What to Look for in a Delivery Software
The number of small to medium sized businesses rapidly increased in the post-pandemic era, and this highlighted the importance of delivery services for small businesses and their significance for their survival and growth. Having a working delivery system in place is the new normal for all businesses that sell goods. It is, however, the business owners who have to figure out and implement these complex systems.
Delivery is a complicated operation by nature; it’s vulnerable to mistakes, hard to optimize, and can become very resource-demanding. Building a delivery system from scratch comes with many challenges like hiring and onboarding delivery drivers, leasing vehicles, managing hourly salaries, and even keeping up with the changing gas prices. When we add the time-consuming parts into the equation, setting up and managing a delivery system in-house can easily become a source of stress instead of a positive addition to your business’ growth.
That’s where delivery software and delivery services come into the picture, offering end-to-end solutions to businesses, especially to small and medium-sized ones.
The key features of a delivery software
Delivery software is a must-have for any business, especially for those that have complex pickup and delivery locations. It can help your business on many levels.
But if you are just starting out, there will be things you haven’t measured or thought about thoroughly, and that is normal. We are here to guide you through some of the features of the ideal delivery software to make your life easier and to help you quickly expand to the capacity to sell more instead of dealing with operational impurities.
The Interface: Simplicity is Gold
Whether your business is a local brewery, a meal kit or catering company, or a wholesale flower supplier, you want software that’s intuitive and fairly easy to use.
Simplicity brings efficiency. What a business owner does not need is a complex solution that can do many unrelated things at once; it’s a simple solution that saves them time. On the other hand, the only party using a delivery software is not the sender alone; drivers and recipients also take advantage of the same system. So using software that has a universal, simple user interface is the most reasonable way to go.
Efficient Route Planning
Did you know that poorly planned routes cost businesses nearly $6B each year? A route optimizing software can let you save dramatically on time spent on the road, on gas expenses, and help you manage your drivers’ time in the most efficient way.
The AI-powered route planner that we implemented on the Metrobi dashboard takes into consideration distance, traffic, road conditions and more to ensure your products get delivered in record time.
Easy Communication
So many things can go wrong in deliveries, so communicating clearly and often is key for a successful operation. A good delivery software lets you communicate with drivers and recipients easily, and lets them reach out to you without issues.
Delivery solutions like Metrobi even offer a mobile app for drivers to create an uninterrupted experience, and a Recipient Platform for your customers where they can track their items in real time and report issues without having to call you.
Smart notifications
Delivery transparency goes a long way for customer satisfaction, but it might be hard to implement on your own. Delivery management software that gives your customers accurate ETAs, live tracking options, and proof of delivery to inform them throughout the process will dramatically improve your delivery success with no additional operational burden on your end.
Live Tracking for Everyone
Live delivery tracking is a feature that is in high demand by customers, businesses, and even drivers. The handy GPS feature provides business owners with peace of mind and their customers with more freedom, as opposed to unspecified delivery times.
On the business front, it gives the sender full control of the delivery process and allows them to take action quickly if there are any mistakes. In short, live tracking creates a smoother delivery experience for all parties involved.
Integrations
Integrating your delivery software with e-commerce systems is another piece of the puzzle that streamlines your entire delivery process. With e-commerce integrations, it becomes easier for businesses to connect their systems with the delivery company and make everything smoother and more efficient.
Metrobi: An Extension of Your Team
Metrobi is a local delivery service with built-in delivery software, designed for wholesale and home deliveries. Much more than just a delivery service, our goal is to become an extension of your business and reliably support you through your growth phases.
We provide you with not just delivery software, but also with local, highly rated drivers and vehicles of all sizes to handle your last mile deliveries end-to-end, so you can save time on all delivery-related operations.
We helped hundreds of companies save their time and avoid large investments so they could focus on their future goals for their businesses.
Reach out to start planning the next steps for your business.
