Top three inefficiencies in Home Delivery
It is no secret that at this current time, lots of companies who have relied in the past on delivering to businesses are now finding they are having to pivot their business to deliver to consumers in their homes.
Here is my take on the top three inefficiencies which will cost you time and money when delivering to the home.
- Lack of Route Planning Software. Home delivery means different customers every day - so its time to kiss goodbye to set runs with the same driver doing the same run on any particular day. Whereas you may have been able to manually plan this if you switching to home delivery - it is a different customer every day - so invest in route planning software - you will do a better job with it and faster. There is a wide choice available these days from around ￡1 per day per vehicle with no commitment contracts- and you'll get an instant return on investment.
- Over-reliance on offering narrow time windows. We all buy into the idea that customers want narrow time windows ( according to the surveys) - but do they really? Let's face it - in the current climate - I'm at home all day working - and I don't really care if my purchase arrives between 09:00 - 10:00 or between 11:00 and 12:00. (I'm no longer staying at home especially for my delivery). Narrow time windows mean inefficient routes - costing you time and money. For sure, some may need this - but I see loads of examples where the customer has been sold a narrow time window as a customer service plus point - but when you turn up with their goods - you find they don't really care. ("I'm not using it until the weekend anyway but your website forced me to pick a time window...."). If you can, tell the customer when you will deliver; if you have to offer a choice - just offer a day; if you have to offer better - am or pm - that's it.
- Not knowing exactly where the delivery address is. Let's agree - postcodes are just not accurate enough to find a location. In addition, unlike B2B - where your drivers get to know where the regular customers are - and where the customer tends to have a nice sign announcing their premises; home delivery is different. Firstly, the customers are always changing - secondly, the great British public love to name their premises "Squirrels Rest", "Badgers Holt" "The Bungalow" "The Hideaway" while at the same time not paying much attention to sign upkeep - allowing it to rot away, become overgrown or simply not exist at all - for that "air of mystery". This can cost you and your drivers dearly - time, fuel (and driver frustration - as they reverse back down the mile-long single-track road they have just driven up - while wondering how come the fleet manager's Beemer has a 360-degree manoeuvering camera but their van doesn't). Either get customers to give you actual location at the point of order - using something like W3W - or use something like DelM8 App which pinpoints most houses and links to google maps for navigation.
That's my three - what's yours?