6 Ways Technology Helps Companies With Logistic Tracking
By Akhil Rajan, Zuper
The logistics industry of the USA is significantly contributing to the country's GDP. It is a rapidly growing industry with the help of technology like automated logistic tracking. Technology gave the logistics industry an upper hand to do efficient work with minimal manual monitoring.
Let us check out the following significant effects of technology that are enriching the logistics industries:
- Reducing Cost by Route Management & Planning
Optimum resource utilization is the key to reduce the extra cost for the logistics industries. The vehicles that are used for transport should run at their maximum capacity. The drivers should also be assigned the work according to route planning. The manual error in calculating these resources' proper deployment leads to extra fuel, freight, and salary cost.
The scheduling of driving staff and route planning through software can ensure that drivers are on connecting route. And the logistic tracking can make sure that vehicles are carrying the goods on their total capacity.
- Online Tracking of Recourses
Apart from your day-to-day management, you face some challenging situations many times. There can be a sudden surge and drop in demands of the goods in the market. You can use the logistic features of field service management software to manage these frequently changing requirements by your distributors and retailers.
The live tracking of your trucks, like change in their loading or unloading time, in-transit delays due to traffic, will empower you to manage any unforeseen challenges regarding supply. The live tracking facility of field service management software also allows you to alter the routes of trucks between the transitions.
- Sensor Technology for Logistics Tracking
Sensor technology-empowered homes and offices greatly. Now is the turn of the logistic industry to take advantage. Attaching sensors on cargo palettes, containers, cargo, carriage, and trucks provides you the access to track your goods on a real-time basis. In case of any accident or loss, you can give digital proof to the insurance company. It will make your claims pass faster.
With digitized logistic tracking, your customers will trust you more with records and data management. You will be able to provide better customer support and real-time update to them. This will give you a competitive edge.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning
Online tracking and sensors reduced manual labor and errors. Moreover, field service management software often comes up with innovative features to help the logistics industry. It provides an AI and machine-learning-based insight into the data collected via sensor technology.
These insights and data analysis will provide foresight and vision based on current business trends. Machine learning improves your process to be at par with the current requirements. It reduces your machine's downtime by planning and predicting its maintenance schedule.
- Automated Systems & Robotics
The automated data entering and storage decreased the requirement of the pen, paper, and rubber stamps. Now you can utilize your warehouse at maximum optimization with a single click. The industry has found automation to be 30% more productive than manual handling of operations.
Another gift of technology to the logistics industry is Robots. These robots decrease manual labor, increase online sales by performing the logistic tracking accurately. The latest example is of the KIVA robots of Amazon. According to the Amazon company, it reduced 20% of the logistics expenses.
- Better Customer Service
Logistic tracking through technology aids efficiency, accuracy, and convenience. It reflects in your output to your customers, especially in a market that is getting more dynamic with each passing day. Therefore, field service management software is concentrating on making better-customized features for the logistics industry.
A retailer or a distributor will count on you in the event of a mega sale with high demand. Your efficiency will provide them direct profit. Your reputation and goodwill amongst the customers increase if you can supply them according to their changing needs.
Conclusion
It is clear by now that the logistics industry can benefit in so many ways through technology. It reduces manual labor, operating costs, chances of error, and loss. The software-as-a-service sector (SAAS) regularly introduces new features in cloud-based field service management software to cater to the logistics industry's growing demands. If you haven't joined the bandwagon of hi-tech systems of logistics management, you are missing out on a huge opportunity.
About The Author
Akhil Rajan is a Customer Success Specialist at Zuper, an intelligent workforce management platform for service-oriented businesses. Working with customers daily, he has a deep understanding of their needs and pain points and so he can contribute to the marketing strategies for Zuper with the content he writes. He writes on topics like how to increase workforce utilization, how to reduce the service turnaround time and increase workforce efficiency, customer adoption, cost reduction strategies, etc. - to name a few. He is often found buried in books or playing chess in his free time.