Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Are You Part of The Transportation Industry? Start Embracing the Digital Revolution

If you want to rule the roost as a local courier service or even as an international parcel delivery provider, you need to understand which metrics differentiate successful logistics companies from those that crash and burn.
International Parcel Delivery Services - DTDC
International Parcel Delivery Services - DTDC
And in the long run, that standard is measured in terms of market disruption. Most companies today, agree that players who leverage tech innovation to blindside competitors and quickly steal market share are those that will end up wildly successful. It happened with Uber and it happened with Airbnb, which are both multi-billion-dollar enterprises that grew solely by using intuitive tech to vastly increase the scale of the sharing economy.

if you run a transportation company, you've probably given much thought to implementing a completely paperless system. But that may not be nearly enough. In fact, according to a global report by Price, Water house and Cooper, infrastructural investment aimed at logistics is set to see a 5% yearly growth rate in the next decade.

By leveraging the right technology investments, you can use this infrastructural boom to help your company perform more efficiently, make better margins, deliver better service and with a little luck, you could even grow exponentially.

But market-breaking innovation aside, here are the basic logistical tech upgrades that you need implement right away:

1. Digital Route Planning

Whether you're an intra-city delivery service or a global freight mover, leveraging automization software solutions to effectively plan out your delivery routes and schedules is critical to leveling up in the logistics space.

2. Asset Tracking / Resource Management

RFID chips and GPS are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to modern day asset tracking. More often than not, larger logistics enterprises (especially trucking services) are using beacons and multi-faceted sensors to acquire real-time data on their fleets. When paired with a versatile dashboard, this data can tremendously improve your inventory management, the efficiency of your last-mile fulfillment services and your overall profitability.

Besides, this the overall data accumulated can help you gain insights into how to structure and position your fleets in accordance with different economic cycles.

3. Workforce Optimization

The paper trail is passé. And making your employees run around with reams of documentation is just another sign that you aren't rolling with the times.

As early as you can, introduce and familiarize your staff with the magic of electronic PODs and train them to effectively operate a CMS. This may take a little organizational restructuring, but without it, you'll be doomed in the long run.

The benefits of this sort of software deployment include improved transparency, faster re-routing, better intra-network communications, rapid complaint resolution and a strong sense of accountability.

Think about it? The world is changing at a pace that is too rapid for most companies to keep up with, but you as a logistics supplier can effect simple changes that can revolutionize your operations. And you'd better do it now, because the longer you wait, the more reformation cost you incur, and the less impact you change will ultimately have on your standing in the market.