10 Ways Logistics Scheduling Software Can Simplify Your Supply Chain Process

Logistics scheduling is an essential factor for business owners in dealing with the supply chain process. This scheduling process can even boost your overall revenue if you follow it the right way. Otherwise, you may end up halting your logistics services. 

Therefore, it is all about applying logistics scheduling in a proper way instead dealing with unexpected issues in your supply chain management. The process improves your task management and helps you carry out operations in a timely manner. Hence, with logistics scheduling, you are assured of the timely completion of service.

In this deep dive, let us understand the major benefits of logistics scheduling and its significance.

10 Benefits of Logistics Scheduling Software

Logistics scheduling software helps you streamline every aspect of supply chains. It’s a digital logistics tool for managing materials, production, inventory, customer orders, and delivery options while saving you time and money – and results in more satisfied employees and happy customers.

Here are just a handful of ways that logistics scheduling software can improve your supply chain process.

1. Smooths Out the Supply Chain Logistics Process

The supply chain operation process is sometimes rocky. Orders do not flow evenly from month to month, and inventory levels at distribution centers fluctuate. Delivery is seldom drafted in a straight physical line, evenly scheduled throughout a standard eight-hour day. Life doesn’t work that way.

The real world’s vagaries create a multitude of headaches for everyone doing your business’ supply chain scheduling. Unexpected transportation delays, last-minute changes, and ostensibly unreasonable customer expectations all end up resulting in scheduling problems.

Smoothing out the rough edges of the supply chain logistics process is where logistics software shines. Tasks that might take an individual several hours to complete – can be done in seconds. Also, details are tracked, reports are issued, and things fall into place. 

2. Improves Your On-Time Delivery

You know how important it is to maintain a high on-time delivery process. Logistics scheduling software takes the guesswork out of delivery routing, ensuring drivers always drive the most efficient routes. This can significantly improve your on-time delivery activities– thus it provides an improved customer experience.

3. Reduces Last-Minute Scrambling

Poor process of logistics planning deliveries can result in a lot of last-minute scrambling. Complimentary deliveries have to be postponed or canceled; drivers have to put in overtime, and both time and energy are spent reworking previously made plans. Logistics scheduling software helps to reduce eleventh-hour changes.

The software enables you to plan ahead instead of scrambling at the last minute. When you reduce last-minute scrambling, you also save money. With logistics scheduling software, you don’t have to schedule deliveries because something changed.

4. Improves Last Mile Delivery

The last mile is the most challenging distance in the entire supply chain. No matter how well you manage the earlier parts of the process in delivery operations, 

The last mile is what your customers see. If your delivery is ever late or incomplete, it reflects poorly on your entire business.

When you utilize logistics planning software to manage the entire supply chain, you ensure improved last-mile delivery scheduling. Everything works together to ensure the right product delivery to consumers at the right time.

5. Reduces Inventory

Inventory management becomes more difficult when schedules are in flux. You need perfect scheduling to ensure that every step in the entire process is proceeding at the proper pace. If things don’t happen according to plan, you may be stuck with higher-than-expected overhead costs or inventory stockouts that impact the order’s completion.

You need carriers to get your resources to arrive just in time to meet your orders. That requires highly accurate scheduling based on predictions arising from past trends and data. You don’t want to be caught shorthanded by unexpected customer demand.

State-of-the-art logistics scheduling software can predict demand and schedule inventory shipments accordingly. You get the most efficient use of your warehouse space and the assurance that you’ll always have the right stock when you need it.

6. Improves Productivity

Using logistics scheduling software can dramatically improve your employee productivity. Instead of building schedules and routes each day by hand, the software does it automatically – faster and more accurately.

What was formerly done manually is now done in the software, freeing customer service teams for improved delivery performance.

7. Reduces Costs

Logistics scheduling software can make the entire supply chain more efficient. Vehicles take more efficient routes, spend less time on the road and sitting in traffic, and experience less wear and tear. Last-minute changes and rescheduling – and the costs associated with them – are virtually eliminated.

These cost reductions can be substantial. Mercury Associates has found that processes of delivery logistics scheduling can reduce total ownership (TCO) costs by anywhere from 5% to 10%. Price Waterhouse Cooper reports that optimizing a business’s supply chain can control costs by up to 15%.

8. Enhances Scalability

When your business grows, you want to be able to handle the extra customer purchases. Conversely, if your business suffers a short-term downturn, you don’t want to be saddled with excess fixed costs.

By employing appointment scheduling systems, you can ensure that your business grows because of core or high-demand products – and that you have enough staff and materials to meet customer needs. Logistics scheduling software provides you with the information you need to make intelligent decisions about scaling your entire operation up or down. 

9. Increases Customer Satisfaction

Proper logistics scheduling helps you do everything right – which your customers will appreciate. You’ll be able to deliver products exactly when consumers need them, on time, and complete. Your delivery schedules will give real-time visibility to your clients.

Field service businesses aim to help you run an efficient business, enabling you to provide product tracking that your customer wants. The better you run your business, the more customers happy.

10. Makes Your Life Easier

When you rely on delivery logistics software, you make life easier for your employees. There are less manual labor and less opportunity for human error. Actions involving much swearing and hair-pulling are handled with a few clicks. Let the delivery management software do the hard work, and your employees contribute to more productive tasks. You won’t have to handle the extra workload, knowing that the delivery management platform works in the background. It makes your business run as smoothly as possible with minimal errors.

Why Logistics Scheduling is Important?

Logistics scheduling means integrating job scheduling and delivery for a smooth supply chain workflow. Without effective employee scheduling, you’re more likely to run into incomplete orders, inventory shortages, and missed deadlines. The consequences of all this can include last-minute rescheduling, employee overtime, hefty fines, and dissatisfied customers.

How Upper helps you perform logistics scheduling?

Upper has an in-built sophisticated routing algorithm that churns out the best routes within seconds. With these Upper-made fastest routes, your shipping process will be faster in such a way that you won’t have any missed deadlines. A route planner helps you in advanced planning and scheduling unlimited deliveries for weeks or months.

Once you are done with scheduling, Upper makes sure you won’t miss out on any deliveries. Also, it provides on-demand assistance for drivers on the road. It considers several factors like weather, traffic, and avoidance zone during careful planning of routes. What’s good is you can create a multi-stop route plan, including unlimited extra stops for your logistics services.

Developed for logistics businesses like yours, Upper helps you streamline the supply chain process with its advanced features.

Choosing the Right Logistics Scheduling Software

If your business needs logistics scheduling software to be more efficient and more competitive, we recommend you Look for delivery management solutions like Upper Route Planner, that help you in managing employee schedules better, planning delivery routes, and providing detailed analytics to your entire delivery chain. Contact us today to learn more about how Upper Route Planner can meet your logistics scheduling needs.