The importance of quality and delivery time in logistics

The concepts of quality so widespread in the last four decades must be present in the final stretch of the purchase

Many entrepreneurs are concerned with delighting the customer during the sale. But they forget that delivery, in the shortest possible time, must have the same enchantment capacity. The concepts of quality so widespread in these last four decades must be present in the final stretch of the purchase. It is not enough to deliver the product without damage. That’s the basics. It doesn’t even deserve praise. When we don’t do this homework, bad things happen. The lincros.com website cites some of the problems that can be generated by the lack of attention in deliveries:

• Customers dissatisfied due to delays, absences, breakdowns, and other events;
• Possible breaches of contract due to disruption in supply;
• Fines and charges for reimbursement of losses;
• Extra costs with returns, storage and re-deliveries.

    And how can we avoid such inconveniences? Well, there are several tips. Fox Express, which specializes in deliveries, makes the following suggestions:

• Know-how and investment in technology – With so much information and routines that need to be controlled, carrying out work manually increases the risk of errors, makes processes time-consuming and even harms productivity.
• Fleet quality – Don’t run the risk of having your deliveries delayed due to vehicular problems. Check the periodicity of vehicle maintenance.
• Security – Preferably for companies that have their professionals duly registered. Always think about escaping informality.
• Delivery driver presentation – Uniform, badge and cleanliness are very important points to ensure a perfect delivery/sale!

That last point is no nonsense. Making deliveries is exhausting work. Especially in a country with chaotic traffic and hot weather like Brazil. Therefore, the delivery person must be trained to smile and treat customers with courtesy. Of course, providing good, comfortable, air-conditioned vehicles to workers helps a lot. It’s not just a matter of humanity. It is about respect for the employee and, at the same time, it is a sign of the entrepreneur’s intelligence.

Here we can add the good packaging of the cargo to avoid damage during transport. Bubble wrap and masking tape can be essential if the product no longer has the factory packaging, with the styrofoam holders. Tying goods precisely is also a basic care that must be constantly reminded of employees in the Logistics sector.

In addition to basic care, we must be aware of the trends created in this post-pandemic world. Online commerce has saved industries and stores from bankruptcy during the mandatory lockdown. But it also created a much more demanding consumer. Mainly in terms of delivery time. The same day delivery strategy started to be used not only by the food sector, but also by other segments, in order to please that customer who was used to leaving the store with their desire to consume in their hands. . When this was not possible, the shortest delivery time became the merchant’s objective. Even smaller. No winding. We are talking about LEAD TIME. The calculation seems simple: Lead Time = order date – delivery date. The problem is what’s behind the delivery date.

The Linked By website gives some very practical guidelines to reduce this window of events that ends up with the satisfied customer enjoying the good acquired in the comfort of their home:

1. 1. Accurately Calculate Your Lead Time – Specialized software such as a TMS helps a lot. At this point, it is necessary to check the deadlines for commercial and sales management, purchases or supplies, production, logistics (including storage routines) and, of course, the distribution itself.
   2. Carefully analyze the operations related to Intralogistics;
   3. Manage the unexpected by tracking everything through specialized logistics software;

• Negotiate your supplier contracts well – “More and more logistics managers favor long-term relationships when choosing a supplier. In fact, this allows them to standardize their processes, better calculate their Lead Time and use cross-docking and just-in-time methods. Note that using IT tools is essential in certain industries. The warehouse plays a key role in organizing the supply chain. Therefore, it is essential that you adopt effective management to reduce your delivery time.”

    The Open Tech GR blog makes other warnings for companies that want to reduce delivery time efficiently:

• “Speed up the issuance of documents speed up the delivery – Confirmation of resources, confirmation of vehicles, preparation of expeditions for loading the truck, expected departure of the vehicle from the carrier and arrival at its final destination… How much time is lost? The process of issuing documents needs to be simplified. Technological solutions can act on this front.
• Optimize internal communication – Teams need to always be informed with all the details of the operation, including:
• Delays when the vehicle is traveling;
• Crossdocking at the carrier or branch;
• Speeding;
• Risk of accidents or claims;
• Wrong routes or non-approved stops.

As the information does not happen in an exact sequence, passing this type of information by phone or message to each team can cause a huge bottleneck in internal communication. In addition, informal communication is bad for the LGPD. We can solve this, through a technology that aggregates all this information in just one place, making it possible to deal with unforeseen events on all these fronts in a centralized and organized way for passing on to the rest of the team responsible for each part of the operation.

• Respect the priority of demands – Ever heard about the difference between urgent and important things? These two concepts create a hierarchy of demands and the priority of resolution in each of them within your logistics management. It is up to the manager to empower the team by taking unnecessary bureaucracy out of the way for certain types of demands and it is up to the company to provide its employees with the tools to optimize decision making.
• Decrease manual resources – The best way to improve this process is to look for state-of-the-art systems to organize and automate this part of management.
• Using Logistics Transport Management Systems – As pointed out in several parts of this article, high-tech solutions are the main ally when it comes to reducing delivery times.”

We at Águia Sistemas can help your company improve performance in Intralogistics and, consequently, significantly improve your delivery time. Stay in touch!