Last Mile Courier Tracking: Everything You Need To Know

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Last Mile Courier Tracking: Everything You Need To Know

For any business, achieving sustainable last mile success and ensuring superior customer experience is not easy. Therefore, most of them outsource their last mile operations to a third-party delivery service provider. However, it is still necessary to monitor deliveries in real-time and get customer feedback. A last mile courier tracking solution makes these possible. Before digging deeper into it, let’s check out these statistics from a Capgemini report:

  • 45% of the customers won’t recommend a brand after a poor delivery experience
  • 55% of the customers switch to a competitor brand if it offers faster delivery
  • 51% of the customers expect a brand to provide same-day delivery services
  • 48% of the customers expect delivery update notifications 

These figures are sheer proof that the delivery expectations of today’s customers are no longer the same. Besides, delivery trends are also changing, and to cope with both, businesses need to rely on technology. Tech-enabled platforms empower enterprises to streamline their delivery operations and track parcels in real-time. Last mile courier tracking can do wonders in terms of getting operational visibility, reducing logistics costs and enhancing customer experience. Let’s dig deeper into how:

What Is Last Mile Courier Tracking?

The last mile courier tracking is an integral part of the final mile delivery process that renders visibility on the goods being transported from the last distribution point to the customer’s location. It gives a real-time view of a courier/package’s exact location and contributes to minimizing delivery delays, SLA adherence, eliminating unnecessary costs, improving delivery productivity, driving on-time deliveries and much more.

How Does Last Mile Courier Tracking Work?

Businesses using their own last mile delivery or last mile tracking solution can track couriers/parcels from using a single dashboard. For customers, last mile tracking comes under post purchase service. As soon as they place an order, the customer receives a tracking link via SMS/Email/WhatsApp. Using this link they can check where their orders are at any given point in time, know if there are delays and what’s the exact ETA.

What Is Last Mile Courier Tracking Software?

An intelligent and automated system that tracks a package/parcel from the moment it leaves the warehouse or last distribution hub to the point it reaches the customer’s doorsteps is known as the last mile courier tracking software. The software renders complete visibility on all delivery operations, including package location, delivery status, delivery ETA, and delivery experience.

The same task can also be done manually but only when there are a limited number of parcels. However, to track hundreds of parcels at the same time under one roof is possible only with a tech-enabled solution. That’s when last mile tracking solutions come into play. Such a solution automates the entire tracking process to ensure all the required jobs are done in no time and with great precision. Instead of choosing only a last mile tracking solution, businesses can choose a third-party aggregator platform that helps monitoring and managing end-to-end deliveries. The latter also includes a courier tracking feature to provide visibility and a tracking facility.

Benefits of Last Mile Courier Tracking Software For Businesses

Last mile courier tracking that can be done using last mile tracking software plays a pivotal role in minimizing the overall delivery costs. It allows real-time monitoring of delivery vehicles, drivers’ performance, and other factors that impact the delivery process and customer experience. Here are six reasons why it is significant for your business:

Offers Last Mile Visibility

Last mile visibility can help businesses to get visibility on each parcel that is being delivered. The tracking system provides live updates on each milestone from pickup to delivery. It aids in avoiding many problems that can cause delays or increased delivery costs. As much as 47% of customers avoid shopping from a brand if they sense a lack of visibility in the delivery process.

Provides Accurate ETA

Knowing the delivery route and the driver’s status in real-time increases the accuracy of the estimated arrival time. In case a customer cancels or reschedules the delivery while the order is already out for delivery, the tracking software automatically updates the new route and delivery ETA. The best part is that it doesn’t require manual intervention, saving time, effort, and fuel costs.

Facilitates KPI Benchmarking

Last mile tracking also allows businesses to measure KPIs like route efficiencies, first-attempt delivery, failed or missed deliveries, ETA adherence, driver performance, and more. With such insights, businesses can make new delivery strategies to improve business profitability and enhance customer experience. 

Minimizes Manual Tasks

Manual tasks such as updating customers with delivery status, selecting a 3PL based on various parameters, and order allocation can consume a significant amount of time. A last mile courier tracking system eliminates manual effort and automates selecting 3PL based on delivery requirements and order allocation based on delivery type, cost, volume, and other rules. It also automates sending delivery alerts to customers. 

Reduces Delivery Costs

Last mile tracking reduces the chances of return to origin instances  by keeping customers informed and increases the chances of first-attempt delivery. Moreover, it also minimizes fuel costs by optimizing delivery routes and informing drivers immediately if a customer cancels or reschedules the order. A transparent last mile experience can also reduce “Where is my order?” calls that makeup 50% of the queries your customer support team receives. It costs approximately $5 to resolve such queries, which adds up to the overall delivery costs.

Improves Delivery Experience

Delivering a superior customer experience is critical. Last mile courier tracking contributes to achieving this by making the customer feel connected throughout the order journey with regular updates. Besides, well-informed customers are less likely to cancel their orders. As much as 93% of the customers want to be notified of any issue with their order.

Benefits of Last Mile Courier Tracking Software For End-Customers

Last mile tracking renders ample benefits to the end customers as well. Let’s dig deeper to understand this better:

Delivery Alerts

Last mile courier tracking solutions keep customers informed by sending them real-time alerts. These alerts include order information such as order number, driver’s contact details, and delivery vehicle. It also notifies customers about the delivery time window during which they can expect delivery.

Real-time Tracking

After a customer places an order, the last mile courier tracking solution automatically sends a tracking link via SMS or Whatsapp. Using that link, customers can check the real-time status of the delivery vehicle and the order.

Submitting Feedback

Customers can even submit delivery feedback to share their experience right after delivery. They can even raise a complaint in case they receive an “Order Delivered” message against an order they have not received. Almost 68% of the shoppers want a digital means of communication to submit their delivery feedback and experience.

Communicating With Drivers

Customers may need to communicate with the drivers at times, and last-mile tracking makes it possible. For example, if a customer is unavailable at the delivery time, he/she can call the driver and ask to come another time/day. This saves the driver’s time, effort, and cost.

What Information Does Last Mile Courier Tracking Provide?

Now that you have a clear understanding of the last mile tracking, let’s take a look at the information consumers and businesses can get from this process:

  • Courier/Package Location: The exact location of the package.
  • Package Status: Delivery status (failed, delivered, rescheduled, etc.) of the package.
  • Delivery ETA: Package’s estimated arrival time to the customer’s doorsteps.
  • Customer Feedback: Delivery experience of the customer.

How Much Does Last Mile Courier Tracking Solution Cost?

If you haven’t invested in a last mile courier tracking system, then now is the right time. However, when choosing a last mile courier tracking system for your business, the first thing that comes to mind is how much it costs. Well, it totally depends on your specific business requirements. You can choose a standalone last mile courier tracking system or the entire 3PL aggregation platform.

How Shipsy Can Help

SaaS-based 3PL aggregator from Shipsy comes up with a module-based architecture, which means you can either choose the complete platform or get only the last mile courier tracking system. It also offers scalability to allow businesses to add more features as and when needed. The software ensures:

  • 14% reduction in the last mile costs
  • 28% decrease in customer complaints
  • 26% increase in delivery NPS
  • 24% increase in on-time deliveries
  • 18% reduction in return to origin instances

To learn how Shipsy’s last mile courier tracking software is empowering businesses to meet ever-growing customer expectations and achieve operational efficiencies, request a demo today.

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