Why training delivery drivers is a mess
The word is out. As mentioned in Ready-purchased-go!, mobile has created high demands when it comes to online shopping and delivery. Consumers want their items delivered fast. To keep customers happy, retailers and carriers need efficient delivery employees.
With high demands from customers, managers put a lot of pressure on drivers. What does this mean for them? A BBC investigation revealed the struggles that a driver can go through on a normal day. A daily delivery round can go from 150 to 200 packages. A shift is not enough to achieve this goal. To do so, they end up speeding to finish in the time expected or complete their rounds later than planned.
Drivers get to the depot around 07.30h, load the parcels and start driving two hours later. Sometimes it’s so much, that drivers finish their rounds around 20.30h. That means 11 hours behind the wheel! Add to that waking up early, long journeys to get to the depot, traffic jams, and tiredness. Not to mention, lack of toilets, impatient customers, and unexpected problems.
The Built to Deliver report shows that the biggest stress factors for delivery drivers are the number of packages, timing, and the scanning process.
Tough job, isn’t it?
There are ways to help delivery men to achieve their tasks in the time expected, without the need of working for 11 hours straight. Here are some ideas of where to start from.
Onboarding
Driving can be an easy task but adding several things to think about can make it a lot more complex. Drivers leave the depot with tremendous amounts of packages to deliver. Aside from this, they have to think about the timing, routes, addresses, and many other things.
Many workers cannot handle the pressure and exhaustion or just get sick of the routine. Sometimes, this causes the drivers to quit. People quitting uncovers the need to hire new employees and training them, but in the meantime, there’s more workload for the others.
Training a driver to do the job can be quite difficult. Vehicles can be bigger than expected or not what we’re used to. Items can be extra heavy, fragile or might require faster delivery than usual. They could range from envelopes to hot food, big furniture or very delicate things. Finding a parking place can be a pain too. There’s always a payment method to keep in mind. It’s necessary to scan bars, get the signature or deal with lots of paper. If there is an unexpected problem, they have to be in contact with their management.
There’s a lot to think about when training the drivers and it might take weeks to get them fully on board. With step by step guidance, the process can get very simple and employees just need a couple of days to master the job.
Digitalization
Going digital throughout the whole process is a must to achieve efficient deliveries. The adoption of digital tools enables a fully functional system of communication, tracking, feedback, cloud-based data, transparency, and much more.
In the past couple of years, we have become very digital. We manage everything through our smartphones or through multiple screens at once. It’s easy, fast, it is what we are used to now, and expect companies to provide the same experience. As a consequence, businesses have also gone digital or are already on their way. At this point in time, there is no sense in staying outdated with technology, as it will only keep improving. Therefore, companies should adopt digital technologies to grow and stay competitive.
Digital tools allow the employees’ functions to be simple and to perform in an easier, more effective way while saving time to focus on other stuff. It allows the improvement of productivity. In the delivery driver job, digital tools can allow them to make more deliveries in less time, provide the final customer with notifications and real-time tracking, and drivers do not have to struggle with the proof of delivery or item scanning.
Two-way communication
Communication in real time with the management is a crucial element for deliverymen. Unexpected issues can happen at any moment. There can be surprises and they can face unknown situations which they don’t know how to handle. Not just traffic jams, but also vehicle problems, damaged packages, no one to receive the delivery, angry customers, etc.
When there’s an issue, drivers need to have a backup or some help to figure out what to do. If there are events that could delay them, they need to stay informed. Getting support to solve an issue, will help the drivers, make them less stressed and sort it out quickly to keep on going. Time is money, and the more of it is needed to solve an issue, the fewer deliveries can be done on time, which decreases company credibility and simply disappoints customers.
Having communication throughout the delivery process keeps management updated and makes them aware of the situation. It not only applies to emergencies but also for positive feedback. Keeping track of the drivers, the deliveries and instant registration of the proof of delivery can guarantee that the final customers will keep receiving their items exactly when expected!
Optimization
Logistics optimization allows simplifying tasks like routing, traffic assessment, delivery time, GPS, notifications, and the delivery itself. With these functions optimized, drivers can easily perform their tasks. Optimization tools will prepare the route and provide step-by-step guidance for each package they have to deliver.
Optimizing delivery logistics for drivers will help to make their way across the city an easy journey. Creating a well-planned route allows delivery to be on time. All of this while spending less time behind the wheel. It means less stress, less speeding, and drivers being able to finish their rounds on time, without having to work additional hours.
On-time delivery will keep the final customer satisfied. This will further motivate the driver, seeing that he is performing well at his job and is given the opportunity to develop without a strain on his wellbeing.
URBANTZ
Urbantz is a SaaS solution that can simplify not only the drivers’ but also the managers’ lives while lowering costs and environmental damage. It provides an easy onboarding process in a matter of days instead of weeks, easy routing that can save hours on the road, and all-time communication between the management and drivers. Discover all the features here!
