Gain control over your delivery moment: plan-do-check-act!

Our previous blog was about your customer's online experience and the ultimate reception experience that comes with it. We concluded that what your customer experiences must be magical, and the delivery moment is the sacred 'grand finale'. So, you might say, if it's so important to tell that customer what time you're coming, then you just do it, right? How hard can it be?

Many factors influence delivery time

That's easier said than done, we see in practice. To tell your customer what time you'll arrive, you first need to know what time you'll be at their door yourself. And we see almost everyone struggling with that. Even large – read: seriously large – players in the Netherlands have room for improvement in that area. Even companies that effortlessly deliver that ultimate reception experience in the United States have great difficulty copying their software to the Dutch market. Our infrastructure is very different structured differently than in the US. For example, housing density in suburbs there is much lower, and street patterns are much clearer, offering more space for cars. There are many factors that influence the time you arrive somewhere. If it rains, everything quickly grinds to a halt. If your customer has all sorts of requests or questions, you'll spend more time at the door. And if your driver can't find the way, then... well.

Plan-do-check-act

Meanwhile, your customer is still waiting for that magical reception experience. So you need to do something. To start: begin measuring. If you collect data from all your trips, you can adjust and work towards an increasingly accurate time window. Continuously go through the plan-do-check-act process: devise what you're going to do, do it, then check if it went as planned, and if not: adjust your plan. If you discover that certain steps in your process take a lot of time, you need to do something about it. But you can only do that if you map out how long you spend on something.

Seize the opportunity

For example, if you can save a minute at the door, and you have 60 stops, the math is quickly done. That way, your logistics make the difference between running at a loss or making a profit. Collecting data provides insight. And that's how you gain control over what you do. You don't get that if you make decisions based on gut feeling. Or based on a stack of paper delivery notes. If you work digitally, you automatically see the consequences of what you do. If it works, don't change a thing! Can it be better? Adjust it. Those are the opportunities of the online world. Do something with it!

Want to know more?

In two weeks, we'll tell you more. Can't wait? Feel free to contact us via the contact form or call us at 030 – 7600 018.

Will we see you at the ICT & Logistics fair?

Oh, and one more thing! This year, we'll also be present at the ICT & Logistics fair in the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. This year's theme is 'Connected Logistics'. Curious about our perspective on this? Then be sure to visit us on November 7th or 8th, and who knows, you might even win something!