It’s a common misconception that delivering your product is merely a matter of sending it out the door. Unfortunately, there are many nuances to getting your product to your customers in the shortest time possible — nuances that you should probably be aware of before you start barking orders at those under you. A delivery gap can be closed by getting employees to meet or exceed service standards. You can also close a delivery gap by improving your quality system, or hiring more drivers or/and delivery personnel. But, don’t overlook the potential for your own employees to be responsible for the gap.
For most companies, shortening a delivery gap results in lower costs, improved customer satisfaction and greater profits. But what happens when you’re involved in a tight economy? Well, as we all know by now, it’s important to maximize efficiency and meet deadlines while keeping money in your pocket. One easy way to do this is by improving how well you manage the driver side of your business — especially those who are responsible for the time it takes products to reach customers after they have been dropped off at distribution centers or warehouses.
Things Your Competitors Know About Delivery Gap :
1. They understand the importance of total cost of ownership
Trying to manage a delivery gap is often confusing for most companies, especially since it involves so many different factors. But not all companies are struggling to keep up; some, in fact, manage to find an edge over the competition. What¡s the difference? They have found a way to reduce their delivery gap by 1 day on average during their peak season. Does that mean they’ve got an unfair advantage? Well, no — but they do have some secret weapons. Your competitors understand that this industry is dynamic and changing by the minute.
They are constantly looking for new tools and innovative ways to manage their businesses. They understand that companies are not inherently evil entities, but rather, they are simply trying to find a way to make more money. In other words, if their competitors are finding a way to improve their delivery gap by one day, they’ll do the same thing in order to compete. In this industry there is a constant battle between providing quality service at a reasonable price and staying below budget. The companies that get it right know that they need to keep improving service while maintaining control of costs and staying on top of the competition.
2. They know that reliability is key
There are lots of companies in this business, and the competition has been tough for a long time. However, there is one thing that most of them don’t understand (but you do) — how important reliability can be. If you’re serious about growing your market share, then a reliable delivery system is vital. What’s more, you need to concentrate on not only getting the product to customers when they want it but also when they want it most!
Imagine if you could get your shipment to customers within an hour of receipt. That would mean less delay in receiving revenue and less money going out the door. This is a problem that almost all companies are facing, and if you can find ways to solve it, you will have an advantage over your competition.
Your competitors know that the faster they are able to deliver the product, the more money they will make — even if they have to spend more money on their delivery system. You see, one of the biggest problems companies in this industry have is figuring out what to do with all of their products once they’ve got them. The quicker you can get your stuff out of storage and onto the road, the better off you’ll be. Getting more drivers usually helps a lot — but then again, so does investing in new technology such as mobile trucks for deliveries or RFID tags for shipments.
3. They don’t ignore technology
Technology can be your friend, especially in this industry. Can you imagine what it would mean to your company if you could shorten your delivery gap by a day? If it’s not possible to meet such a goal in a single leap, then at least try to make incremental improvements. One way to do this is by using technology to help decrease the amount of time you need for deliveries.
For example, GPS tracking and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) are both technologies that are being used in different ways to decrease the amount of time needed for products to reach customers after they have been delivered. Companies that use these technologies see less lost product, and they also benefit from higher speed and greater accuracy when delivering goods.
