Does your business operate using a hodgepodge of software solutions to manage your deliveries? Do you find them hard to synchronize, and waste time and effort trying to get them to work together? It’s difficult to get different delivery management solutions to work together seamlessly. 

When your delivery systems are out of alignment, your customers will notice. That issue can cause delays in shipping and out-of-stocks on key inventory items. Fulfillment is the step where your customer learns how effective your business is. You don’t want your customer experience to suffer due to inefficiencies in your delivery operations. Don’t let customer deliveries get lost in the shuffle trying to get disparate software to work together. 

Instead, discover a comprehensive solution that covers the fulfillment process from end to end. Delivery Solutions is the world’s first Omnichannel Experience Management (OXM) Platform. In this article, you’ll learn how this all-in-one delivery management solution can streamline your operations and help your business grow.

What is delivery management?

Delivery management is the process of overseeing all aspects involved in delivering a product to your customer. Tying all the steps in the delivery process into one seamless, organized system gives your customer a consistently positive experience ordering from your company. It also simplifies your fulfillment systems and reduces miscommunication among people involved in different steps of the delivery process. Delivery management can enable your organization to provide a better experience for your customers and your delivery managers while improving your bottom line in the process.

Your delivery management system starts when you receive an order. It encompasses a variety of different delivery types and numerous steps in the delivery process. It even continues beyond the delivery. Delivery management includes customer feedback and post-delivery services.

Here are just a few of the areas that you can improve with optimal delivery management:

• Same-Day Delivery
• Curbside Pickup
• In-Store Pickup
• Shipping
• Last-Mile Delivery
• Post-Purchase Experience

These are all different processes, but to your customers they all reflect the professionalism and service quality of your business. An issue in any one of these areas can affect your whole business, even if all the others are properly managed. That’s why you have to take a holistic view of delivery management that covers every step of the process.

Having your delivery management system optimized is one of the most powerful ways to grow your business. The delivery experience is one of the most noticeable aspects of your business from a customer perspective. A great delivery will keep your customer coming back for more, while a negative experience will have them looking for a new provider. In fact, 85% of online shopping customers said that a negative delivery experience would keep them from shopping at that company again.

You can avoid losing those customers by optimizing your delivery management. It’s easier to optimize when you’re using an all-in-one software solution instead of a mix of different solutions for each step of the process. Putting all aspects of your delivery systems in one place will allow your business to better synchronize your delivery steps and deliver a better experience to your customers.

This article will walk you through the impact that optimal delivery management can have on your business. You’ll learn the ways it can make your customers happier and improve your bottom line. Finally, you’ll discover how to optimize your delivery management using the only all-in-one delivery management software on the market.

Reduced delivery costs

Having the right delivery management system in place makes it easier to optimally schedule and plan your delivery routes. It can even optimize driver schedules and maximize usage of your vehicle capacity.

When your delivery operations are running effectively, the improved efficiency of your deliveries can lead to reductions in a variety of delivery costs. 

For example, your employees will spend less time on the road, so you’ll save money on wages. They’ll be able to service more customers in the same amount of time. In addition, your fleet will use more efficient routes and delivery options. Not only will you save time, but you’ll save money on fuel and simplify your fleet management.

Saving money on deliveries allows you to improve your bottom line and pass savings along to your customers. That gives you an edge on the competition in a cost-conscious, commodity market. Delivery costs can make or break a company, especially when fuel prices rise.

You’ll be able to efficiently organize your resources between different delivery types. Whether your customer wants same-day delivery, curbside pickup or threshold delivery, having all the delivery types connected to the same delivery management system will allow you to organize your fulfillment with ease.

Improved delivery speed

When your delivery management is optimized, you’ll be able to offer quicker turnaround on customer orders. That means both initial shipping and final delivery times will be improved. Avoiding logistics issues in your fulfillment process is a noteworthy benefit of using a comprehensive delivery management system.

More efficient deliveries allow you to respond to customer orders faster and deliver them faster, too. Having quick delivery options in place makes your company the most convenient option for them to get what they need, quickly. Customers are used to fast delivery and living up to their expectations will keep them coming back. Achieving your delivery windows is part of keeping your customers happy.

If your competitors can beat your delivery speed, you’ll lose customers to anyone who can deliver faster than you. Speed of delivery is a key differentiator in a fast-paced market. Delivery management is an essential part of offering the most efficient deliveries to your customers.

Speedy deliveries are a key factor in determining whether a customer will do business with you repeatedly. In a recent survey, 57% of customers surveyed consider it important to offer same- or next-day delivery. Delivery options are speeding up as online shopping becomes ever more competitive. Don’t be left behind by the competition.

Increased customer satisfaction

Delivery management is a powerful lever for improving customer experience. When you wow customers with your delivery speed and great service, they’ll keep coming back to your business. Delivery management is at the cutting edge of customer experience improvement for your business.

Customers will appreciate efficient and convenient delivery options. Your improved delivery management systems will skyrocket customer satisfaction as they see the benefits of fast, accurate deliveries. 

Even more important is something your customers won’t see. They won’t see any issues arising from their orders with your business. That’s because your fulfillment error rate will be reduced by having all of your delivery management systems synchronized.

You can even go the extra mile by offering threshold delivery. Threshold delivery is a delivery option that delivers large items as close to your customer’s door as possible. Additions to your service offerings are what keep customers coming back in an increasingly competitive market.

