How Courier & Logistics companies are winning with Digitisation
Digitisation is about enhancing human experience by using the right technology. Our physical world is replicated digitally at frenetic pace. The logistics & courier industry is also using technology to improve their services & customer satisfaction. They are using digitisation to map their consumer’s journey across various touch points. Improvised supply chain management, enhanced visibility, reduced delivery time, realtime updates on shipments, advanced tracking & lower product returns are some of the key benefits for courier companies. These courier companies are able to use the latest trends & best practices for improving their existing processes and operations with digitisation. Here is a look at how these courier & logistics companies are using technology to improve their global trade, logistics services to delight their customers:
1. Online delivery platform :
The courier companies are mapping consumer’s journey with online platforms & apps. The customers can make use of these online platforms to enter delivery details for their shipment. The automated service calculates the fare based on the delivery information details. The customers can fill the details and submit the required information for the delivery of their parcel. The courier company can then pick up the parcel from the location & deliver it as required. The online system makes it easy for the consumer to complete the whole process from their mobile device or system. They can also track things online until their parcel is delivered.
2. Home delivery option :
The courier companies can facilitate the home delivery options for delivering parcels with the online delivery platforms. The distance from the customer can be calculated with the app & pick up service can be provided to the consumer. The consumer can simply enter the details of where the parcel can be picked up from & the delivery details. The online platform does the rest.
3. Better Tracking & Visibility :
The digitisation equips companies to track the parcels & shipments with active tags. The customers & the courier company can now track the parcels with realtime information on their systems. The parcels are tagged with barcodes/RF tags to trace their location. The tracking & visibility of the parcels helps these companies to reduce the transit times for the delivery. This tracking & better visibility is helping courier companies to improve their delivery rates. The customers also have the option of checking the status of their parcels online anytime they wish with a reference number.
4. Analytics for parcels :
With an online platform, the courier companies are able to analyse data & critical information. For e.g. the total number of parcels delivered in a given duration, delivery rate, average time for delivering a parcel, the cost of parcel delivery, total number of locations served etc. The data for these parcels can be analysed to improved operations. Automatic notifications and triggers can be set-up for delivering parcels, which are running late. The parcel delivery can also be optimised to improve the delivery times and customer satisfaction.
5. Agent Tracking :
These systems also help the logistics companies to track the performance of all their agents. The performance of every agent can be tracked with all the parcel details, workloads, average time for delivering a parcel, on time delivery statistics etc. The agent tracking also helps to map the parcels to reduce time lags & improve the supply chain logistics. The system automatically tracks the agents nearest to the customer locations for pick-up service & delivery of the parcels.
6. Customer Satisfaction scores :
The online platform helps the courier companies to take care of their customers & take feedback from them. The customers can sign off & provide their inputs when they receive the parcels. The agents are equipped with apps, which customer can use to provide his feedback. The feedback mechanism is seamless & transparent. It makes customers job very easy & also helps the courier companies to plan proactively. The average customer rating, top pain points & service feedback are all important to improve the operations for logistics providers. The realtime feedback & information is invaluable for improving operations & delighting their customers.
7. Product Return Rate :
One of the key pain points for courier companies is when products are returned from customers. High return rates affects business and makes customers unhappy. The product return rate can be tracked with the online platform. The parcels returned can be tracked online & analysed. The courier companies can track customers, agents, and products where return rate is high. This analysis helps them to reduce the product return rates.
8. Total Serviceable Pin Codes & Reach :
With an automated system for tracking parcels, online delivery status & completely scalable infrastructure, courier companies can now add more pin codes more easily. These companies can leverage the online infrastructure to add new serviceable locations, agents & expand their reach across new cities & countries. The serviceable locations for courier delivery can be tracked by customers on the portal itself. The charges and time estimated can be calculated as per the specifications of the parcels. The centralised IT system enables administrative tasks to manage operations seamlessly.
9. Instant Delivery notifications :
Agent app can be used to take sign off from the customers upon parcel delivery. The delivery notifications are immediately sent to the senders. An email, sms is sent to the sender to notify the delivery. These notifications are especially useful for international customers for improving the reliability & reach of the courier companies.
10. Personalised Services & Offers :
The courier and logistics companies offer plethora of choices for their customers. It is easy to run personalised offers for customers like same day delivery for selected locations, weekend delivery, overnight parcels, corporate booking, and express delivery services etc. These offers can be made available through the online portal & apps for the customers. The courier companies can also track the total number of customers served, their loyalty scores, & offer them personalised discounts etc. The courier companies can take their services to a new high with the use of technology.
With the digital wave redefining how industries operate, the courier & logistics industry is also changing rapidly. The end to end digitisation of services like parcel pick-up & drop, warehousing, inventory management, order management, parcel tagging, analytics, etc are maximising efficiency. The digital solutions provide realtime visibility of pick-up, delivery of parcels, optimise the delivery routes, facilitate on time delivery and higher customer satisfaction. The rules of the courier & logistics industry have changed with digitisation. Companies are now looking to have multi channel presence, agile processes & robust IT support for enabling growth for their business.
Kreyon Systems provides comprehensive software products & solutions for courier & logistics industry. If you are looking for a digital solution for your business, please reach out to us.