How are you planning your routes?
Most businesses use delivery route optimization software to plan their routes. And, do you know that with efficient route management, you can improve your business profitability by up to 12%, reduce vehicle use by up to 13%, and cut time on the road by 15%?
Table of Content
Understanding about route management
Route management refers to planning the most efficient and effective way of delivering orders from point A to point B, especially when the delivery is done in bulk or has multiple stops to make. It includes creating routes, assigning drivers to the routes, and sequencing multiple-stop deliveries.
Factors to consider in route management
While implementing route management, you can consider these factors to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance customer satisfaction in bottled water delivery operations.
Here are the factors you should consider:
Defining serviceable areas – Identify areas with high customer density to group deliveries efficiently. These include the areas where you want to offer your bottled water delivery service.
Delivery schedules – Define schedules in which you want to make your deliveries.
Creating delivery routes – Create routes for delivery in the defined areas. You can have as many routes as possible in a serviceable area. Define the schedule for the route.
Assigning drivers – Allocate routes to delivery drivers to assign drivers to the customers on that particular route. Doing so will remove the need for manual driver assignment.
Sequencing multiple addresses – Sequence delivery addresses in such a way that it reduces the distance traveled by the customers.
Top strategies to plan your delivery routes
Implementing effective route planning strategies can transform your business’s delivery operation. Efficient route planning aims to reduce and improve delivery productivity by ensuring on-time deliveries, reducing delivery turnaround time, and reducing fuel consumption.
Here are the ways to efficiently manage your water deliveries
Plan smartly
Planning your routes can help you achieve your delivery goals. Ensure you have the right data for route planning, like addresses and delivery windows. Data inaccuracy can lead to route miscalculations. You can use geofencing software to verify address accuracy and eliminate manual errors.
You can also integrate multi-stop route management, which auto-sequences stops to minimize travel time. Also, consider features, like route optimization, real-time updates, and live driver tracking.
Provide a delivery app for your drivers
Providing a water delivery driver app automates delivery information flow, removing manual errors. They get the list of customers and the delivery details in the sequence in which they are delivered. Drivers can use GPS navigation to reach customers’ addresses seamlessly.
Track orders and drivers
Use delivery tracking software to track and provide valuable delivery insights in real-time. You can monitor regular progress, identify delays or unseen issues, and adjust routes accordingly. This helps in making timely deliveries and minimizing disruptions.
The insights generated by the system can help you identify and understand the areas for improvement. This data-driven approach allows you to refine routes and optimize them.
Route management
The route management system is an integrated platform that automates route planning and optimization. Automating route management removes human errors and improves route planning accuracy. You can define deliverable areas, create routes, and allot delivery drivers. You can auto-optimize the route via drag and drop or manually do it. The system will sequence order deliveries, reducing delivery time and ensuring timely deliveries.
Now, we’ll try to understand the route management system and see how it can help you manage routes.
What is a route optimization software?
A route optimization system is a cloud-based delivery management software that helps bottled water businesses plan, optimize, and track deliveries or orders when the delivery driver is out making deliveries. This GPS unit is designed to improve efficiency and productivity for multiple stops.
It includes creating areas, defining delivery routes, and setting delivery schedules from the admin dashboard. You can create driver profiles, and allot delivery routes and delivery schedules. The route management system enables auto-assigning the order to the drivers to whom that route is allotted. The delivery addresses are automatically sequenced and the routes are optimized.
Working on a route optimization system
The route management system is a digital solution for planning, optimizing, and tracking deliveries after the orders are out for delivery.
Step-by-step working of route optimization system
Data input
- You can create customer profiles by adding customer details personal information, and addresses. Or, customers can create their profile from the customer mobile app. You and your customers can place orders.
- Create delivery driver profiles. Enter their vehicle details.
Route planning and optimization
- Define serviceable areas. These are the areas where you will be delivering bottled water
- Define your delivery schedule. These are the delivery windows when you want to make the deliveries.
- Create delivery routes. You can create as many routes as you want. Allot delivery drivers to these routes.
- The orders from particular routes are automatically assigned to drivers to whom that route is allotted.
Tracking
- Using the GPS tracking feature, you and your customers can track delivery drivers and orders in real time.
Order fulfillment
- Drivers often use water delivery driver apps connected to the route management system for navigation, receiving updates, and capturing delivery information
- Drivers can capture electronic signatures or photos on successful delivery, providing a digital record.
What are the features of a route management system?
The route management system offers features that aim to improve the efficiency and productivity of bottled water deliveries.
The features of the route management system are:
Route planning and optimization – This includes planning and sequencing deliveries to reduce total turnaround time. It minimizes fuel consumption, reducing the impact of carbon footprinting.
Multi-stop planning – The deliveries are done in bulk for multiple delivery stops. The delivery addresses are arranged so the delivery driver doesn’t have to go round and round to make deliveries.
Dispatch and tracking – Assign delivery drivers to routes so that any order from a particular route is automatically assigned to that driver.
Proof of delivery – Your delivery driver should be able to obtain electronic proof of delivery.
A driver app – Offer your drivers a water delivery driver app. They have built-in GPS tracking and navigation. The apps contain all the delivery information, giving your delivery driver clear task clarity for the day.
Integrations – Integrate other software solutions like CRM systems, billing and invoicing systems, etc. This provides an integrated platform where you can manage your entire business.
Why is route management important in the logistics of water delivery businesses?
Delivery route optimization software has revolutionized bottled water delivery businesses that make deliveries. It helps streamline business operations, save money, improve customer satisfaction, and empower data-driven decision-making for a more efficient and successful business.
Benefits of using a route management system for water delivery businesses:
Cost saving – Fuel efficiency is a major concern in a delivery business, and the water delivery business is no different. Route optimization minimizes mileage and unnecessary rounds, leading to a significant reduction in costs.
Faster deliveries – Optimised deliveries mean less time spent in traffic and avoid navigating complex routes. This results in timely deliveries and happier customers who get their water on time.
More deliveries per day – Reduced travel time, drivers can complete more deliveries in a day. They can serve more customers, increasing revenue and improving service coverage for your business.
Improves customer experience – The ability to track orders in real-time and ensure timely deliveries helps improve customer experience and satisfaction rates.
Inventory management – Drivers know exactly when, where, and how much to deliver allows for better planning for inventory needs and reduces the risk of stockouts in specific areas.
Data-driven decision-making – It provides valuable data on delivery performance. The data can be used to identify areas for improvement, optimize future routes, and make strategic decisions about resource allocation.
Leveraging a route management system and following the best practices can help you reach a new level of efficiency in your bottled water delivery operations. From reducing fuel costs and faster deliveries to happy customers, the system offers great benefits. A well-planned route is a smooth route that leads to more successful business. Contact us and book a free demo to see how integrated ‘Water Delivery Solution’ can help you improve delivery efficiency.
He loves to explore. His passion for helping delivery industries in all aspects flows through in the vision he has. In addition to providing smart solution to make delivery process flawless, Ravi also likes to write sometimes to make it easier for people from business industry looking for digital solutions.
