WHAT IS DYNAMIC ROUTE OPTIMIZATION AND HOW HAS IT HELPED THE COURIER INDUSTRY?
Route planning without appropriate software and powerful tools can be a nightmare. And, it can take away hundreds of manhours every week, without any real value addition. Messy paperwork, managing the flow of documents, trying to stay connected with drivers and finding out the delivery status of each package can be harrowing. Not to mention the high probability of human error and the reshuffling and rerouting arising from low visibility and poor communication. All this effort is invested without any real data collated for analyzing issues and improving the planning process. All these problems can be avoided with software that has dynamic route optimization, saving manhours, improving coordination and enhancing customer satisfaction with on-time delivery.
WHAT IS DYNAMIC ROUTE OPTIMIZATION?
Dynamic route optimization is a feature that comes integrated with advanced courier management and logistics software that has been especially designed to cater to the needs of on-demand, scheduled/routed work and distribution environments. This software can be accessed anywhere and at any time on smartphones, tablets, laptops and PCs.
Route optimization enables courier companies to plan routes within minutes, while considering real-time scenarios including traffic congestion, changing weather conditions and road construction or obstructions. The routes provided by such software are 100% optimized, accurate and obstacle less, says an expert at Key Software Systems.
ADVANTAGES OF DYNAMIC ROUTE OPTIMIZATION
Let’s look at some of the main benefits of dynamic route optimization for courier companies.
HELPS SAVE FUEL
Rising fuel costs have become the single largest and most volatile component of total costs of courier and logistics companies and account for more than 60% of total US logistics costs, says an article by the NAOIP Research Foundation. In the absence of optimized routes, drivers may waste time and fuel searching for their destination. Route planning can help identify the shortest and best routes to a destination and the specific vehicle that will make the pickup and drop-off most efficient.
INCREASES DRIVER’S SAFETY
Drivers of a fleet for a courier company are exposed to unfamiliar territories, congested traffic, harsh weather conditions and unexpected circumstances on the road. All these factors can increase their stress levels, which causes distractions and severely affects reflex time, making drivers more prone to accidents, says an article published by The O’Brian Firm. Having the best route in hand, that has been identified avoiding adverse weather and traffic conditions, can make driving far less stressful, ensuring driver safety.
REDUCES OVERALL EXPENSES
Dynamic route optimization significantly reduces managers’ time in planning the best routes and helps adjust quickly, with real-time data available at the fingertips. Managers can also easily track each driver and identify inefficiencies to take corrective action, reducing overtime payments. It also helps reduce vehicle wear and tear, thereby lowering maintenance costs.
Dynamic route optimization makes last mile delivery more efficient, resulting in higher customer satisfaction.
