Overview of Last Mile Carrier Tracking in India
Last mile carrier tracking is an umbrella term for several services that are offered to the end consumer in the final stage of the delivery process. These services are provided to help improve visibility for the customers. Since improved visibility directly translates into lower-order cancellations and higher chances of successful delivery all while reducing the number of calls from customers to know the status of orders.
Therefore, businesses are increasingly relying on advanced solutions that help them better communicate information about orders to customers and increase trust. In this article, we shed light on the importance of last-mile carrier tracking, best solutions and the benefits of last mile tracking for businesses in India.
Why eCommerce businesses need Last Mile Carrier Tracking
Last-mile carrier tracking is important to businesses for a number of reasons, however, some use cases stand out in creating quantifiable impacts. Here are some of the reasons why businesses need last-mile tracking.
1. Improved customers experience
Modern consumers are exposed to technology everywhere, allowing them to receive information about virtually anything by simply using a couple of clicks. Such trouble-free access to information makes consumers curious and that is where customer anxiety steps. When an order is placed online, customers are immediately curious as to when their product will arrive.
This curiosity leads to consumer anxiety which motivates customers to constantly check on the status of delivery for their orders. Previously, most customers relied on calling the seller to know when their order was arriving, however, with newer technologies this can be easily offered through tracking solutions.
Last mile order tracking allows customers to get real-time information on the departure and arrival of their orders from their nearest hub, or warehouse making consumers more satisfied with the online shopping experience.
2. Efficient logistics operations
Last mile delivery is the most critical stage in the delivery process since it is the stage where the product is finally brought to the customer. Therefore, businesses used tracking solutions to ensure that the delivery process is seamless.
Through the use of last mile carrier tracking, businesses can receive an insight into their delivery operations and adjust their policies to make their processes more efficient. They also use this data to improve the all-round experience for customers since last mile delivery is the only stage that physically faces the customers.
3. Reduced exceptions
When businesses use last mile carrier tracking, they are able tackle several issues during the process, without having to resort to damage control. Delivery exceptions such as stuck shipments, damage in transit, and missed deliveries cause significant revenue loss to businesses. The use of last-mile carrier tracking can help businesses resolve issues that occur while the product is in transit. This helps businesses ensure that delivery is completed and the chances of a product being lost, damaged or undelivered are reduced.
Features of Last Mile Carrier Tracking
Last mile carrier tracking includes a host of services that are collectively used to improve customer satisfaction and business logistics operations. Here are some of the features that last mile carrier tracking includes.
1. Notifications
Last-mile carrier tracking allows businesses to send regular updates in the form of notifications to customers. These updates are used to inform the customer about the status of their order when a significant event occurs.
These notifications are used to deliver messages for events such as when the order is dispatched from the nearest when it is picked up by the delivery agent, when the order is out for delivery and when the delivery agent is arriving at the customer’s doorsteps. It can also be used to notify customers of the estimated time of delivery.
2. Delivery agent contact
Through last mile carrier tracking the customer can be sent the details of the delivery agent who is tasked with delivering the particular product. This allows customers to coordinate the delivery with the agent and ensure that the delivery agent is arriving at the correct address at the correct time. This can also be used as a way to give customers the power to ensure their delivery.
3. Real-time tracking
Real-time tracking allows customers and businesses to track the location of their item. This allows customers to always stay aware of the status of their order, easing their anxiety and reducing the odds of customers cancelling the order.
4. Proof of delivery
Last mile carrier tracking is also used to ensure that when a product is sent to be delivered, it is actually delivered to the customer. This is done through a monitoring system that requires delivery agents to generate proof of delivery in the form of photographs, one-time passwords given to customers and even customer signatures. The poD is great to reduce the chances of a fake delivery.
Understanding Last Mile Carrier Tracking Software
A last mile carrier tracking software is a solution that businesses use to provide visibility to customers and monitor the delivery process of an order. Such a solution collates several features of the carrier tracking ecosystem into a single platform and allows businesses to manage multiple processes simultaneously. A great way to track orders is through a solution like ClickPost which allows businesses to offer an Amazon-like delivery experience to customers.
