Given today’s transport situation, despite advancements in technology and communication and navigation software, being able to offer same day distribution is still considered the ‘holy grail’ of those providing courier services. If you’re wondering how the leaders in transport and delivery services do it, the following are some great first steps toward achieving this goal.
Take Advantage of Technology
You can’t possibly hope to achieve same day distribution while being a techno-phobe. Ignoring technology will ultimately work against you and eat into your potential profits. High tech solutions in operation throughout the modern transport industry are notable for two things: they are efficient at what they claim to achieve and they are also relatively inexpensive – making technology an investment and a truly sound business decision. While there are many high-tech implementations you can begin to use, mostly you should focus on devices that allow you to track your delivery people in real time and keep you in constant communication. High tech business solutions can also make your administration workers more efficient when handling customer requests and orders, as well as enable staff to communicate with customers concerning promotions.
Develop and Implement a Rapid Delivery Strategy
Although establishing a same day distribution system is a very challenging task, it is not rocket science. It is not easy, but with careful, meticulous planning and by asking the right questions, any courier company can set in place a foundation in order to offer the said premium service.
You need to consider solving a range of problems, such as what product or item categories are most time sensitive. Once you’ve answered that, you must then examine your resources and equipment to verify whether you have the ability to provide rapid delivery of the said products. Moreover, you must ask yourself which is really more important for your customer base: do they prefer speed or just time-definite delivery? Implementation of this important strategy may take several months of research, but as long as your goals are clear and your projections are spot-on, the effort is all worth it.
Having a Flexible Workforce is Key
An essential element of a courier organisation able to provide a same day distribution service is a flexible staff – not only does this ensure you are able to fulfil your customers’ needs with a minimal number of people, you will also be able to ensure that everyone is on their toes and doing their jobs. Being flexible means enabling staff under a particular job description to be able to do a job outside their usual tasks as well. For example, your manager should still be able to take over certain sales-related job if the need arises. This, of course, entails certain adjustments to sales personnel compensation; flexibility has its costs, but if you do things right, then it will still be immensely profitable.