Choosing the right Proof-of-Delivery app for your business
An easy-to-use and complex proof of delivery app can enhance your driver’s day-to-day operation. Being able to decrease route times, remove the need for paperwork, communicate more effectively and improve customer service are undoubtedly benefits of implementing the right proof of delivery app. However, the benefits your entire team can access from adopting the right delivery management system as a whole push your business forward quicker — Boosting profits, improving visibility and reducing minimising inefficiencies all at once.This article will run over how to identify what you want and need from a proof-of-delivery app, and how the right system incorporates the driver’s app into your operation as a whole — from planning teams to pickers and packers to management.
What do you want from an Electric Proof-of-Delivery App?
The route(s)-to market your business operates by will play a large role in what you want from a proof-of-delivery system. This is key, and a lot of POD Software providers understand this and develop their software to cater to a variety of different businesses and delivery types.
Another note is that before choosing a proof of delivery system, it is critical to pinpoint the key areas of your operation you want to see improvements in. Every delivery operation is different and therefore understanding where you want to focus on will help you to make the right choice.
- Do you want more control over your van drivers?
- Do you have a lot of seasonal/temporary workers and require different levels of control for each team/team member?
- Do you want to improve customer service and reduce route times?
- Is your focus on price control, and providing flexible pricing on a customer-to-customer basis?
- Do you need a POD System that will cater to a variety of different customer types and routes-to-market?
- Do you want to go paperless?
- Do you need a System that will help you manage complex/unique invoicing processes?
These are just some examples. As each business differs in the way it works, you may have completely different ideas about what you want. But the main points to ask are:
- How do you already work?
- How do you ideally want your drivers to operate?
What are some of the features of a usual Proof of Delivery app?
A standard Proof-of-Delivery App that has some level of basic integration with an existing back-office system will offer the following:
- Digital Proof of Delivery and customer signature
- Automatically generated delivery report
- Printable reports- Stock loads sent from the office
- Basic Customer info — address, GPS locations, contact details
With the right back-office integrations and for the right operations, having a POD System that works independently may suit your business needs well. Below we’ve included some of the unique functionality that our own POD application and integrated office ERP System provides.
Some additional functionality offered by our own POD App
RouteMagic is fully customisable to suit a variety and combination of routes-to-market, customer needs and business preferences. Below are some of the capabilities of our app:
- Photographic proof-of-delivery and GPS time stamps
- Structured daily tasks
- Full control over each driver’s activities:
- -Driver tracking
- Live Route Data
- Instant recalling of all reports
- Vehicle inspections/vehicle loads/unloads/van sales/POD’s
- Compiles all delivery reports, organises inventories (including separating damaged from good stocks)
- Google Maps integrations and route calculations
- Customer Info: Your drivers will have access to:
- Past sales records for each customer
- Customer address/contact info/emails/phone numbers/locations
- Outstanding invoices/payments
Allow/restrict drivers to:
- amend prices/products/quantities
- Add new customers
- Service off-route customers
- -Submit stock requests for the coming days
How can a complete Delivery Management System build on the benefits from a POD App?
Using an isolated proof-of-delivery application can bring benefits to what your drivers can do and how productive they can be. They can remove the need for paperwork and improve route times. However, the downside is that you will need to configure and integrate this POD system with your existing systems, and depending on how you operate, this could mean your drivers are juggling multiple platforms and systems, along with your back-office team having to do the same.
End-to-End, complete delivery management systems are common and offer digital support for the entire delivery process — from creation, setting up van sales schedules, standing orders and daily sales orders, to providing live route data and report collection to the point of the delivery.
A mobile app and back-office system that are designed to be integrated will improve planning, allow for last-minute adjustments to orders, improve responsiveness to issues/miscalculations/manual error, and provide quicker processing of payments and invoices. A fully-functional mobile delivery app that integrates smoothly into a larger, complete system often provides benefits such as:
1. Live Route Data
2. Immediate recall of reports in the office, automatically sent by the mobile app
3. Automatically organised reports and invoice-generation
4. Seamless communications between office staff, drivers and customers
5. Greatly improved driver productivity
- For additional information about our Mobile app
- For additional information about our Back-Office system
- For the full feature list of our Delivery Management System
To discuss our System and any questions you have/schedule a demonstration:
E: Joseph@mobile-enterprise.co.uk
T: 07492 622 271
