Are Specified Time Slots The Way Forward For Delivery Services?

There is little doubt that businesses and to a lesser degree

, domestic customers enjoy the benefits of knowing within a narrow time band when to expect a parcel delivery. But there is concern that expecting drivers to adhere to closely defined delivery schedules will adversely affect route planning, and make any delivery routes more difficult to observe.

Existing route optimisation software can only do so much in helping drivers and logistics managers to plan routes efficiently, and when the extra demands of timed deliveries is factored into the equation, this can hinder, rather than help, drivers productivity.

And according to one industry expert, the complexity of observing timed delivery windows will mitigate against drivers ability to stick to the most efficient routes and achieve the best possible fuel usage and productivity levels.or the convenience they offer, is likely to add to the demands on an already hard-pressed industry. In the long run, he foresees that this might lead to some companies being unable to sustain their businesses, which would in turn mean less competition, thereby driving up costs for businesses and individuals of using courier and parcel delivery services.

According to the IMRG Consumer Delivery Survey for 2010, people are less concerned about the reliability of home delivery services and see them as less of a barrier to them increasing the amount of shopping they do from home, whether online or by telephone. But three-quarters of people who responded had experienced a failed home delivery, and 17 per cent said such services still fell short of their expectations.

One benefit of these new delivery technologies is that they open communication channels between the courier carrying out a delivery and the customer. At present, these are largely limited to the use of SMS messages sent from the courier to a packages recipient informing them of a likely time to expect their delivery.

This is already reported to have resulted in noticeable improvements in first-time delivery success rates, so in itself, it is contributing to improving the efficiency of delivery services. Whether this technology will play a significant part in solving the wider challenges brought about by the conflicting and ever more sophisticated demands of courier services and clients remains to be seen.

by: David L Allen

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