Delivery management is not a new term in the market. However, the recent advances in digitization have made certain transformations to the delivery management software sector. With drastic shifts in customer demands and the incredibly fickle global market conditions, the need for seamless and speedy delivery systems is at an all-time high. And businesses around the globe are using next-gen tech like AI and IoT to build better delivery management systems.
Thanks to leading e-commerce firms like Amazon and Alibaba raising the bar with same-day and free-of-cost deliveries, most customers these days expect every other business to provide the same kind of services, which leads them to look into solutions that can help them achieve this goal, like AI-based delivery management software. And if you are looking to develop an AI-powered delivery management system for your business too, then you will find everything you need to know to get started in this blog. So, without wasting anymore time, let’s get started!
What is an AI-powered Delivery Management Software?
AI-powered delivery management software is a unique system that enables businesses to automate their delivery processes and make them more efficient. Smart delivery management systems use AI capabilities to analyze the unstructured data and make accurate business decisions in real-time. Delivery management software aims to make deliveries more efficient and smoother for the customers and the businesses and simplify the overall logistics operations without any human-dependency.
In fact, many of the leading logistics and supply chain companies today are actively using AI software solutions to get real-time insights on product delivery and shipments. Route optimization, live vehicle tracking, driver behavior analysis, and fuel thefts detection are some other amazing benefits of implementing AI in logistics.
And that’s not all! Whether we talk about quick turnaround time, real-time dispatching, or even eliminating the possibilities of wrong delivery, the modern delivery management software solutions are allowing businesses to save cost and boost their brand value.
Business Problems Solved by AI-powered Delivery Management Software
Now that we know a little about AI-based smart delivery management software, let us quickly understand the unique business problems they can help you solve.
We all know that digitization and tech-trends are already gaining huge momentum in the global market. In such a scenario, the customer-needs are also changing exponentially. Delivery demands like same-day delivery, special gift-packaging, or real-time shipment tracking have become a common aspect today! Moreover, businesses need to track their shipments for secured and efficient delivery management.
Not to mention, the delays due to wrong deliveries and the last-mile delivery issues due to various fluctuating customer-needs also added to the need for smart delivery management software.
That’s where the AI-enabled logistic solution comes into play! With AI-powered delivery management systems, you could seamlessly solve problems like:
- Finding the best possible routes for your delivery fleets.
- Accurately analysing user-data to eliminate the wrong delivery conditions.
- Determining the fleet size as per the delivery demands to save fuel and cut down on other maintenance expenditures.
- Many amazing user-centric offers and personalized services could be obtained easily with the use of AI in logistics.
- With AI-enabled delivery applications, the customer could easily coordinate with the driver, solve late deliveries, and enhance the user experience.
- End-to-end logistics visibility and driver behaviour analysis in real-time could also be obtained from implementing AI in delivery management.
And, if you think that all these amazing benefits are only for the logistics or supply chain industry, then you need to think again! Here’s a list of all the businesses that could benefit from implementing AI in delivery management
- Retail Sector
- Healthcare
- Government
- Transportation
- Grocery Delivery
- Courier Delivery
- Waste Management
- Distributors
- Food Delivery
- Supply Chain
- Agricultural Vehicles
- Alcohol Delivery, and much more
In short, an AI-powered delivery management software solution benefits all businesses today, irrespective of their size and niche. So, what’s stopping you now from implementing AI in your delivery management?
Read More- The Future of AI in Software Development
AI-powered Delivery Management Software – the right way to develop it!
Now that we understand that pretty much every industry in this day and age can benefit from an AI-based smart delivery management software solution, let’s take a look at how you can develop one.
Whether you want to develop an enterprise grade AI-based delivery management software solution for your own business or as a product that you can sell, the steps will remain the same for the most part.
But developing a smart delivery management system is not a piece of cake. You will need a lot of planning, hard work, and investment to make it a success. Furthermore, you will be responsible for making some key decisions that will decide the fate of your project.
