Do you remember the first time you heard about coronavirus? Officially it is “severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2), or COVID-19. When you first heard of it did you say to yourself “from this moment on, my life will not be the same?” Probably not, but the reality is, the virus has changed the world. Millions of cases, hundreds of thousands of deaths. It has crushed economies, destroyed industries, disenfranchised millions of workers. The worldwide political, economic, emotional, and spiritual damage is enormous. But this isn’t the whole story.
Last mile delivery, which refers to the final stretch of a product’s journey from warehouse to recipient, is about to become more crucial than ever. COVID-19 is not a low-stakes cause; many lives will depend on the expert routing and delivery of these vaccines to clinics and hospitals. This is precisely why it is so important to have a solid plan for your routing and logistics, no matter what you are delivering.
What are the new challenges in last-mile deliveries? Last mile deliveries have always been fraught with challenges, ranging from the tremendous cost of those deliveries to increasing consumer demands. And now in the face of COVID-19, those challenges have increased tenfold with a greater demand for deliveries combined with additional consumer expectations.
With social distancing now being the norm throughout the world, businesses that — in the past — have relied on inbound foot traffic to move merchandise, food, groceries, drugs, medical supplies, and other items are now scrambling to get into the game of “last mile” deliveries so they can compete.
With mass uncertainty about what would happen the COVID-19 pandemic began to shake the foundation of our world. In the months that have followed, we have begun to evolve a new way of doing business. With more flexibility than before, consumer business experts believe that many of the practices we are now establishing will become permanent.
Businesses that are involved in logistics, supply chain, or deliveries of any kind can be especially impactful on green movements, as they are the ones involved with moving the food chain and ensuring that customers receive their items in an efficient manner.
Oftentimes, businesses will take strides to improve their customer experience without knowing exactly what areas they need to improve. Finding these areas of improvement are often difficult, especially when it comes to delivering products and services to businesses and to the home.
For the transportation and logistics industry there’s a certain irony to the job market situation since COVID-19 emerged as a significant concern in the US: while many, many people find themselves out of work and most companies are putting a halt on recruitment, the demand for drivers is increasing exponentially.
Quick, safe, and efficient delivery are at the heart of every company today with customer satisfaction being its primary driver. However, increased demand for delivery has brought increased delivery costs. So how can your company reduce last mile delivery costs while meeting demand and providing exceptional customer experience?