Offer customers a seamless experience with the delivery options they desire, and they will keep coming back. Customer retention is a valuable metric for your business. It’s typically more expensive to acquire a new customer than to keep a current one. Maximize your customer retention by optimizing your delivery management systems.

Fewer delivery delays

One of the biggest hassles when shopping online is having a delay with shipping or delivery. If customers experience delays when ordering from your business, it can have a devastating impact on your growth and profitability. In a recent survey,    84% of customers said they would cancel an order if it was delayed for too long.

There are numerous causes of delivery delays, and not all of them are in your control. Causes of delays range from traffic patterns and vehicle breakdowns to worldwide supply chain disruptions. It’s impossible to control all of the factors that go into delivery delays.

That said, you can eliminate many causes of delivery delays for your customers. That starts with using a comprehensive delivery management system, which can minimize delays and mitigate shipping issues.

Resolving delivery delays will help your business retain customers for the long term. When your customers receive proof of delivery on-time, every time, their trust in your company grows.

Increased revenue

Comprehensive delivery management affects your company where it counts most — the bottom line. All of the benefits in this article add up to increased revenue for your company and maximum profits by reducing delivery costs. 

Having the best delivery and fulfillment systems in place will bring in more customers. When they have a smooth, pleasant experience with your deliveries, they’ll keep coming back. Both of those result in revenue increases for your company.

Improving your bottom line is one of the most powerful reasons to optimize your delivery management. Especially when deliveries are one of the most visible aspects of customer service for your company. Letting delivery issues affect your customers can have disastrous consequences for your business growth.

Revenue is lost when customers aren’t happy with delivery times.                         46% of online shoppers didn’t go through with checkout because of shipping times that were too long or not provided. Imagine how it could benefit your business to retain those customers instead of losing them to a competitor.

In business, customer retention is the name of the game. Retaining more customers by offering them incredible delivery options can transform your business.

Systemized logistics

Logistics is the process of fulfilling orders to your customers. It includes all of the steps from receiving an order to delivering the product. Having efficient logistics systems in place ensures that your business will continue to grow profitably and stay on course. 

One important aspect of logistics is delivery management. Optimizing your delivery management will transform your organization’s logistics. Deliveries are at the core of logistics, especially for online businesses. 

Order fulfillment will run more efficiently and with fewer costly errors. That results in fewer headaches for your business and a more efficient workflow for your employees.

Systematized logistics saves your company time and money. When everything runs like clockwork, much less effort is required to keep up with your orders. That sets your business up to scale faster than ever without requiring more labor or other expenses. 

Implementing an all-in-one delivery management solution ensures that fulfillment isn’t a bottleneck to your company’s growth. Growing a company is challenging enough — don’t make it more difficult by using a mess of different delivery software. Keep your delivery systems all in one place with Delivery Solutions.

All-in-one delivery management software can transform your business

Delivery management benefits your business in a number of ways. All of these improvements create a positive feedback loop of increased revenue and reduced costs in your business operations.

• Reduced delivery costs allow you to save money on your deliveries and pass those savings on to your customers.
• Increased delivery efficiency helps your employees do more in less time. You’ll be able to offer faster delivery options.
• Customer satisfaction improves as they experience the faster and less expensive deliveries that you’re able to offer. Your delivery management system ensures they have a smooth and problem-free experience with your company.
• You can achieve increased revenue by gaining more business from new and returning customers thanks to your incredible delivery options. 
• Systemized order fulfillment means your delivery processes will have fewer errors and be seamlessly integrated with each other.

All of those improvements add up to completely transform your delivery operations. In order to seize the competitive advantage, request a demo of the OXM all-in-one delivery management software from Delivery Solutions.

The Omnichannel Experience Management (OXM) Platform by                            Delivery Solutions orchestrates fulfillment experiences for enterprise retailers, supplying flexible options for consumers and priming merchants for innovation at scale.

Abbas Merchant is the Head of India Operations at Delivery Solutions, the leading provider of last-mile delivery and fulfillment software. With over 25+ years of Corporate and Entrepreneurial experience in leadership roles, Abbas has worked with several large Global entities such as AT&T, Global Cloud Xchange, Reliance Communications, etc., giving him a truly global perspective in areas of Business Development, Operations, People Management, Strategic Planning, Product Development, and Marketing. Prior to joining Delivery Solutions, he served as the Managing Director of Aerial Services Pvt Ltd, which he acquired in 2015 and expanded, overseeing the Sales, Business Development, and Operations activities for the company. He was instrumental in signing Distributorships with the likes of Garmin (USA), ICOM (Japan), Raymarine (UK), Alltek Marine (Taiwan) and building a robust distribution network with strategic partners to service India’s Government and Defence sectors across the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force. Abbas has also worked with several start-ups including NorthPoint Communications in the US, which was later acquired by AT&T. As a core member of the M&A integration team, Abbas was involved in the sale of $135 Mn of network assets to AT&T. Abbas relocated to India in 2001 and joined Reliance Communications, where he held several Senior Management roles during his tenure of 13+ years with the company, before leaving to pursue his Entrepreneurial journey. Abbas holds an MBA from the University of San Francisco in IT and Telecommunications, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computers from Mumbai University