There are two major ways you can develop your software solution: you can build an in-house team or outsource your project to an outside developer. While many big corporations build their software internally, it is to be kept in mind that in-house development is a considerably more expensive endeavor than external development. You will have to hire permanent developers, QA engineers, designers etc., and provide adequate infrastructure. You will also be responsible for the maintenance of this infrastructure and will probably have to hire people who can do so for you. All of this combined will create a massive overhead and it is something not a lot of startups will be able to afford.
That is why, the best approach to software development for small or emerging businesses is partnering up with an external development firm that provides supply chain software development services, like Matellio. On top of cost and time saving, you also get the benefit of scalable development, expert opinion, 24*7 support, and even post launch services.
But if your heart is set on in-house development, then you can build a small core development team in-house and scale it up and down according to your project needs and budget by partnering up with a staff augmentation company, like Matellio. The company will analyze your requirement, and send you the portfolios of the candidates that are best suited for the job. Once you make your pick, you will only have to pay the company an hourly rate for the resources you choose to hire. And when your project needs are met and you no longer need the extra resources, you can simply terminate your contract. This way, you won’t be paying a full-time asset even when they are not needed. There are certain things that you need to address before starting your AI development project. Let’s have a look at some of the most critical ones!
1. Analyzing your Competitors
The first and most crucial step to develop an efficient and successful delivery management software is to analyze your competitors and target audience. You need to have an exact idea of all the segments that could benefit from your AI software and help you raise your revenues.
Besides that, you also need to know what all players are already popular in the delivery management software market. Analyzing your competitor’s weaknesses and strengths will help you with your sales and marketing strategies and ensure that your software stands apart from all their systems.
You will have an idea of their design and features and include some more advanced and unique features in your AI-powered delivery management system to make it a hit in the market.
2. Expert Consultation
The next crucial factor to consider before beginning your custom delivery management software is to look for expert consultation services. It is no doubt that you may analyze all your business needs more efficiently than anyone else; however, there are certain aspects that only an expert could know. Let’s take the tech trends as an example.
Now, you may know the latest tech-trends prevailing in the AI development sector; however, only an AI expert could accurately predict which ones are reliable and could be used in your delivery management software. Likewise, certain other aspects like validating your business idea and offering advanced features, where an expert consultation is needed.
Hence, always opt for a technology partner that offers expert consultation services for your big business idea. With expert consultation, you would not only save on cost but would even help you develop user-friendly and result-oriented delivery management software for multiple users.
There are plenty of development firms that offer services like DevOps consulting services that can help you speed up your development process. At Matellio, our experts not only provide DevOps consultation but are also maestros at implementing it to achieve astonishing results.
3. UI/UX Services
People today prefer the ease of access more than anything else. Even if you have all the most advanced features, if they are not accessible to your users, they are of no use. That’s where designing smart and seamless UI/UX comes into play!
UI refers to user interface, which means the screens and buttons visible on your delivery management app or software. UX refers to user experience, which means the user’s kind of experience after accessing your delivery management system. Both these together make any custom solution hit or flop in the market.
Hence, make sure to invest in the UI/UX aspects of your delivery management software. Hire certified and experienced resources to ensure that your delivery management app or solution is in-trend and user-friendly.
Read More: Top 7 Tips to Hire the Best UI/UX Designer
4. Advanced Features
Features are the most crucial part of any custom solution, and delivery management software is no exception. To outshine your competitors, and attract a huge customer base, you need to have at least three-four advanced functionalities in your delivery management systems.
That’s why, to help you make your AI solution successful, we have compiled a list of all the features that you could include in your AI-powered delivery management system.
