Looking for an Amazon-style delivery experience that will deliver a fast ROI?

In short, yes. 

There are software companies out there, ours being one of them, that offer an easy to use solution that answers the customer delivery experience problem and it all starts with getting rid of paper from your process.

If you still rely on the movement of paper delivery notes in your operation then that’s the first change that needs to be made.  Paper processes may be a fundamental part of your business but it wont help you keep pace with changing customer demands.  Switching to a digital delivery system means you can plan resource efficient routes that you know are achievable.  You can issue delivery ETA notifications to your customers and empower them to track their deliveries.  Then you can capture the all important electronic proof of delivery (ePOD).

“When COVID hit it impacted our business in a number of ways,” commented Edward Parlato, Branch Manager at Browns and Podfather champion. “The number and nature of our deliveries changed, with more orders from members of the public, and the type of service that they wanted changed, with a more ‘Amazon’ experience expected as the norm. We also realised that the transport operation was heavily reliant on our transport co-ordinator; so, if they were absent things has the potential to fall apart. I had been on the receiving end of the Podfather solution, as suppliers such as Rexel, Tarmac and Breedon use it, and knew that it could be a great fit for the business.” 

Another short answer…. No.

Big fleet operators are leading the charge but smaller fleet operators can’t afford to be complacent.  We understand that cost is obviously an issue for anyone looking to invest in a logistics solution, but you’ll be surprised at how cost effective a system, such as ours, is.  What’s even more interesting is the payback time… you may need to invest a bit to get the right solution for your organistaion, but what if you can see a return on investment in just a matter of weeks?

That’s the beauty of a digital solution, all the data is visible and, as you are no longer tied to a painstaking paper process, the results are evident very quickly.

So you need to remove paper but what functionality should you actually be looking to introduce?

• Logistics route planning

  With an automated planning system you can build routes from scratch, review pre allocated and fixed routes or build seasonal plans that you know are achievable.

• Delivery ETA notifications

  We offer ETA notifications as standard to all core product users.  Both email and SMS options are available and ETA notifications are sent out with live tracking links which enable your customers to keep track of their deliveries.

• Delivery driver tracking

  We track via our app (iOS and Android versions both available) so there is no need for in-vehicle telematics unless you want more detailed information regarding fleet performance.

• Electronic proof of delivery (ePOD)

  Capture delivery photos and signatures and transmit them to both your customer, and your transport team, in real time.  All PODs are saved within your Podfather system for easy reference – no more searching through piles of paper to answer a question or deal with a discrepancy. 

Podfather’s core product offering delivers all of the above plus more.  It’s priced on a per driver per month basis and from what we have seen across our customer base, you’ll be looking to see a sizeable ROI fast.

“We are already seeing the positive impact of Podfather on the business,” Parlato continued. “Our fleet utilisation is much higher, with less downtime and fewer trips back to depot, and our customer interactions are more informed. We have fewer calls from customers with queries and those we do have can be answered at first point of contact. Ideally, we’d like to get to the point where every call we take is a sales call and complaints are a thing of the past.”

If you are looking to change your operation and are looking for advice on where to start just give us a call on tel: +44 (0) 131 553 0400 or drop an email to sales@podfather.com.  No two operations are the same so let’s talk about how yours works and what challenges you are facing.  From there we can advise on the most cost and resource efficient way of changing your processes for the good of your business.