On the tracking front, ClickPost offers an integrated dashboard that allows businesses to manage tracking across multiple carriers from a single location. ClickPost also allows businesses to notify their customers when a milestone in the delivery process has been achieved, and also allows businesses to communicate with consumers through multiple channels to ensure that information reaches them.
Benefits of Last Mile Carrier Tracking
Last mile carrier tracking helps improve the delivery experience for both consumers and the business. Let us now discuss some of the benefits of last mile carrier tracking.
1. Improved Delivery Experience
Last mile carrier tracking improves the shipping experience for both businesses and customers. For customers, last mile tracking is a great way to ease anxiety and be aware of the status of orders, thereby, reducing the chances of customers cancelling an order. For businesses, last mile tracking is an ideal way to monitor the delivery process and ensure that a product is delivered to the end consumer.
2. Exceptions Management
Last mile carrier tracking allows businesses to manage delivery expectations, reducing the odds of an order returning to the origin and failed deliveries due to an item getting damaged/lost in transit.
Whenever an expectation occurs, businesses are able to trace the origin of the issues using last mile tracking and resolve the issue during the transit of the item itself, as against waiting for a mishap to occur and causing revenue loss.
Delivery exceptions management ensures that an order is delivered to the doorstep of the customer, and that hamper events during transit that may hinder the delivery process are curbed as soon as they occur.
3. Delivery Route Optimization
Last mile carrier tracking is a great way for businesses to optimize the route of delivery of an item in real time. Last-mile tracking can leverage information on traffic, blockades or weather conditions to customize delivery to ensure that the product is delivered undamaged and on time.
4. Enhanced Customer Engagement
Through the use of last mile carrier tracking businesses are able to communicate with customers through notifications and status updates. Moreover, tracking solutions are capable of helping businesses create branded tracking pages which give businesses additional space for post-purchase marketing and creating new sales opportunities.
How to select the right Last Mile Carrier Tracking Software
The market is flooded with several last mile carrier tracking solutions, making it extremely difficult to choose the ideal software. Therefore, here is a list of factors that an enterprise must keep in mind when choosing a last mile carrier tracking software.
1. Pricing
The cost of the last mile tracking service is one of the most important factors to consider when choosing the ideal solution. An expensive solution may cause a dent in the finances of an enterprise, however, a significantly cheaper option may not be up to the mark. Therefore, it is important that businesses assess their affordability and strike a balance between price and quality of the product.
2. Serviceability
The area covered by the service is important to the success of a last mile tracking process. Therefore, while choosing a last mile carrier tracking software, businesses must know which regions are covered by the software, ensuring that operating and target markets are covered by the solution to ensure that current & future operations are completed without hindrances.
3. Past performance
Businesses must take a deeper look into the reviews and previous record of the tracking solution. This allows businesses to be aware of the capabilities of the solution as well as the ground reality of its performance. Reviews from clients is also a great way to assess the reliability of the software.
4. Customer support
Last mile delivery is a complicated process, therefore, when issues arise, the solution provider must be able to resolve them instantaneously to ensure that the delivery process is not hampered in any manner. Therefore, a software solution provider that has a decent customer support infrastructure should be an ideal choice for businesses.
5. Proof of Delivery
When choosing a last mile carrier tracking solution, businesses must look for software that includes a proof of delivery feature. The rampant increase in the number of fake deliveries by agents is capable of causing severed revenue loss to businesses. Therefore, when a software includes proof of delivery features, businesses can rest assured that the delivery does not fake a delivery.
Final thoughts
Last mile carrier tracking is a modern approach to ensure that customers, as well as businesses, are able to keep a track of their orders. This enhances the experience for both parties while reducing exceptions with the process, and enhancing the efficiency of operations.
Last-mile tracking is increasingly being used by businesses to improve customer satisfaction, and businesses need to understand its importance in order to stay ahead of the curve in an increasingly competitive market.