Delivery is the shipment of products from one location to another, and distribution is the effort to distribute the products directly to the customers. Every company should create a detailed distribution plan that includes marketing and shipping. Consider the cost, time, and resources needed to distribute your products and see where you can make improvements.
Improper Management
Poor management leads to disorganization and poor decision making among your staff; positive management does the opposite. If your company is making product deliveries every day, you cannot run a large warehouse staff under a single manager. Many companies assume that one experienced manager is enough to handle dozens of employees and projects at the same time. It’s important to create a proper balance of employees and supervisors in your company.
Insufficient Product Knowledge
A customer service department cannot function when the representatives have insufficient knowledge in the products and services. Similarly, marketers and business managers cannot tend to customers’ needs properly when they lack basic product knowledge. This problem happens often to companies that have new managers and workers, so invest in training programs for all new hires.
Insufficient Communication
Lack of communication is a major cause for nearly every business failure. Open up the communication lines between the management team and the staff. Problems occur when employees do not feel comfortable talking to their supervisors.
If people try to solve the problems on their own and fail, the entire business suffers as a result. All professionals within a company, regardless of their positions, must work on one team. Remind them that they cannot work alone without being actively communicative with others.
A wide range of commercial technologies are designed to help your company streamline deliveries. You cannot guarantee that drivers always know where they’re going. On many delivery trucks and company cars, there are GPS navigation systems installed to speed up deliveries.
If you manage your own delivery systems, hold your drivers accountable for good driving standards. The Kindley Firm explains that you should always discourage drivers from negligent driving practices, such as driving more than 70 hours a week, distracted driving, or driving under the influence. Holding drivers to standards will improve your delivery systems, protect drivers, and protect your business from liability.
Whether your workers are on the road or in the warehouse, encourage them to share contact details by phone or email. They will feel more inclined to help each other out. For instance, one worker may offer to take on another’s shift or assist another person after work.
You cannot afford to take chances when you run a business. You have deliveries to send out immediately after the orders are made. You also need a marketing plan to find new customers and retain old ones as long as possible. Find out what is slowing your business down and improve your distribution processes as soon as possible.