Make WOW Your Delivery Standard

Overview

Many distributors rely on routing and scheduling technology that’s just OK. Routes look good on paper, and the goods get delivered.

But a closer look often reveals problems:

y Some vehicles operate under capacity, while other routes burst at the seams

y Driver overtime creeps up and labour costs are unpredictable

y Estimated arrival times (ETAs) are unreliable

y Peak season comes with reactive planning and bottlenecks

Fleets become resigned to these challenges over time. But left unchecked, these issues chip away at overall profits.

Sticking with a familiar system feels safe. Switching feels risky and costly. But over time, routing and scheduling that’s just “good enough” is the most expensive option.

By rethinking the five pillars below, distributors can safeguard profits and move beyond “OK” routing:

Strategic Planning

Remodel delivery networks and build fixed routes that adapt to fluctuating volumes.

Many delivery networks “get the job done” but aren’t built to keep up with changing business needs. Depot locations don’t match customer geographies. Service levels are inconsistent. Fixed routes can’t adapt to demand.

Over time, this static approach eats into overall profits. Fuel and labour costs increase, while your ability to serve customers is limited. Strategic planning software lets businesses rethink their delivery network on a more regular basis.

Business needs:

• Make data-driven decisions about depots and vehicles

Key features

• Cut territories, assign frequencies and sequence routes in a single pass
• Recut fixed routes more frequently
• “What-if?” scenario modelling
• Adapt to changing order volumes
• Build peak and off-peak scenarios
• Best day and best depot selection

“Descartes’ strategic route modelling capabilities enabled us to model delivery scenarios and make more informed strategic decisions, which would have been nearly impossible with traditional resource-intensive methods.” Simon Macdonald, National Transport Manager, Topps Tiles

Daily Route Planning

Reduce planning time and increase profitability without breaking delivery promises.

Too many planners feel they have to choose between reducing costs and honouring time windows. Routes look good at first glance but break capacity rules or push drivers into overtime and risk driver hours infringements.

When plans drift from reality, dispatchers find themselves patching up routes without full visibility. Mileage creeps up and deliveries are delayed. Modern optimisation software works continuously in the background. It handles constraints and goals simultaneously to balance cost, workload and customer service. When exceptions come up, dispatchers can make informed decisions based on capacity, cost and time windows.

Business needs:

• Reduce planning time
• Optimise routes based on multiple goals and constraints
• Continuously adapt as routes and orders progress

Key features:

• Continuous background optimisation
• Sequencing and swapping of stops
• Optimise for multiple goals simultaneously
• See when time windows or capacity rules are at risk
• Visibility into product-level details
• Live “breadcrumb” tracking

Descartes’ route optimisation solution enabled Stop Start to decrease daily route planning time by over 75%.

Integrated Mobile Apps

Encourage best practices, reduce paperwork and feed data back into planning. Manual processes used to be “good enough” for delivery execution. But at scale, paper-based reconciliation erodes margins. Non-digital proof of delivery (POD) delays cash flow and increases driver hours. It also leaves businesses open to fraudulent claims. When drivers manually record arrivals and departures, errors accumulate. Service time estimates don’t reflect reality, so routes become under- or over-scheduled.

A robust mobile app allows drivers to collect POD including photos and signatures. With mobile tracking, apps can capture service times automatically. ETAs are accurate and future routes are more realistic.

Business needs:

• Increase adherence to workflows and sequences
• Integrate mobile, planning and dispatch
• Auto-arrive and auto-depart functionality
• Digital proof of delivery
• Reduce paperwork and speed up cashflow
• Configurable, enforceable workflows
• Feed accurate service times back into planning
• Powers real-time ETA notifications

“Introducing Descartes’ ePOD has translated into substantial daily savings of 16.5 staff hours as a result of more efficient customer delivery and invoice processes, allowing us to devote more time and attention to other initiatives.”
Rachael Adamson, Director – South-East, Scott Parnell

Route Execution

Empower teams with visibility and continually improve routes with real-world data.

Today’s route optimisation algorithms can generate realistic, highly efficient routes. But routes go off track when the plan is based on incorrect geocodes and guesstimated service times.

If data is “off”, routes become under- or over-optimistic, ETAs drift, and customer service suffers.

By integrating route execution and planning, you can use actual performance data and machine learning to build feasible, profitable routes. You also enable planners, dispatchers and managers to react in real time when routes go off course.

Business needs:

• Connect drivers, merchandisers, dispatchers and managers
• Respond to delivery issues in real time
• Improve vehicle utilisation by building more realistic routes

Key features:

• Colour-coded view of routes in progress
• Compare planned versus actual performance
• Real-time alerts on deviation from the plan
• Smart geocode correction
• Machine-learned service times
• Configurable reports and dashboards

“Descartes’ route execution and fleet performance management solution will give you visibility in real-time and allow your team to make split-second decisions that would otherwise be missed with other programs.” John Barton, Service Execution Manager, Pepin Distributing

Customer Engagement

Increase customer satisfaction and reduce inbound calls with real-time updates.

Distributors used to get by with minimal communication around deliveries. But today, even B2B customers expect full transparency and real-time updates.

By relying on one reminder message days before delivery, businesses risk customer dissatisfaction, costly failed deliveries and time-consuming inbound calls.

Competitive distributors use mobile and execution data to provide dynamic ETA updates as routes progress. When customers can track their delivery, they’re more likely to be prepared, and less likely to phone the contact centre.

Instant satisfaction surveys mean feedback is accurate and actionable, so staff can tackle issues quickly and improve deliveries over time.

“Customers know exactly where their delivery is, when it’s going to be there, and what we actually delivered.”
Jenny Vetter, Logistics Manager, Richards Building Supply

Key features:

• Highly configurable workflows
• Real-time SMS and email updates
• Map-based driver tracking
• Web-based customer portal
• Two-way communication

It’s time for delivery fleets to move beyond “OK” routing and scheduling.

Contact Descartes today to build a profitable delivery operation that meets customer expectations now and in future.

Info@descartes.com | https://routinguk.descartes.com/

About Descartes Systems Group

Descartes powers more responsive, efficient, secure and sustainable international and domestic supply chains by uniting logistics-intensive businesses on its Global Logistics Network (GLN). Shippers, carriers, and logistics service providers connect and collaborate on the GLN leveraging technology, data and AI to manage last mile deliveries, domestic and international shipments, transportation rating and payment, global trade research, customs compliance and a variety of regulatory processes. Learn more about Descartes (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG) at www.descartes.com.