Adopting route optimization software helps a company reach strategic fleet management initiatives including cost-cutting, safety, and efficiency. Decrease the total miles traveled, increase employee productivity, and improve customer service and satisfaction levels.
With the right route optimization software features, your fleet of drivers will also enjoy many improvements to their workday. Fleet management applications should contribute to your goal of creating a team of happy, satisfied, safe, and efficient drivers – which will end up benefitting the entire business.
Some of the features you should look for to provide a superior driver experience include:
1. Route optimization
Route optimization, both static and dynamic, relieves drivers of the concern of planning their routes, ensuring that they always have the most efficient delivery route at their fingertips. Additionally, with dynamic route updates, a driver can avoid delays due to traffic or construction with information that may not be available when planning routes ahead of time.
2. Automated dispatching
Automated dispatching allows a dispatcher to contact the most appropriate driver for a specific delivery. Dispatchers only notify drivers of the deliveries that are relevant to them, cutting down on inessential information and chatter, allowing drivers to focus on their jobs while on the road.
3. Live ETA and ETA predictor
Knowing when a driver will arrive at a destination helps to improve communication throughout the delivery chain. Real-time updated ETAs can be communicated to dispatch, drivers and to customers so that expectations are in line with reality and customer satisfaction is improved. Interacting on-site with satisfied customers creates a better experience for the drivers as well as customers.
4. Ready for driver
With the ‘ready for driver’ feature, an automated message is sent to the driver’s device to let them know that an order is ready for pickup and subsequent delivery. This feature eliminates frustrating waiting times and improves overall efficiency.
5. Proof of delivery
Digital scanning of signatures, photos, or parcel barcodes provides a reliable proof of delivery, which drivers can then store in job history. Proof of delivery applications reduce the amount of paperwork required by drivers and by dispatch, as well as creating real-time status updates and providing a reliable tracking system in case of any delivery issues.
Why should you provide an improved driver experience?
Ensuring that route optimization software includes features that benefits drivers, as well as dispatchers, can have a powerful effect on the entire company. Real-time communications regarding the best routes, new job and order status, ETAs, and proof of delivery will help to eliminate ongoing stresses associated with daily delivery driving.
Happier employees tend to be approximately 12% more productive according to one study. As delivery drivers are customer-facing, interacting with customers in the course of delivery, their job satisfaction may translate directly to customer satisfaction and repeat business. Finally, happy employees are less likely to leave a company, reducing expensive employee turnover and training and further improving your bottom line.
Find out how GetSwift can ensure order and delivery accuracy with real-time route optimization and end-to-end delivery tracking today!
