Step 1: Consider why you want to do logistics yourself
Companies that do the logistics themselves often have good reasons for doing so.
- Flexibility, you can serve your customers better than through most standard parcel services.
- Cost, it is often expensive to ship heavy or large products via logistics partners.
- Volume, the more delivery addresses you get, the more interesting it becomes to deliver the order yourself.
- Grip on the last-mile, companies are focused on serving customers well, therefore they also want grip on the logistics process.
The main reason companies do this is for cost reasons and to provide a better customer experience. In fact, outsourcing logistics can be very expensive and is not very flexible. Managing your logistics yourself is a lot cheaper. The advantage of having your logistics in-house is that you have more control over the entire process. You have full control, which makes it possible to ensure that everything runs as desired.
Large webshops, such as Coolblue, also choose to manage their logistics themselves. Coolblue drives their own blue vans throughout the country to deliver packages. From A to Z, they have an overview of all orders and their status.
Step 2: Make sure you have enough storage space
If you want to start logistics management, it is important to have adequate storage space. Depending on the size of your company and the number of orders, you can rent a storage space. Organize the storage space conveniently so that the logistics process runs as efficiently as possible. If there is structure and logic in the storage layout, it will take less time to prepare orders for transport. Keep track of your storage inventory digitally through a warehouse management system. This is almost indispensable these days. This also contributes to a more efficient process. A warehouse management system is linked to inventory and provides 24/7 visibility of inventory at that time.
Step 3: Invest in packaging materials
To ensure that the product arrives at the end customer completely as desired, it is important to invest in quality packaging materials. When shipping products of different sizes, it is important to match the sizes to the product. If a box is too large, the product will slide. This increases the risk of damage. When you handle the logistics yourself, it is extra important to get as few returns as possible; after all, this costs you extra time and money. Therefore, don't skimp on packaging materials.
In addition, it is important to label your packages. This way it is clear to the delivery people where a product can be delivered.
Step 4: Ensure proper transportation
When you arrange your own logistics, you also have to provide your own transportation. This is a bit of an investment, but it pays off handsomely in the end. Depending on the size of your company and the number of deliveries per day, purchase delivery vans. Think carefully about whether it would be wise to use trucks, for example if you deliver couches, or whether a caddy is enough. This way you can use transportation in an efficient way.
Step 5: Route Planning
Before transportation hits the road, it is important to plan the route. Do you have many addresses on a daily basis? Then it is wise to use a route planning software. This will save you an enormous amount of time.
RouteLogic is a route planner that plans the most efficient routes in seconds. The software not only takes into account the number of kilometers and the fastest route, it also takes into account weather conditions, traffic and time slots for delivery.
You also keep both your customer and driver informed through the communication tools offered by RouteLogic. The customer receives a track and trace by e-mail or text message, which shows exactly when the delivery is scheduled. The driver can use the driver app to see which route to drive, details about a delivery and any special details.
Create your first route now for free!
