks, so you know where the cargo is at all times. 

No more frantic searching for cargo, just control. 

Proof of delivery: How do I know my cargo was delivered? 

So your company has some disputes from customers regarding missing cargo. Not ideal. 

Proof of delivery can help your team see exactly when cargo has arrived. 

Once a driver arrives at the port or warehouse to offload cargo, they can simply capture a photograph of the cargo being delivered. 

Imagine a customer calls you to say their cargo was not delivered and must still be on the warehouse floor. 

You are one step ahead. You pull up the image your driver sent you the moment the customer’s cargo was delivered. 

Later that day, the customer calls you to apologize. The receiving manager put the received pallets in the wrong bay. Proof of delivery saves the day.

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