Last Mile Delivery Logistics Key Challenges & Software Solutions Cutting Costs

Santosh Pawar
5 min readDec 16, 2020
last-mile delivery

What is last mile delivery?

Last mile refers to the last phase of any transport process, and the last thing that goes through before reaching the final destination, which usually includes the collection, storage or delivery of the freight. This is the most important part of the whole logistics process, and the transportation company needs to be very good at it in order for the whole operation to run smoothly.

The whole logistics operation consists of three phases:

  1. discovery
  2. Transition
  3. delivery.

Discovery is the stage where companies can find the right product or services for their business and determine what would best suit them. transition is when a company decides what will go on sale next day, and what kind of transport they need to make in order to reach their final destination, and lastly delivery is the actual date of delivery. These three phases are often very hard to monitor, and in some cases it can take up to a full day for each one of them to happen, making the entire logistics operation extremely slow. This is why logistics professionals often use the last mile delivery service.

The last step of the delivery process is often one of the most challenging ones, as it is very important to ensure the quality of the goods that are being delivered. Sometimes products don’t turn up on time, or there are delays with transportation, both of which mean that the customer won’t receive the goods that they ordered. Some customers are also very frustrated by the delays, and this can affect the overall mood of the team that is working on the delivery process, meaning that everyone loses out on time and effort, causing the entire operation to be put on hold. This is why the last step of the process is one of the most important ones, and companies are often left wondering what is the last mile delivery problem.

The Key Challenges of Last-Mile Delivery

The challenges of last mile delivery have a way of multiplying when you least expect it. You may have only recently started offering last mile services, or you’ve been doing it for many years and yet, the challenge is still fresh in your mind.

The good news is that many of these challenges can be easily handled. The key is being able to recognize the areas where you need help the most and knowing what resources are available to you to handle these challenges. The following tips and ideas should help you identify these key areas and move beyond them.

What are the costs of Last Mile Delivery?

cost of shipping

Last mile (or local) delivery services involve long distances, time and effort; in particular, the amount of time spent driving between warehouse and customer locations. By extension, the last mile delivery can be defined as the “last stop” before a product arrives to the customer. In the case of last-mile delivery, the cost of shipping presents a unique problem: it is difficult to quantify, since the cost of shipping and transporting a given shipment may vary between businesses and shipping routes, and delivery times may not necessarily depend solely on the delivery date and time.

Technology Solutions to Improve Last-Mile Logistics

delivery tracking software

The increased demand for quality logistics systems that provide real time information about the status of shipments in transit, combined with the ever-changing threat of online hacking, has meant that companies searching for information technology solutions to improve last mile logistics are turning their attention to e-learning solutions. E-learning logistics systems have the ability to transform the way that companies manage their supply chains. They have also proven to increase employee retention and productivity, thereby reducing the cost of logistics programs throughout a company, and giving rise to more efficient logistics operations — something which is of great importance to businesses looking to reduce their annual logistics costs.

Last Mile Logistics Software is used by the leading distributors, logistics companies and last mile delivery software companies USA and worldwide. It is designed to help companies to manage the supply chain more effectively and efficiently. The software is a comprehensive solution for today’s distribution companies and helps to improve the speed and accuracy of the end-to-end movement of products through any supply chain. The software is easy to use for both small and large scale warehouses. Its powerful features enable it to manage such activities as inventory control, order tracking, order entry, pick and pack, trucking and carrier management, supplier billing, order exit, and last mile delivery management.

Last Mile Tracking for Customers

last mile logistics software

Last Mile Tracking for Customers provides an unparalleled opportunity to streamline customer service by measuring and transmitting real-time the performance of last mile carriers. It enables service organizations to optimize their carriers, reducing costs while increasing productivity and performance. There are two main ways to use Last Mile Tracking for Customers: internally and externally. For more information on how to best implement this process see the book, “Performance Management for the Last Mile Carrier.”

Deliforce Last mile delivery software is a challenging business where there is a lot of competition and even greater expectation in customers. Inorder to reach the customer expectations you need to have a Last mile delivery software which offers optimized routes, real-time tracking, automatic dispatch, notifications, predictable ETA’s, customer feedback, analytics management, etc. for seamless and efficient delivery services.

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Santosh Pawar

I’m an Internet and Digital Marketing Consultant in Bangalore working in a Social and Digital Marketing company at Nextbrain, Take care of SEO, PPC & SMM.