Research has shown that Last Mile Delivery yields to customer satisfaction, brand credibility and customer retention. A poor Last Mile Delivery can make or break a brand. Shoppers are unlikely to patronize a company if they received their orders late.

What is Last Mile Delivery?

According to Wikipedia, Last mile is a term used in supply chain management and transportation planning to describe the last leg of a journey comprising the movement of goods from a transportation hub to a destination. It is a product’s journey from a warehouse to the doorstep of the end-customer. This process involves delivering a package from the nearest shipping hub to its destination as cost-effectively and quickly as possible. The goal here is to get the right goods to the right place at the right time. 

What are the challenges of last mile?

Delighting customers every time is a bit tricky. Last Mile Delivery is a complex process, which is why many companies find it difficult to create a hassle- free and timely delivery service to their customers. With Last Mile Deliveries being costly, it also does not help the businesses in the supply chain.  Some of the key challenges that businesses need to often combat are:

High Operating Costs

Last mile deliveries account for a huge percentage of overall delivery and logistics costs. Consumers’ demands are also giving online sellers more challenges to handle. Last mile delivery expenses can go up significantly when businesses aim to provide customers with more delivery options like same-day or next-day deliveries. To top it all, drivers need to traverse heavily congested roads when delivering to metropolitan areas. On the other hand, delivery drop-offs in rural areas are less congested but this is offset by the long distances’ drivers need to travel in between delivery points. 

Increasing Demand for Personalized Deliveries

With various software for tracking and customers’ impatience and curiosity to know real time status of their packages, Last Mile Delivery systems have become significantly important. Growing competition amongst online business have also added to this pressure. Deliveries has become as tailor-made as possible- from not only fixing the date but also time and way of delivery, where customers leave instructions for about everything one can imagine!  They are even willing to pay extra to receive a custom-made service.

How can an efficient Last Mile Delivery help?

An efficient Last Mile Delivery can boost your business many folds. A smiling driver, an efficient tracking system and a friendly Customer Service support will increase credibility and help to gain trust and eventually will result in more orders! Some of the ways which can be used for making the delivery system more efficient are:

Route Optimization

With over two decade of experience in Logistics industry, we have noticed that providing accurate ETAs to the customers can solve a lot of problems. Optimizing routes for shortest and quickest ways have helped the drives make seamless timely deliveries. One can allocate different routes/areas to specific drivers so that they get accustomed to the routes, lanes and even the houses of repeat customers. This exercise will help in developing a further bond with customers over time.

Strong Customer Service for effective communication

Some of our customers give specific instructions to deliver. Whether they want a specific date or time or even a specific way to deliver (for surprises or being unavailable at home), a strong way of communication is very important, where the driver will customer make the process for them.

Fortunately, one can find many reliable delivery partners to help and support their online/e-commerce business to fulfil the Last Mile Delivery.

UDS takes pride in their experience and customer satisfaction records. If you are looking for a 3PL to help with your logistics support, we would love to hear from you. Call us on 020 8848 3308 or email us at sales@udsww.com