So, you’ve decided to buy a proof of delivery system. It’s an exciting time. Great results await you!
Now, all you have to do is select a solution that fulfils your business objectives; satisfies the needs and concerns of stakeholders across your organization; and is easy to use for staff in the office and in the field. To conquer this challenge, you will need to face a host of ePOD providers that offer a huge variety of features and benefits. Easy, right? Well, if you keep your head, it shouldn’t be too hard.
Using more than 30 years of experience in helping operations like yours address their transportation challenges, we have put together a checklist of four critical elements to consider when choosing a proof of delivery system.
Whether it is the mobile application that your drivers will use, or the desktop management portal that your office-based staff will access, it is important to ensure that each aspect of the system has a user-friendly and intuitive interface. As well as making life easier for your staff, this will also help ensure speedy ROI by reducing the need for lengthy training and the risk of slow adoption.
The obvious next step is to request a demo. But make sure you are considering the very varied needs of those who will be using the system. When thinking about drivers, you will want to be sure that the mobile app presents them with easy, step-by-step processes, communicated in a user-friendly format that will make their daily tasks easier. Ease of comprehension and use is particularly important if you are sub-contracting out delivery tasks.
Office-based staff have different concerns. You will be looking for an intuitive desktop solution that can provide relevant information to a variety of users, quickly and easily. For example, you may prefer operational staff to receive exception alerts rather than review all the incoming data in search of problems. Or managers across the business might want to access data for strategic analysis in a format that suits them.
Every organization has different operational processes, and no-one knows your business protocols better than you. That’s why it’s crucial to choose a solution that allows you to easily tailor workflows, data-capture requirements and even terminology to suit your operation. When the software flexes to fit your business, rather than forcing operational changes to suit the software, your staff are far more likely to trust, welcome and fully utilize the new technology.
For example, rather than offering a rigid set of data-capture options, Paragon’s electronic proof of delivery system, fleXipod, provides the ability to create bespoke workflows and electronic forms such as vehicle checklists and risk assessments, to suit your unique operation.
Another reason to look for a system that offers flexible functionality is that your business changes all the time. When assessing prospective solutions, ask vendors if and how you will be able to change processes, in the future, in response to evolving customer demands, changing regulations, industry trends or new business objectives.
A word of warning, however: check that you can make these adjustments and choices yourself, or with minimal support. If the ability to configure the system is controlled by the vendor, changes may incur costs and create delays.
You don’t need to be an IT expert, but you do need to understand exactly what’s involved in terms of implementing your proof of delivery system. How long will the implementation take? Who needs to be involved? What levels of support and training are on offer from the vendor? And what is required of your team before go-live is possible?
Your next set of questions should be focused on integration. The system(s) the ePOD solution needs to integrate with will depend on your specific business and objectives. For example, you may need to provide your finance department with completed job data for invoicing, or give your warehouse teams visibility of stock at an item level of detail.
You should ensure that the software vendor you choose provides a set of standard integration methods, with clear documentation and established support processes to help your implementation run smoothly.
And now for the good news. Unlike many software projects that are time-consuming or complicated, implementing a proof of delivery solution should be a simple process.
Obviously, you’re taking care to choose the right software, but selecting the right partner can be just as important. Ideally, this will be a long and productive relationship for both parties.
Don’t be afraid to ask for references from existing customers who can talk to you about their experience with a vendor’s solution and, more importantly, their experience of the support team. How long has the customer used the solution? What’s the response time and resolution rate when there is a problem? It’s only natural that there will be. Getting to know the supplier will ensure you choose a partner that will continue to support your business as it grows.
Another aspect to consider is how focused the prospective proof of delivery system vendors are on excellence in this field. Best-of-breed providers have a clear mission to maintain and develop their proof of delivery product. Other, one-stop-shop providers of transport management systems that serve every step of the supply chain, may not have the resources to make sure their proof of delivery systems stay current.
You will want to ask vendors if the product is still in active development and keeps up with industry changes. You will also want to know what research and development resources are dedicated specifically to this functionality. Doing so will ensure the product continues to grow alongside your business and can help you solve future transportation challenges.
Researching and choosing a proof of delivery system does not have to be difficult, but you do need to embark on the journey with a good sense of where you’re going, and how you’re going to get there. Then, you can more easily evaluate whether each solution – and supplier – meets your criteria.
To find out if Paragon’s fleXipod proof of delivery system is the right fit for your business, get in touch with one of our experienced team. Or you can find out more about the features of the fleXipod system by downloading our datasheet.
