When your business relies on your workforce out on the road, the importance of getting them where they need and getting them there on time can’t be overstated. Whether they’re delivering goods or providing services, arriving at the right location on time is the key to making an impact on your customers’ lives and ensuring that they’re left smiling. Getting it right is crucial and mistakes aren’t an option.
Your route planner needs to plan the right routes so that your drivers have the support they need to arrive on time. You might think of route planning as being tied to last-mile delivery, but the right route planning software can ensure the utmost efficiency regardless of the industry in which your business operates. If your customers rely on your staff to arrive on time, then that’s your top priority and route optimization can make it a reality.
The Importance of Arriving on Time, Every Time
No matter what goods or services you’re providing, customer satisfaction can make or break a business. Customer complaints, negative reviews, and the expenses that come with making up for mistakes after the fact are a fast track to losing your current customers and driving new ones away. With that in mind, it’s easy to see why making a habit out of delayed deliveries or late arrivals is bad for business. Whether it’s a special gift that’s too late for a birthday, a grocery order that’s no longer fresh, a catering order that’s too late to be prepared on schedule, or a medical checkup that needs to be conducted on time, it’s easy to understand why customers are frustrated if you are not on time.
On the other hand, arriving on time shows your customers that their priorities are your priorities. For many of your customers, your arrival can be the deciding factor between having a good day or a bad day. Homeowners may have renovation plans hinging on the arrival of materials or furniture, event planners are certainly depending on food deliveries or caterers arriving on time, and patients may be planning a fast for bloodwork or relying on medication delivery. In every case, your arrival gives them what they need to go about their day without missing a beat.
From grocery and meal deliveries to furniture and construction equipment services to medical transport and mobile laboratory services, customers rely on your drivers to help their days go smoothly. Operating as efficiently as possible is at the core of their satisfaction and the key is smart scheduling and route optimization.
Providing Drivers With the Tools They Need
Route optimization goes beyond batching customers together based on their location, taking a wide array of factors into consideration to provide a route that’s optimized for true efficiency. When route planners use WorkWave Route Manager, its proprietary algorithm builds routes around not only cost and time savings, but also your individual rules and constraints. That means you can prioritize orders, fit orders into defined time windows to suit customer preferences, ensure orders are assigned to drivers with the appropriate skill sets, and make sure orders are matched to appropriate vehicles to account for the size and weight requirements or other vehicle features.
Being able to optimize routes with a single click is only the beginning. When last-minute orders need to be filled or other changes arise, you can find the best solution and reoptimize your routes just as easily. When you need to push appointment times, rearrange orders from one driver to another, or change assignments, routes are instantly dispatched to drivers through the Route Manager mobile app so that everything continues to run like clockwork and all of your drivers continue to arrive on time.
Route Manager goes beyond getting your drivers to your customers on time by offering features to help them leave customers smiling. Customer Notifications allow you to set up SMS or email updates for customers, automatically providing them with day-of updates and estimated arrival times. If you’re delivering a package, integrated Barcode Scanning ensures that you always have the right package on the correct vehicle. Once it’s delivered, Proof of Delivery provides the peace of mind your customers need to know that their package is where it needs to be. Ensuring that your customers have the best possible experience when interacting with your company is crucial to securing recurring business and bringing your business to its full potential. Route Manager drives your business by addressing your needs, as well as those of your customers for a better experience from start to finish. To learn more about how Route Manager can streamline efficiency for your drivers no matter what industry you’re in, schedule your free demo today.