For Admins
Features |
Description |
| Fleet Management | Keep a track of all the fleets along with their drivers and maintenance conditions, and assign them to different delivery locations with a single click. |
| Driver Management | Monitor the drivers in real-time with their driving data and know their accurate locations during any instance of the delivery. |
| Payments | The admins could track all the payments made by the users for the services they have opted for. Any pending payments could also be seen by the admin. |
| Services | Customize the services of your delivery management app/software as per the latest market demands and the type of business you are targeting. |
| Route Optimization | Get the best possible routes for your delivery, and share them with your drivers to save time, fuel, and cost. |
| Agency | Manage your partners and agencies with a single click on your screen. |
| Geofencing | Make virtual boundaries for your fleets and get instant notification on the arrival or departure of fleets in those areas. |
| User Management | You can add the users (drivers, customers) easily using this functionality. |
| Analytics and Reporting | Get a complete view of your delivery management software with detailed visual reports using this feature. |
| Auto Dispatcher | Automatically assign the task to a suitable courier using advanced machine learning algorithms. |
| Conversational Chatbot | Solve all your customer queries without any human-intervention using a conversational chatbot. |
For Dispatchers
Features |
Description |
| Login/Signup | The drivers/dispatchers could easily register on the delivery management app using their basic details. |
| Receiver Details | The dispatchers could get all the information and contact details of the receiver for efficient and smooth delivery. |
| Delivery Confirmation | Once the delivery has been done, the dispatchers could mark the confirmation using the delivery management app. |
| Notifications | All the notifications and updates sent by the admin could be accessed using this functionality. |
| Route Optimization | The drivers could get the best routes for the deliveries as offered by the admin. |
| Support Services | For any support during the journey, the drivers could easily connect with the delivery managers/admins. |
| Panic Alerts | During their journey, if the driver faces any issues, then they could alert the managers using this feature. |
For Customers
Features |
Description |
| Signup/Login | The customer could register on the delivery management software/app using their social accounts or basic details. |
| Digital Payments | A unique and advanced functionality that enables the users to pay for their services using any mode of digital payments. |
| Address Confirmation | The customers could confirm their drop-off location using this feature. |
| Driver Contact Details | If the delivery is not on-time, or there is any change by the users, then the customers could directly contact the driver. |
| Reviews & Feedbacks | A much-needed module for tracking the services offered by your delivery management system. |
| Track Shipment | The users could track their shipments in real-time using this feature. |
| Schedule Pickup | If the users want to schedule their pickup (early/late), then they can automatically inform you by using this feature. |
| Tariff Calculator | The total amount that the customer has to pay could be known using this feature. |
Apart from all these features, there are carrier integration & many more that an expert could offer. Hence, a perfect suggestion would be to consult with an AI expert and include the feature accordingly.
5. Professional and Experienced Technology Partner
Here comes another crucial aspect, hiring a reliable and experienced technology partner. Businesses often hire freelancers or startups to develop their applications in the lure of low costs. As a result, they experience glitches, and errors, just a few days after the final launch. And not to mention, the post-launch and maintenance services are also not reliable. That’s where experienced and professional software engineering firms come into play!
With an experienced technology partner, you could get the latest and reliable services and even the most promising features and designs needed to make your delivery management app successful in the market. From expert consultation to design, features, prototype, and testing, a repeated and experienced enterprise software development firm offers you everything for a profitable business.
Not to forget the certified developers with access to the best tech tools and platforms, which are not available with freelancers and startups. Hence, choosing a reliable technology partner for your delivery management software is a must!
That’s where Matellio comes to play!
With years of experience in developing custom enterprise solutions, Matellio provides top-notch and highly scalable supply chain software development services that have made us a leading name in their field of AI development. Whether you need chatbots, conversational AI, or even machine learning solutions, our tech-savvy team of engineers has got you covered!
Making the businesses successful and profitable using smart technologies is the only aim of our certified developers. That’s why the market leaders, including Clutch, have recognized us as a prominent enterprise software development firm many times. The use of AI/ML services in solving last-mile delivery problems is a perfect example of our innovative and cost-effective development approach.
Whether we talk about identifying the possible risks during delivery with smart algorithms or solving customer queries with conversational AI services, our developers have made the best possible use of AI in enhancing your delivery management software. Hence, utilize our years-long AI development experience and free consultation service to outsmart your competitors and become a delivery management leader.
Remember, innovation and consultation are the two most promising keys to success in today’s competitive market. So, keep discussing, and keep innovating!
Till then, Happy Reading!
