Why software for route planning? Things are going fine as they are!

Peak times for your delivery service

Since March of this year, the number of online orders has increased by over 60%. This is not expected to decrease now – with Sinterklaas and Christmas shopping on the horizon. And that's not even mentioning Black Friday and Cyber Monday. So, it's time to scale up! Your delivery drivers are working tirelessly, you even have to hire new couriers to meet the growing demand. But while you're delivering more right now, you also learned from 2020 that you can expect anything. Is it really time to invest in route software now, or can that wait a bit longer? Things are going well, why change that? And besides, new software doesn't replace the knowledge of your experienced couriers.  

Your couriers as route experts

With online route planners  -  often free – you can easily get from A to Z via intermediate stops. More traditional navigation systems also display your routes perfectly. The condition is that you drive with one or two couriers and have a limited number of delivery addresses. The disadvantage is that you often have to enter addresses manually, you can only enter a limited number of intermediate stops, and these route planners don't allow you to keep your customers informed about the delivery time. For extra deliveries, you can manually shift the stops, but the route planner doesn't suggest the most efficient routes. No problem, for that you rely on the knowledge and experience of your couriers. They know their roads like no other, know all the shortcuts, and also know when traffic jams start on the A2.

Why change things when they're going well?

The inefficiency, however, lies in scaling up the number of deliveries. The logic is simple: more deliveries mean more complexity in your planning, less overview, and a greater chance of inefficient choices. At least, if you plan manually or use simple route systems. Furthermore, with extra last-minute deliveries, you'll face shifts in your planning that delay the calculated routes. Perhaps you're driving with more couriers during this time to meet the growing demand, or you're now delivering in other regions where even experienced couriers don't yet know the roads. Do you also employ less experienced couriers to handle the rush? Then it's quite possible that you're sacrificing efficiency on the routes they drive. Despite all good efforts, you notice that you're slower, making slightly more detours than planned, your fleet consumes more fuel, you can schedule fewer deliveries in a time slot, and your planning lacks structure.

Route optimization, even when things are going well.

Smart route optimization software eliminates that inefficiency. Even if you don't have an IT department or in-depth knowledge of computer systems, you can get started with this software. The software automatically plans the best routes using the entered addresses and available couriers. Unlike online tools or TomTom, smart route software allows you to distribute your routes among multiple couriers and enter more intermediate stops. Extra deliveries are no problem; the software automatically calculates the fastest route based on the most current traffic information, without the courier having to manually change anything. Less experienced couriers, in particular, will drive more efficiently with this, as they don't have to figure out the best route themselves when changes occur. Additionally, with route optimization, you can flexibly deploy couriers in unfamiliar regions. This allows you to easily scale up during busy periods to meet customer demand. Also good to know: you spend less time emailing or sending individual messages to customers. With this type of software, you can inform your customers via the dashboard about the courier's arrival time, especially if something changes unexpectedly en route.

Still worth the investment?

In practice, it turns out that the knowledge and experience of a courier can never be replaced one-to-one by smart software, especially if you work with experienced couriers. But one doesn't exclude the other: combining smart software and experienced couriers proves to be the most efficient. And especially during busy periods when you're driving with more couriers, inexperienced staff, or in new areas, such a system can yield significant gains. In other words: it's worth the investment,  especially  now. You save time because you can plan more deliveries in a time slot without detours. Because you spend less time training new couriers. Because the planning puzzle is solved for you. The structure and overview of your fleet – you know exactly where your couriers are on the road – come free of charge. And not unimportantly: money. More deliveries mean more money. Moreover, you not only drive more cheaply  - because of fewer detours -,  you also drive more sustainably because shorter routes simply consume less fuel.  

How much will you save?

From just a few tens of euros per month, you can seize these gains and save on your annual costs. Curious? With the savings calculator at https://www.routigo.com/besparingscalculator/ you can see exactly what those monthly tens of euros can yield for you. Definitely worth considering, right?

Sources:

https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2020/22/omzet-detailhandel-krimpt-met-1-5-procent-in-april

https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/10/27/webwinkels-verwachten-door-corona-flinke-toename-online-bestellingen-a4017538

https://www.routigo.com/besparingscalculator/