Flexibility is the ultimate discipline for logistics planners: transporting additional goods, reacting to faults, fulfilling new wishes. For all this to succeed, it is important to communicate quickly and clearly, because it decides on the implementation of changed plans. Logistics planning therefore needs possibilities for:

• flexible tour assignment
• direct communication
• automatic control
• Networking of all stakeholders

Those who can combine these factors create the basis for a sophisticated logistics planning to lead to practical success. Mobile apps and the systems in which they are embedded perform important connecting tasks.

Basis

Why logistics planning?

Logistics managers feel it in their daily work: logistics chains consist of many different members, many participants who need to be coordinated with each other. For this to succeed, planning is the most important prerequisite. Accept requirements, define processes, provide capacity, inform and control all stakeholders. Because the tasks are so diverse, three basic disciplines of logistics planning have developed: strategic, tactical and operational logistics planning. From the inclusion of requirements to the cost planning and provision of a logistic system to the monitoring of processes, they perform different functions along the logistics chain.

Implementation

Customer service as an important perspective

Process control as operational logistics planning In day-to-day business, everything starts with resources. As an operational logistics planner, the dispatcher must use these appropriately for the current orders and manage them sensibly at all times. For this, he must not only know their status, but also have the opportunity to actively intervene in the processes. This is best achieved by informing drivers quickly and unambiguously about changes and accessing their current status. Mobile apps and the associated planning software offer optimal support. The logistics planner always knows the current vehicle position as well as the estimated time of arrival (ETA) for the next stop. And he can notify the driver of changes to his tour without having to call him. A new stop order transfers the application directly to the mobile device. There, the specified sequence of work steps automatically changes in the app.

Analysis

Adjust logistics planning with real-time data

With the live status of all ongoing tours, it quickly becomes clear whether the individual steps of logistics planning will work as desired. If this is not the case, the real-time data allows all parties to reschedule their connection processes at any time. On a dashboard, all important information is quickly in view, for example:

• Are all shipments scheduled?
• Have all packages been loaded?
• Are all scheduled tours on the way?
• Do urgent appointments reach their destination on time?

By using mobile apps, every single status message is also automatically documented. This gives logistics planners the opportunity to analyze data. For example, they can detect if their intended processes do not work in this way in the long term due to obstacles such as construction sites or process changes at the recipient. Then they have the opportunity to directly adapt the workflow and send the drivers with new specifications on their daily tours.

Conclusion

Success through information and communication

In addition to good planning, leading logistics processes to success also requires transparent information and fast communication. Mobile apps and associated planning software help monitor status, detect discrepancies, and distribute changed instructions. In addition to logistics planners, their customers also benefit from this.