How Automation Enablement Services are impacting Logistics?

Aarushi Ranjan
Shiprocket
Published in
4 min readOct 22, 2018

Automation is altering the traditional reality and functionalities of how quintessential processes work. And as we advance more and more into the future, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that industries will not just be surrounded by automation but become dependent on it. Such will also be the impact on the logistics industry.

In the age of automation, the logistics industry is experiencing intensity in its productivity and coming up with smart options to manage its workflow. The role of automation enablement services is simplifying various logistics operations and providing invigorate opportunities to small sellers who are eager to make their impact on the market.

Paving way for the future, companies such as ShipRocket are bringing innovation to logistics and helping businesses grow.

Error-free services

The quality of warehousing and delivery services takes a hit in the logistics industry due to significant errors and friction in the transportation system. Furthermore, the ideality of fast services in delivery is being compromised due to these errors. The implementation of automation, however, is reducing any such occurrence of errors due to manual or lagging operations. In turn, it is also increasing the agility of your business and catering to the best practices for last mile delivery.

Shipment management

One of the advantages of using automation enablement services is the adequate management of your orders that are undergoing the process of shipping. When starting small, you may have a handful of orders. But to neglect, the risk of mismanagement and error can leave an immense impact on your customers in times of adversity. Automation enablement services are easy to understand with a self-boarding panel, where sellers can manage their return orders, non-delivered orders etc.

Business growth

The growth of business must not be compromised at any costs, even considering the atrocities in shipping and delivery that they have to face. Automation enablement companies take all the key factors such as budget-friendly shipping rates, availability of multiple courier partners with multiple pick-up locations, most comprehensive coverage of PIN codes etc.

They are also helping in identifying the spike and drop in orders. For businesses trying to make a mark for themselves in the International domain, shipping costs can be a massive thrust, holding them back. However, they also play a significant role in this picture by offering low rates and COD options.

Customer satisfaction

Automation plays a massive role in the satisfaction of the customer by catering to their rapidly changing demands. Once the customer orders a product, they want it at the earliest. Furthermore, we are in the age where the same delivery is not an uncommon thing. In such cases, where sellers have to rapidly dispatch their orders via couriers that can reach the customer at the earliest, shipping automation companies can provide a range of regional couriers under one platform.

Moreover, automation is making tracking much more accessible. We have seen it for food delivery services where customers can now live track their orders. Soon, apart from SMS and email notifications, a customer will get advanced live tracking options.

CORE: The Courier Recommendation Algorithm

Automation enablement service provider ShipRocket has a unique courier recommendation engine (CORE) that runs on self-machine learning algorithms and solves the paradox of choice for the customers. When sellers have a particular priority for eCommerce shipping in mind such as they want to ship at the lowest shipping costs or with the best-rated courier etc. the CORE presents the most befitting courier partners for them based on their priority. This saves plenty of time that would have otherwise been utilizing in manually researching the market.

Reduced efforts

The entire scenario of automation is to reduce the human efforts in somewhat repetitive tasks and utilize it for innovation. In logistics right from warehousing to managing discrepancies, there is plenty of room for automation to penetrate. With changes already taking place around the world with delivery giants such as DHL, logistic companies are concentrating on reducing a seller’s efforts in managing various eCommerce marketplaces, syncing orders in one platform and managing finances.

Put differently, and it is helping entrepreneurs make informed decisions concerning their logistics. Analytics, finances and discrepancy management is also leading to a deeper understanding of the logistics process of a business.

Conclusion

As we step into the future, the logistics industry will be seen turning more towards harnessing the effects of technology and automation for multiple tasks. Ultimately automation enablement companies will help the eCommerce industry grow by catering to all eCommerce shipping needs of a seller along with producing more focused entrepreneurs who are inclined to innovation.

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Aarushi Ranjan
Shiprocket

I am an eCommerce logistics expert and an avid follower of trends in the eCommerce industry.