vWork CEO Roy Moody was recently interviewed on Australia’s Ticker TV by host Mike Loder. The interview explored how the surge in e-commerce deliveries is creating a boom for the global delivery industry. It asked the questions; “are delivery reliant businesses keeping up? And how can tech innovations help ensure that the last mile delivery is on time every time?”
This article covers three key themes surfaced by the interview to give a timely overview of what vWork is actually ‘delivering’ to businesses in Australia.
Facing the challenges of last mile delivery
The scene was set by acknowledging the rise in consumer expectations for real-time delivery tracking and communication has now extended from B2C to B2B sectors. We believe we should be able to track an order from the time it leaves the warehouse, to where it is on the truck, to the point it is delivered to exactly where-ever it is we’ve asked for it to be delivered. When asked how vWork assists in this process, Roy Moody explained:
“What we can do is help businesses send a reminder email or text even before the job has started…because with the best will in the world, sometimes their customers are not there to receive the delivery. So we can help with that.
“When the delivery is actually happening, we can send a text or an email and the customer can look and see where the vehicle is coming to, and when it'll get to them…(if that timing doesn’t work) they can actually communicate with the dispatcher back at the headquarters (or even the driver) and say, “look, can you go and do your next delivery and then come back to me, please?”
In other words by improving direct communication between dispatchers, drivers, and customers, you can significantly boost customer satisfaction, operational efficiency and reduce missed deliveries.
Facing the challenges of sustainability
It was recognised businesses are increasingly focusing on sustainability, with many aiming for zero emissions in last-mile delivery. Companies with clear sustainability commitments are undoubtedly preferred by consumers, and it was acknowledged that tech solutions - like vWork support these commitments. Roy was asked for a practical way vWork supports this:
“We can look at all your deliveries across all your fleet and optimise the routes so your whole fleet drives the lowest number of miles possible. That immediately has an impact on your carbon footprint and also positively (impacts) your bottom line.”
Data driven improvements to deliver business benefits
Finally the conversation turned to what strategies business could deploy to improve delivery accuracy including knowing what to do with the data they already have.
1. Transition from Manual to Tech Solutions: Roy advocated moving from manual to tech-driven systems to give businesses better control over their delivery processes and the ability to analyze and improve them:
“Getting away from that manual system that a lot of companies have (is a priority) - because it suddenly gives you control. Once you understand how your deliveries are working, you've got the data there that you can start to analyse and look and say, how can we improve that delivery? You can see where your customers are, what they like about your delivery process and what they don't like about your delivery process. But it's that data capture that's so important.”
2. Enhancing brand reputation: The interview then explored how capturing and using delivery data can improve how a business is perceived by its customers. As Roy explained:
“It really improves our client's brand in their customers’ eyes because they're known to be reliable. Companies are making decisions on what you tell them about what your delivery (promise) is - so if you're late or if (the delivery is) wrong, then that has a real impact on your customers and how they perceive your brand.”
3. Employee wellbeing: The conversation then moved to how clearer scheduling and communication reduces driver stress and improves job satisfaction, contributing to better employee wellbeing.“It helps your drivers because they know exactly what they're doing in the day… there's a lot of frustration around (as) i t's very hard to be a delivery driver. To enable them to do their job much more easily (and be) completely certain about what they're doing will also have a massive impact on the wellbeing of your staff.”
In wrapping up Roy reflected on how companies in the business of driving trucks don’t see themselves as ‘technology’ businesses and feel there’s a hurdle in implementing a last mile delivery solution, like vWork. But he gave the reassurance it’s relatively easy with a highly positive return on investment:
“What they'll see is how it will transform their business. It will move them into the age where people expect this sort of thing from businesses that want to compete in a new era of delivery.”
