According to data published by Oxford Economics, contributing $80 billion to the world GDP in 2008, equivalent to the contribution made by shipbuilding industry, and supporting 1.3 million jobs, the express industry, more commonly known as the courier and dispatch industry, is all set to support almost 4.5 million jobs globally by 2018.
In the courier and dispatch industry, last mile delivery is in a revolutionary phase, where consumers have become much more demanding than ever before. Market leaders are focusing on software solutions that can make their existing courier dispatch system smarter. They are looking for a single, comprehensive and user-customizable software, which is straightforward to implement and cost-effective in nature.
FEATURES OF GOOD COURIER AND DISPATCH SOFTWARE
The software should be comprehensive, powerful, user-friendly and fully-customizable. It should be able to fulfill the needs of couriers, dispatchers and the consumers. Here are some more features to look for while choosing the right solution for your business needs:
1. Fully Cloud Based Software
According to TechTarget, the cloud based software is meant to cover a wide range of resources while working with an enormous amount of data generated in the process. Cloud based software should be self-provisioning and elastic, giving the option to provide services on an on-demand basis. In addition, the software should be the fastest to start and easy to switch on, without the need of cutting down on any of functionality.
2. Feasible with any Operating System
The software should operate across all sorts of operating systems, from Windows to Linux and the Mac OS. In addition, it should be compatible with Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, Chrome, either on workstations, laptops or tablets. It should be customized enough to harness the capabilities of the user’s growing business, covering all aspects including same-day, next-day, e-commerce, distribution and warehousing industries.
3. Detailed Dashboard Reporting
Software solutions today come with the free mobile dashboard reporting apps that offer detailed dashboard reporting. The aim is to highlight real-time and/or historical data of the happenings across all areas of user’s business, which could be viewable on a smartphone and/or tablet. In fact, this user-friendly interface should work across any mobile operating system.
4. Should Cover All Phases of the Dispatch Process
Routed and scheduled work, on-demand, distribution, cross docking operations, Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) and warehousing are the main phases of any courier and dispatch process. The software solution should be able to manage all of them simultaneously.
In short, courier and dispatch software should help streamline operations, maximize company resource, thereby attracting new businesses. It should automate the flow of information, ensuring its accuracy and accountability, according to experts at Key Software Systems.
