Beyond GPS: How Communication Features Improve Delivery Accuracy

GPS tracking has revolutionized the delivery industry. Companies can track their drivers, customers can follow a delivery’s progress, and managers can ensure that their couriers are on time. However, having GPS and tracking capabilities is only part of the equation.

While GPS can provide information about a driver’s location, it cannot provide instructions or details as to what is happening at the delivery site.

This is why, beyond simply offering GPS tracking, delivery apps provide communication features that allow a courier, customer, and business to communicate effectively.

Using the GPS tracking of a delivery app is important, but the communication functionality is vital to ensuring accurate deliveries.

GPS Lets You Know Where You Are, But How Useful Is That If You Don’t Know What to Do Next?

If a customer is waiting for their delivery, but the courier cannot find the entrance to their building, GPS will get them to within a few meters of the building, but it will not tell them which gate to enter through.

Having the option to call, message, or otherwise communicate can help solve the issue in just a few minutes.

Communication features allow both customers and drivers to convey information to each other independently, without having to rely on the business to relay messages.

As long as a customer or courier has internet access, they can communicate with the other and potentially resolve the issue.

The ability to send a note, call, or message can help eliminate last-minute changes that could ruin a delivery.

The Communication Capabilities of a Delivery Tracking App Are Especially Useful for Real-Time Driver-Customer Exchanges

When it comes to delivery tracking apps for small business, the ability to communicate directly with drivers is one of the most useful tools.

Instead of having to tell a customer to call their preferred company office to tell a courier their instructions, a driver can simply message a customer directly and ask them about the delivery.

The same goes for a customer informing a courier of a change.

For example, a customer can inform a courier of:

• A different entrance that they prefer

• Where the driver should leave the item in their absence

• Details on how to reach a specific area of the building

• How long they will be away for

These little details can make the difference between a successful or failed delivery towards the end of the route.

Effective Communication Can Prevent Many Failed Deliveries

Both customers and couriers dislike failed deliveries.

A failed delivery adds extra time and hassle for a customer who has to pick up the product, and it also causes wasted time and effort for the business attempting to deliver and the courier receiving it.

Communication features can help prevent these unwanted outcomes, especially for delivery tracking apps for small business.

For example, if a courier is approaching the customer’s address and realizes that no one will be there to receive the delivery, rather than immediately declaring the delivery a failure, they can contact the customer to inform them and ask for instructions.

The customer may be willing to assist in finding a way to safely leave the delivery or meet the courier at a specific location.

For a delivery tracking app small business, this is an invaluable feature that helps keep the few resources that they have going towards productive use.

Communication Lets Drivers Address Unique Situations and Concerns

When it comes to delivery tracking software, there are many unique situations that drivers can find themselves in that require some form of communication.

For example, a driver may find that the street to their destination is closed off, a business does not allow access to their delivery area, or a customer wishes to change something after the courier has already arrived.

Drivers should have a convenient way to address these issues.

A good delivery tracking app for small business can eliminate the need for drivers to use different apps for communicating with different people by letting them message, call, add notes, or otherwise communicate directly within one app.

Beyond individual communication, keeping a courier’s manager or dispatcher updated on their status is also useful.

A centralized delivery platform can let courier managers communicate with couriers and customers in an organized fashion.

For instance, if a courier informs their manager that:

• Their vehicle has malfunctioned

• Something is wrong with the customer address

• The customer will not be there for the delivery

• They are stuck in traffic

• The delivery cannot proceed

Rather than the manager having to use various means of communication to address the issue, they can work with the courier within the delivery platform to determine what the next course of action should be.

This helps everyone on the delivery route stay updated on the situation.

Customer Notes Can Help Prevent Many Delivery Mishaps

Sometimes the most important communication happens before the courier even begins the route.

Customer notes can help provide extra details for drivers about a specific delivery.

Whether it is an apartment number, information about a gate, or a safe place for leaving the delivery, customers can provide these notes to drivers through the delivery tracking app.

That way, the courier only has to refer to one source of information when addressing the delivery.

This is especially useful for businesses with regular customers, as they do not have to spend extra time asking for specific details every time a delivery is made.

Communication Lets Customers Know What Is Happening

Customers usually do not mind if everything goes smoothly, but they do not like it when something goes wrong without their knowledge.

When a delivery is delayed, but the customer is not aware of it, it can be very frustrating.

On the other hand, a message notifying them of a minor issue can ease their worries.

Communication allows for transparency, and it is especially useful for delivery apps that want to provide excellent customer service.

Using a delivery tracking app for small business can let small companies provide the same level of communication and transparency that bigger delivery companies offer their customers without having to waste resources on customer service representatives.

While Automating the Delivery Process Is Good, People Are Still Essential Elements Within the Chain

As mentioned previously, GPS tracking and automated features are essential to any delivery tracking software.

However, despite all the helpful functions that technology provides, people are still necessary components within the delivery process.

Communication is essential to ensuring that everything works smoothly.

The best delivery tracking apps recognize this fact by making it easy for couriers, customers, and managers to reach out to each other, even if it is only a simple note.

After all, sometimes the easiest solution is the most effective one.

Conclusion

GPS tracking has been a huge boon to the delivery industry, but simply knowing a courier’s general location is not enough.

GPS tracking provides the foundation upon which accurate deliveries can be built, but communication features allow for more precise delivery instructions.

Communication between couriers, customers, and managers is vital to ensuring that deliveries are not delayed or canceled.

Using a delivery tracking app for small business can greatly improve the efficiency of a small company.

After all, it is not enough to simply get to the right destination - one has to know what to do when they get there.