E-commerce and people staying and working at home brought an unexpected and forced growth period for delivery businesses everywhere. Therefore, even if growth is a positive outcome, the fact that it happened so suddenly and quickly, caught many businesses off-guard.
Still, there is a powerful lesson to be learned here.
The businesses that practiced flexibility and kept an open mind towards trends and modern technologies were able to cope and adapt, riding the growth wave and getting stronger with it. These businesses managed to prove once more that there is no such thing as an established recipe for success and you always need to feel the market.
Following their example, we decided to talk about efficiency and the top 3 methods to improve it as a delivery business.
#1: Take Advantage of Modern Tools
Modern tools like project management software, business intelligence analytics, route planning software, and more can make a huge difference in the way you manage your business. Of course, not every delivery company needs all the tools we mentioned, but a route planning software tool is a must-have in this niche!
This type of software tool will drastically reduce the time you spend planning routes and deliveries and can take into account variables such as fuel consumption, available drivers, traffic jams, and more. Its job is to optimize your delivery routes in order to reduce costs and avoid any need for overtime.
Additionally, we recommend choosing a proof of delivery tool that can be integrated with route planning. This way, the delivery cycle is fully monitored and any missing package complaints can be solved in a few seconds.
#2: Improve your Customer Base
Due to the recent changes in behavior, more companies had to switch to at-home delivery. As a result, we saw the rise of delivery businesses that provide a wider range of services. Therefore, it is a good time to branch out and look for new customers that will help with overall growth and profitability.
For this, you may have to use various online and offline marketing methods (such as referral marketing or influencer marketing) that will put your business in front of the right customers. Of course, it’s important to make sure you also have the right resources (as in drivers, vehicles, and other needed supplies) to get the job done.
#3: Go Paperless
The giants of the e-commerce world (names like Amazon, Alibaba, or eBay) increased their customer base by offering shorter delivery times and access to a wider variety of products. As a result, smaller delivery businesses also had to adapt and reduce the time of delivery without cutting off the quality of the process.
So, if you’re struggling with reducing the time spent with each delivery, try going paperless (for as much as possible). This usually means having a built-in system that keeps track of drivers and deliveries without having to fill in reports, sign receipts, and so on.
In summary, to make a delivery business more efficient usually means integrating modern technologies into your daily flow. Once you manage to do so, it will be easier to find customers and follow a steady growth rate.
