Deliveries App For Route Planning: Features & its Benefits

There is no doubt that the delivery industry is booming. So, managing the delivery business would not be easy. Hence, apps for delivery drivers have become an integral part of their business ecosystem. 

According to Statista, eCommerce has boomed during the COVID-19 pandemic as people have shifted to online delivery to be on the safe side. People prefer making purchases from around the world by staying in their comfort zone. And this is possible only through the deliveries app, where the app acts as a virtual store where a customer places orders.

A good delivery application is one that has a good and clean user interface and is designed to meet the requirements of any business or individual. It can help to cut the planning time by up to 80%, and effective routes can save fuel and drivers’ wages.

In this blog, we will learn the things to be considered while choosing a delivery app and its features. So, without any further delay, let’s get started.

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Who Needs to Use Route Planning App?

Pretty much everyone reading this blog needs a route-planning app. Route planning is important for any business to improve its performance and gain a customer base. Proper planning helps to find the most cost-effective and fastest route delivery. Effective planning helps to avoid high-traffic areas, thus reducing the wear and tear on your vehicles.

Some industries need a route planning application are the food industry, flower industry, courier delivery, eCommerce delivery, and many more. Now, you know who uses it the most, let us check out some of the features.

What are the Key Features of a Good Delivery Routing App?

Some of the key features of a good delivery routing app are

1. Real-time tracking

Real-time vehicle tracking is essential to gain customer trust. For example- if the customer does not receive the deliveries at the promised time, it will impact their trust. At the same time, drivers may not receive support if they take any incorrect route.

Some of the apps, like Upper, have the feature of GPS to keep track of driver’s activities in the form of tracking history. It also updates the customer about the accurate expected time of arrival (ETA), creating a sense of trust. Therefore, to ensure transparency and avoid any failed deliveries, it is important to have real-time tracking.

2. A mobile application

An iOS and Android application to monitor on-road activities and ease dispatch stops to drivers is a must. This is where the driver’s life is simplified and can empower productivity.

For instance, the app should have an electronic POD feature, unlike Upper. This will help to capture photos, signatures, and notes digitally. It can act as proof for delivery drivers, ensuring more successful deliveries.

3. User-friendly access

There is no point in choosing an app that makes the driver’s job harder rather than easier. The route planning software should be easy to learn for your drivers who have to make the deliveries on time. The same goes for the dispatcher and fleet managers, as even they have enough to do with the application. The fleet managers can also have the web access to the vehicle routing app as Upper. 

This starts with offering a driver mobile app that runs on devices that drivers have, unlike Upper. It will help the drivers to update about the deliveries and stops and even update proof of delivery if required.

4. Robust and accessible customer support

Finding the best route planner for delivery drivers is not enough. You need to choose a software provider that provides support 24/7. It can be more beneficial if customer support is accessible at any time. Otherwise, you will need to spend your valuable hours getting an answer to your questions. 

There should be multiple ways to contact customer support via email, phone, or chat. In simple words, the right route planner application should help both the business and the drivers. 

5. Delivery training and tutorial

A good delivery routing app does not require any dedicated drivers training. The features, functionality, and design should be easy so that drivers can simply download the app, sign in, and be ready to go.

Ensure that the software provides an onboarding tutorial so the users can become familiar with it and get assistance if any issue arises.

6. Scalability

Having a scalable and dynamic routing app is crucial for your business growth. It is possible that when you are using a multi-stop route planning solution, you have limited routes. But, it is quite possible that your business will expand in the future.

The application needs to be scalable so that unlimited stops can be planned to result in maximum efficiency. Hence, choose a complex routing solution that can evolve with your business.

7. Analytics and reports 

The routing app should have analytics and reporting features to provide a detailed analysis of your delivery operations. The detailed analysis should also include fuel consumption records, planned routes vs. actual routes, the performance of drivers per month, daily stops per route, and delivery cost. It will help to improve efficiency over time and make the driver’s life easier.

How Can Delivery Routing Apps Benefit Your Business?

Some businesses have their own delivery model while others rely on courier delivery apps to carry out delivery operations. And the courier delivery apps charge certain amounts as commission fees, advertising fees, memberships, or delivery fees.

