Do you think you have any need for direct store delivery optimization? If you knew the benefits of such optimization and the perils of, well, not having it… your answer would be a resounding, YES! You do need direct store delivery optimization to:
- boost overall supply chain efficiency,
- increase vendor satisfaction and performance,
- improve order tracking, credit management, and returns.
And if you are a CEO or COO trying to quickly find the overarching benefit in terms of business value and return on investments, here are some broad-stroke concepts for you.
Enterprises spend millions on marketing to build brand awareness. However, if the products aren’t ‘available’ at the storefront (or aren’t delivered on time), then it not only takes away from brand awareness but also brand loyalty. Inefficient deliveries may even hinder the value delivery chain (if you are to deliver fresh produce to your food & beverage franchise).
Can you afford to gamble this effortfully built brand value on the probability of a simple incomplete delivery due to an unforeseen error at some store? No. You need to ensure that the delivery mechanism works exactly as expected with errors spotted early and fixed so that they don’t occur again.
Well, that’s the broad strokes of it. Now let’s get to the top 5 benefits of direct store delivery (DSD) optimization. As a matter of fact, Crave InfoTech excels in this space with their DSD product, best-run with intelligent SAP solutions and platform.
Scheduling: Loading and Dispatch – Resource optimization | Yard Management
Let’s start at the warehouse. There would be multiple trailers/trucks waiting for their turn of loading and dispatch at the warehouse/distribution center. Now, this often takes hours, especially during peak hours.
Our Direct Store Delivery app streamlines the loading and dispatch of all goods/items. The pickers carry smart devices. These devices have our UI-optimized DSD app. The pickers can use the in-built RFID/barcode scanners to immediately capture the item details in the app. This helps them stage and plan the loading/dispatch faster.
Previously, the pickers and loaders would have followed a printed Delivery Run Sheet (DRS) to arrange the loading. Now, with the digitized Crave solution, all this is streamlined. The loading and dispatch are quicker and go as planned. This means that the average yard for the trailer is reduced. They also can have a clear ETA of when the dispatch would occur.
Guided Vehicle inspection – SLA compliance and Asset Maintenance
Do you know your vehicles are in prime condition? Ever since the container ship Evergreen blocked the Suez Canal in March 2021, the company’s brand took a decent hit. Post that a truck with the name ‘Evergreen’ broke down and blocked a road in China and social media went wild. It’s to note that the trailer company didn’t have an affiliation with Evergreen Marine Corporation. However, the brand was still hit.
It’s a long way to get to a simple point. Public breakdowns of trucks are a PR nightmare. You don’t want it. Even if you have 3PLs doing your last mile, breakdowns still have an impact on service level agreement compliance (with the logistics partners as well as the vendors).
The direct store delivery app has a simple solution. At the start of the trip, the driver goes through an intuitive workflow, where they log an inspection of the vehicle into the system. This also helps track the ‘health’ of the vehicle (asset). With this, the company can get ahead of wear and tear, and minimize breakdowns.
Route planning – From Depot to Store | 20% more deliveries per day
So, your trailers/trucks have left the yard/depot. Do the drivers know where they must deliver first? Earlier, there would have been a printed DRS in front of the driver. However, this is inefficient and wasteful. Our direct store delivery app has a route planner.
This gives the driver an ideal route to take, traversing the most optimal path, to deliver all items in the quickest time. This helps them abide by local trailer/truck rules (about plying in the city at certain times). This also helps them minimize delays due to traffic.
Overall, the drivers can fulfill 20% more deliveries per day, efficiently and easily without overtime. The route planning also helps cut down fuel costs.
Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD) | Digital validation
Everything has gone as planned – from the loading of items to the driver reaching the delivery location on time. The next important part (and for some, the most important) is delivery validation. How do you know the items have been delivered in full and have been received by the consignee? Without validation, there would be discrepancies, claims, and chaos without a clear way to settle them.
Crave’s direct store delivery helps overcome this. The delivery person has a smart device with our UI-optimized app. They use the in-built scanner to scan each item as it is unloaded. This helps validate the status as in-full, partial, or damaged.
All scanned data gets auto-populated in a simple workflow. The delivery person uses this workflow to account for all items. In the end, they click a photo of the delivered order from the device itself. This is the Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD). The delivery person also takes the sign of the consignee on their device – this is the E-Signature or ESIGN.
This helps validate the delivery and set up all time-stamped information in case of any discrepancy, exception, or credit request.
Reduce Paperwork by 80%+| Smart digitization
You just walked through a step-by-step delivery journey, charting their benefits at each stage. An overarching benefit here is the reduction of paperwork by 80%! You can ensure your company embraces digitization the right way. No confusion or delays in adoption.
The simple UI helps the workforce utilize the full benefits of the solution easily, and quickly. This means that you realize the benefit very quickly. Digitization, if coupled with the cloud, can help automate your processes much more. And the 80% lesser paperwork doesn’t just add to the efficiency but also cuts overall operational costs… while helping you work towards a more sustainable future for your company.
Phew! That was a long read but here’s the gist. If you want to improve your direct store deliveries, Crave is the way. And if you just skimmed through, no worries. Just get in touch and we will open the full spectrum of DSD benefits for you.
