Quality and delivery time
The concepts of quality that have been so widespread over the last four decades must be present in the final purchase line
Many entrepreneurs are concerned with delighting the customer during the sale. But they forget that delivery, in the shortest possible time, must have the same capacity for enchantment. The concepts of quality that have been so widespread over the last four decades must be present in the final stretch of the purchase. It is not enough to deliver the product without damage. That’s the basics. It doesn’t even deserve praise. When we don’t do this homework, bad things happen. The Lincros website cites some of the problems that can be generated by lack of attention in deliveries:
- Dissatisfied customers due to delays, shortages, breakdowns, and other events;
- Possible breaches of contract due to the disruption in supply;
- Fines and charges for reimbursement of losses;
- Extra costs with returns, storage and redeliveries.
And how can we avoid such inconveniences? Well, there are several tips. The company Fox Express, which specializes in deliveries, gives the following suggestions:
- Know-how and investment in technology — With so much information and routines that need to be controlled, carrying out work manually increases the risk of errors, makes processes time-consuming and even impairs productivity.
- Fleet Quality — Don’t risk having your deliveries delayed due to vehicular problems. Check the frequency of vehicle maintenance.
- Security — Preferably companies that have their professionals duly registered. Always think about running away from informality.
- Delivery person’s presentation — Uniform, badge and neatness are very important points to guarantee a perfect delivery/sale!
That last point is not silly. Making deliveries is exhausting work. Especially in a country with chaotic traffic and a hot climate like Brazil. That’s why delivery people should be trained to smile and treat customers with courtesy. Of course, providing workers with good, comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles helps a lot. It’s not just a matter of humanity. It is about respect for the employee and, at the same time, it is a sign of the entrepreneur’s intelligence.
Here we can add the good packaging of the cargo to avoid damage during transport. Bubble wrap and adhesive tape can be essential if the product no longer has the factory packaging, with the Styrofoam supports. Tying the goods accurately is also basic care that must be constantly remembered by employees in the Logistics sector.
In addition to basic care, we must be aware of the trends created in this post-pandemic world. Online commerce saved industries and stores from bankruptcy during mandatory isolation. But it also created a much more demanding consumer. Mainly regarding delivery time. The same day delivery strategy started to be used not only by the food sector, but other segments as well, with the aim of pleasing that customer who was used to leaving the store with his desire for consumption in his hands . When this was not possible, the shortest delivery time became the merchant’s objective. Even smaller. No fluff. We are talking about LEAD TIME . The calculation seems simple: Lead Time= order date + delivery date. The problem is what is behind the delivery date.
The Linked By website gives some very practical guidelines to reduce this window of events that ends with the satisfied customer enjoying the good purchased in the comfort of his home:
- Accurately calculate your Lead Time — Specialized software such as a TMS helps a lot. At this point, it is necessary to check the deadlines for commercial and sales management, purchases or supplies, production, logistics (including storage routines) and, of course, the distribution itself.
- Carefully analyze the operations related to Intralogistics ;
- Manage the unexpected by following everything through specialized logistics software ;
- Negotiate your supplier contracts well — “More and more logistics managers favor long-term relationships when choosing a supplier. In fact, this allows them to standardize their processes, better calculate their Lead Time and use cross-docking and just-in-time methods. Note that the use of IT tools is essential in certain industries. The warehouse plays a key role in organizing the supply chain. Therefore, it is essential that you adopt effective management to reduce your delivery time.”
The Open Tech GR blog makes other alerts for companies that want to efficiently reduce delivery time:
- “Facilitate the issuance of documents expedite delivery — Confirmation of resources, confirmation of vehicles, preparation of shipments for truck loading, forecast of vehicle departure from the carrier and arrival at its final destination — How much time is lost? The document issuing process needs to be simplified. Technological solutions can act on this front.
- Optimize internal communication — Teams need to be kept up-to-date with all the details of the operation, including:
- Delays when the vehicle is traveling;
- Crossdocking at the carrier or branch;
- Speeding;
- Risk of accidents or claims;
- Wrong routes or non-approved stops.
As the information does not happen in an exact sequence, passing this type of information by phone or message to each team can cause a huge bottleneck in internal communication. In addition, communication through informal means is terrible for the LGPD. We can solve this, through a technology that aggregates all this information in just one place, making it possible to deal with unforeseen events on all these fronts in a centralized and organized way for the transfer to the rest of the team responsible for each part of the operation.
- Respecting the priority of demands — Have you heard about the difference between urgent and important things? These two concepts create a hierarchy of demands and the priority for solving each one of them within your logistics management. It is up to the manager to give autonomy to the team by removing unnecessary bureaucracy from the path for certain types of demands and it is up to the company to provide its employees with the tools to optimize decision-making.
- Decrease manual resources — The best way to improve this process is by looking for state-of-the-art systems to order and automate this part of management.
- Using Logistics Transport Management systems — As pointed out in several parts of this article, high-tech solutions are the main ally when it comes to reducing delivery time.”
We at Águia Sistemas can help your company improve its performance in Intralogistics and, consequently, significantly improve your delivery time. Keep in touch!