The delivery routing app can benefit your business in many ways, some of them are:

• It will help to perform delivery jobs quickly and efficiently
• Gradual increase in productivity and happy customers
• Vehicle load capacities and efficient routes will reduce the overall fuel consumption

Is There One App You Can Use for All Deliveries on Android, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Devices?

Integrating your company’s ordering and delivery processes into one app can help you achieve new efficiencies. For small businesses, you’ll want to have a solution that enables you to work from a spreadsheet or an online ordering service while optimizing your delivery route planning to increase your revenues and reduce costly errors. 

This system must allow you to add new orders and deliveries, update or change shipping status, track orders or packages, and direct purchases, along with efficient route planning and optimization on different devices like apple or android.

When choosing an app for all your needs, whether Apple Watch app, Amazon or otherwise, one must consider the list of  following five features.

1. Easy Address Capturing and Bulk Input Services

Capturing the customer’s address correctly is vital for any navigation or route planning solution. Automatic lookups and bulk imports should be included as standard features within the app you choose. This can be extremely useful for couriers including UPS, FedEx, and others.

Location-based auto-detection of delivery addresses will ensure you deliver to the right location every time. Simultaneously, quick imports of routes allow you to design the most efficient journey for every trip. Your chosen application should also come with error-free address input tools.

2. Automatic Route Creation

Once you know where you need to go, your app should create your efficient routes and consider elements like avoiding highways, real-time traffic or toll roads. If you regularly drive the same routes, you should create an entry and quickly assign it to the drivers.

You’ll also want to optimize your routes to reduce distances and improve your delivery time windows. Using reports, capacity parameters, and past trips to plan your future shipments and deliveries in one app can save you time and money.

3. Prioritize Specific Deliveries

The ability to prioritize certain stops and optimize the remaining multi-stop route from there is another factor you’ll need to consider. Customizing routes according to delivery capacity and the customer’s expectations shouldn’t require your drivers to override the application’s recommendations.

The best route planning application will enable you to prioritize an address list and delivery based on vehicle capacity ensuring you can keep your customers happy.

4. Capture Customer Comments

Customer satisfaction remains your primary goal. By capturing comments and allowing clients to engage with your delivery company and individual drivers, you can improve customer satisfaction and effectively manage feedback.

Your application developer should also consider your comments and give you the new features that your customers expect. Choosing an app that supports your entire business model depends on keeping you and your customers satisfied.

5. Multiple Device Support

Providing support for any operating system on different handsets and mobile devices like iPad, mac, and apple will be key. Issuing your drivers with special package tracker devices that can also record their deliveries is no longer required. With a modern delivery interface, your drivers can use their personal devices while performing their duties.

Make sure to select a delivery and tracking app to track orders that integrates across all platforms, including web browsers, iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Android devices. Offering a solution that both App Store and Google PlayStore support is important for wide acceptance by the users.

Upper – Your Ideal Delivery App for Route Planning and Optimization

Upper is a route optimization software to streamline efficient deliveries. It automates the process of route planning and route optimization. Upper being a multi-stop route planner ensures on-time deliveries by reducing manual dependencies. 

Below is a list of some benefits offered by Upper for multi-drop deliveries:

• Best routes for cost-effective delivery
• Increased business productivity
• Saves time with advanced route planning feature
• Boosts customer experience
• On-demand report generation

Some additional features like real-time driver tracking, automatic notifications of delivery status and the estimated time of arrival (ETA) helps to remove missed deliveries or re-delivery. Also, the ePOD (Electronic Proof of delivery) acts as a standalone proof to avoid complaints and marks a great customer experience. 

To plan your routes with Upper you can sign up for a 7-day free trial today!

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Conclusion

It is clear that multi-drop delivery is seeing rapid growth in the delivery industry. And to become a standout player in the eCommerce business, customer retention plays a vital role. Therefore, using the right delivery app can help focus on meeting customer expectations. It can help drivers follow efficient routes and deliver excellent customer service.

Upper helps you simplify the delivery process in such a way that you can streamline your delivery supply chain. It will also help to cut down on planning time, and reduce vehicle costs. Upper helps you make last-mile delivery easy with its advanced features.