What Benefits Do You Need from a Smart Dispatch Management System?

Billions of people around the world shop for goods online each year—virtually all of whom need some kind of delivery. And that’s to say nothing of the countless number of folks who’ll make in-store purchases and request home delivery for their items, or businesses that will need the same.

Unfortunately, businesses that have a disorganized dispatch system in place will spend considerable chunks of their time manually planning routes, handing out driver assignments, and monitoring their vehicles. Inefficient fleet management of this kind can drain resources and hurt profitability—ultimately making it impossible to truly capitalize on booming order volumes.

Luckily, there's an alternative. 

The Benefits of Dispatch System Software

The right dispatch system software offers various benefits to delivery organizations. By automating routing, dispatching, and tracking, this technology can make your last mile delivery management more efficient and cost-effective. Here are some of the major benefits of this kind of software.

1. Automated dispatch scheduling

The right dispatch management solution will come with tools to automate assigning and scheduling of drivers. This feature, together with route optimization and GPS tracking, helps businesses meet ensure timely deliveries more consistently. 

Generally, this kind of software uses real-time data and historical data such as weather and traffic patterns to create customized route plans. It also has access to real-time information such as the vehicle's current location and the routes drivers are taking and can offer full visibility on all of the fleet's resources. This way, it’s easy for dispatchers and fleet managers to monitor drivers' activity, delivery statuses, incoming proof of delivery, etc.

2. Smarter fleet management

Dispatch system software is designed to be the centralized online system for delivery management. Thanks to mobile apps and GPS, fleet managers and dispatchers can track their resources accurately and receive real-time updates.

The right software helps you improve overall fleet operations by allowing fleet managers and dispatchers to come up with an organized and efficient daily dispatch plan, communicate any changes in the delivery as soon as possible, and find the best-suited driver for a task. 

3. Driver monitoring

Tracking drivers in real-time helps you improve fleet safety. Your dispatch software should help dispatchers and managers track routes through alerts and proactively manage any exceptions that crop up on the day of delivery.

The software should also alert dispatchers and managers when drivers engage in unsafe driving practices. This helps identify poor-performing drivers such that managers and dispatchers can create training plans to correct unsafe driving behaviors.

4. Route optimization and customer communication

Dispatch systems software enables you to implement cost-effective, efficient route plans. With a route optimization feature that finds the most efficient and cost-effective routes (by factoring in fuel and vehicle cost, location, real-time traffic and road conditions, and so on), you can complete more stops per day in a more cost effective way. Route optimization features also allow dispatchers to make adjustments on the fly as needed and communicate changes to drivers in real-time as well.

With a centralized system for managing dispatching and deliveries, you can also send notifications regarding delivery status to all delivery stakeholders, including the customer. This enables you to reduce not-at-homes and where-my-order calls. 

5. Control over fuel consumption

Fuel accounts for a large chunk of a fleet's operating costs. That’s why it’s worthwhile to look for software that offers deep insights regarding fuel consumption. By the same token, this is another area where route optimization is key. By reducing the total mileage that drivers have to traverse between stops, you can reduce fuel consumption and ultimately save money. 

6. Flexibility and scalability

Businesses must opt for solutions that can adapt and adjust according to their changing needs. If you can find dispatch system software that is adjustable, scalable, and customizable, it can easily add value to even the most complex workflows. This enables you to make smart decisions much more quickly, all while building processes that are actually scalable no matter your number of trucks or routes. 

7. Data intelligence

Dispatch software also offers business intelligence tools, giving you the ability to access various datasets in easily digestible formats such as customizable dashboards and charts so management can analyze the data efficiently. Data intelligence tools also help you monitor performance according to pre-set parameters such as order completion, delivery time, customer satisfaction, and transportation costs.

8. Fleet compliance

Fleet managers in many areas have to deal with significant local and national regulations. Luckily, the right fleet dispatch software equips fleet operators to be fully compliant with government rules and regulations. An advanced truck dispatching app helps you to comply with the hours of service (HOS) mandate by enabling drivers to log their hours electronically, thus reducing paperwork and errors. 

The software might also record and store trip data automatically so fleet managers and dispatchers can easily access and review fuel consumption data, driver logs, and more.

9. Lower costs

The right dispatch software also helps fleet managers to have better control of operational expenses. Again, route optimization helps you find the most cost-effective routes, allowing you to save on fuel costs, costs associated with vehicle wear and tear, hourly wages for drivers, and even reverse logistics costs. Automating the dispatch process ensures that the best available drivers and resources are matched to the right jobs while full real-time visibility across the delivery process. All this allows you to save money, time, and resources—ultimately lowering operating costs. 

10. Improved customer satisfaction

Using real-time information allows businesses to provide the accurate expected times of arrival (ETAs) to customers, to say nothing of providing reliable deliveries and service calls overall. Not only does dispatch management software help you find the quickest routes for drivers to take, it helps you figure out exactly when your drivers will arrive at each stop. This can have a huge impact on customer experience—especially when it comes to bulky deliveries where customers may be used to unreliable six-hour time windows. 

At the end of the day, dispatching system software is no longer optional for businesses. It's a must-have tool for helping lower operating costs, exceed customer expectations, and increase fleet productivity. Simply put, it’s one of the keys to gaining a competitive advantage in a highly competitive marketplace.