Top 4 benefits of field force automation in the logistics industry

The modern world is automated in many ways and the Indian logistics sector is no different. Location intelligence utilities like the field service management software have taken the sector to new heights. Cutting short the costs incurred and maximising the profit margins, one is certain of its ability to put a smile on the upper-level management.

The Indian logistics industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the country today. Despite the discomforts caused by the relentless pandemic, the industry still manages to function to its full potential. One of the primary reasons for the sector’s independence is the dependence of the other sectors over it. Be it agriculture, manufacturing, e-commerce, or retail – logistics is one sector that gets its work done.

LOCATION INTELLIGENCE FOR THE WIN! – THE OTHER SIDE OF THE INDUSTRY

But with great power, comes greater responsibility or so to speak. With such a noble sector working its wonders in the economy, certain challenges can prove to be constant troublemakers. On-time delivery is the essence of a logistics business and its major goal would be to strive towards it no matter the consequences. 

The success of such a business is measured by its ability to manage and deliver its shipments without damage and at the right time. This might be a heft task considering the vast landmass, such a business covered with such little manpower to take. This is where sales force automation through location intelligence helps move boulders and mountains. But what exactly is Location Intelligence?

Location Intelligence (LI) is putting together the information collected – Geographical visuals, and business numbers from a particular location or a select area. Location intelligence plays a key role in understanding the various aspects of the logistics business at an in-depth level and helps plan better. Here are a few ways how sales force automation through location intelligence can help take the cake in the business.

On-time delivery

One of the most important traits of a successful logistics business is its ability to ensure on-time delivery given any state of odds. An implementation of a field service management software would make things more streamlined. While serving a country as vast as India, it would need more effort to keep track of all the deliveries to be made.

Field force automation gives an added leverage to the crew to understand the flow pipeline better and prepare themselves better for spotless on-time delivery. This is possible due to the information picked up by the field service management software.

Information such as 

  • date of order placed
  • pickup location
  • transit route
  • warehouse check-in, 
  • regional transportation 
  • local mobility

can all be streamlined together to calculate the right delivery time, ensuring the management to focus on working towards it. Choosing a closer warehouse to the delivery location, or choosing an alternate route to make things quicker can all be perfected via field force automation. A perfect example of this would be tracker apps used on Myntra or Amazon

Finding the best possible route

Let us all be transparent here. Apart from agriculture, logistics is the next business that can be affected by an act of god. An unforeseen downpour, a tropical storm, or border politics can hamper the business to great extents. Although field force automation can neither change the weather nor ease up political ties, it does help the management and the crew to find alternate routes to circumvent the difficulties that lay ahead. A shipment that was to reach Bengaluru can either be routed through Mumbai or Hyderabad. Picking the best possible route considering the current scenario between the two can help either fasten delivery or go around an inevitable hurdle. The ability to have ready-to use plans on the field force management software can give the team and the crew to jolt down the best possible route without any hassle.

Optimization of fixed costs

As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest contributors to such a business’s expenses is its fixed costs. The fixed costs in a logistics business are its Depreciation, Driver salary, Fuel, Toll charges, Maintenance and services. Even though field force automation cannot eradicate it, but can help the management keep tabs on its expenses. Taking a deep dive into the information provided on the field force service software can help find the best possible ways to cut down the costs. An example would be to take a shorter route and reduce the cost of fuel, and average it out through other means of movement so that the combined expenses of these two would still be lesser than what it was earlier. In a way, such use of field service software can help make informed decisions keeping in mind the essence of on-time delivery of the establishment.

Care for your people

The best business is run by its people. Some of the successful businesses around the globe understand the importance of their contributors. With that in mind, the most important people in the logistics business are its front end workers. Drivers and delivery agents working around the clock to keep that brand identity alive are one of the prime concerns for the business. The field force management software helps keep track of the company’s agents anywhere and anytime. This would help send aid in times of need. A vehicle breakdown or an unforeseen accident on perilous roads could catch the eyes of the management very quickly. This would in turn help them dispatch aid swiftly and might save lives in such dire circumstances.

We at happisales strive to be the forerunners of GPS tracking software and sales tracking software. We live in the modern world and we believe it is time for businesses around the globe to take giant strides in the phase of evolution. If you are looking for a sales force tracker app or a field force management software, we would be glad to help with a demo of our product. Feel free to contact us at Happisales, you are one step closer to the new world of automation.

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