When people talk about growth, the concept of the “flywheel” tends to come up. Amazon famously uses it as a metaphor for the virtuous circles created by ensuring great selection, low costs, high traffic, and great customer experience—essentially, it puts them in a position to build momentum at every stage of the process until optimization in each area feeds improvements in the subsequent stage of the wheel. Each element makes the others run more quickly and efficiently.
In 2022, a major uniform and linen distributor partnered with DispatchTrack to solve what had become a major headache that was limiting their ability to service their clients flexibly and efficiently: torturously slow territory planning.
We know that last mile logistics represents the single costliest part of the entire supply chain, but when you double click on that number and zoom in to the level of cost-per-route and cost-per-delivery, a lot of delivery organizations can’t get straight answers. It’s obvious that they’re spending a huge amount on fuel, driver pay, assets, warehousing, back-office labor, and a whole host of other line items, but the specifics are opaque by default.
3PLs are the unsung heroes of last mile logistics. They help businesses extend their delivery capacity and keep their customers happy, all while navigating the same complex delivery hurdles that always come with the last mile. It’s a difficult job, and getting it done right requires the right tools.
If you’re a logistics leader trying to find the best logistics software, this is a sign from the universe to narrow down your search. That means winnowing down the logistics software options on the table to only the “best” ones, sure—but it also means narrowing down exactly what you mean by “logistics software.”