Anyone who sells goods free domicile has a high interest in a flawless transport service. Because in the perception of the buyers, the delivering truck driver is often the first service employee of the shipper. That's why these consignors want a perfect service for every transport that improves their customers' shopping experience. An individual process exactly according to their specifications. Service providers who want to meet these demands must either train their drivers intensively or use a service app.

Customer wishes

What does a service app have to do?

From collection to rapid transmission of the delivery receipt, freight forwarding customers want the fulfilment of many individual service steps that make transport services transparent. Particular demands to customer service are:

• the registration at the tour start
• precise time of arrival (ETA) forecasts for consignor and consignee
• status transmission and information exchange in real time
• vehicle tracking
• driver advance notices at predefined times
• documentation of load securing and damage
• value added services guidance
• proof of delivery (POD) even in the case of drop-off permit
• fast delivery note transmission

With these services, freight forwarders score points with their customers and acquire the opportunity to make themselves irreplaceable. In logistics, a service app is therefore suitable for strengthening the customer relationship and saving time and costs.

Digitalisation

Service apps as information brokers

In the course of transport, the employees of freight forwarding companies make a large number of important decisions that require precise information. The task of mobile service apps is therefore to collect this data and distribute it to all authorised parties. This includes, for example, arrival time forecasts, which not only enable dispatchers to monitor the course of the tour, but also allow consignors to track the transport of goods and consignees to prepare for unloading. The apps also use a pre-configured workflow to guide drivers through their respective tasks during the individual stages of the transport process. For example, the software prompts the driver to take photos to document the load securing before the start of the journey and to report the start of the tour. This enables the shipper and logistics service provider to prove that they have complied with their respective duties of care, and the recipient benefits from precisely calculated arrival time forecasts from this point on. For this, the service app does even more serving as a data hub: connected to the truck's vehicle telematics, it also takes into account the driver's driving and rest times and thus allows for the mandatory breaks to be included in the calculations. The mobile applications also provide clarity in the area of delivery: immediately after the handover of goods, they transmit the proof of delivery (POD) and, if desired, a digital delivery note. If the consignee has issued a drop-off permit, the software also prompts the driver to take photos of the goods in place. With GPS coordinates and a time stamp, these provide audit-proof documentation that the delivery actually took place at the agreed location.

Liability

Service apps create commitment with mobile workflows

Service apps know exactly what freight forwarding customers want. Not only do they guide drivers comfortably through customer requirements or individual processes when they are loaded. They also share the results directly with all parties involved. The prerequisite for this is that the freight forwarder or logistics service provider configures comprehensive workflows with all tasks and information on the course of the process. This starts with insights about the task: What are the opening hours of an unloading site? Where does the registration have to take place? Who is the right contact person in the warehouse? Is special equipment required for the task? In addition, dispatching can reach the driver directly via the service apps with calls, voice and text messages, which are also automatically translated into the set language of the end device. During the tour, the application guides individual work steps and records all data from the process. For example, checklists on special transport conditions or when a new status is reached. Furthermore, the service app always knows where the truck is – even the recipient can see it directly without registering, there is no longer any need to ask. Settings and workflows in the mobile software digitalise decentralised manual processes and thus significantly reduce the coordination and documentation effort: all parties involved have access to the current status at all times and know what to do next.

Conclusion

Service apps delight customers and relieve the burden on freight forwarders

Any questions? Without service apps, it takes a lot of effort for clients and logistics companies to monitor the transport process. Have the goods already been loaded? And when will the truck arrive where? With digital data directly from the vehicle, customers and recipients are as well informed as if they were there live. For the forwarding company's service staff, this means a significant reduction in workload, while shippers and consignees are highly satisfied with this customer service provided without any additional effort. The digitalisation of mobile workflows reduces the number of enquiries, speeds up communication and offers enormous benefits to all involved.