How do businesses distinguish themselves from competitors in an increasingly challenging, on-demand market?
Instant delivery is the new norm, thanks to retail giants like Amazon, and companies like The Home Depot and Lowe’s are taking action to follow a similar delivery path. As builders and contractors seek to optimize their supply chains, the market is trending toward a focus on efficiency.
It’s common in the construction industry to have a “gopher,” a dedicated team member to run errands for last-minute items. This is not cost effective either, with the hourly rate, and cost for multiple round trip errands starts at $240 per hour, according to BDR.
Maintaining a delivery fleet, however, can be costly and inefficient. Expenses accrue even with low vehicle usage. The costs for fuel, maintenance, insurance, and driver retention are rising.
Conversely, businesses might not have enough delivery vehicles, which means that existing vehicles are overbooked and running behind schedule.
Controlling these factors and expenses while also working to improve the delivery experience is not only challenging, but necessary for a business to succeed.
Delivery is now more crucial than ever. This is the last leg of the delivery trip, or the final steps of the delivery process from a distributor to the job site. The shipping logistics focus on local carriers for delivering goods as quickly as possible, arguably the most important aspect of the transaction. A good customer experience, product development, customer engagement, and tailored product designs all fall short if the products are not delivered in a timely manner.
Using a fleet of on-demand, professional delivery drivers through a third-party platform allows suppliers to reduce costs, improve customer relations, and better track data through the platform’s analytics and reporting.
Outsourcing Construction Site Delivery
Construction site delivery directly impacts time-sensitive projects that influence the success of the construction itself. Effective delivery requires the observations of set logistical and safety regulations and equipment.
Delivery platforms for construction site delivery require special equipment and tools for safe transportation, loading, and unloading of materials. They also require detailed routes and plans so that materials arrive on time, to the correct destination. Any deviation from the planned route can cost time, money, and reputation. Logistics of a successful delivery include confirmation of unloading zones, determining the appropriate equipment required for the delivery, regulatory compliance, knowledge of delivery vehicle entrances and exits, temporary traffic management, and of course, on time delivery.
Delivery platforms should also comply with local, state, and federal law. They should employ vetted and experienced drivers. Trucks must comply with capacity, weight, and transportation regulations to ensure safety. Proper protective equipment should be used and worn around job sites and skilled drivers should be trained in construction site protocol.
How Last Mile Helps Building Material Delivery
Outsourcing construction site delivery is more efficient than utilizing a team member ( “gopher”) or maintaining an in-house delivery fleet. New technology innovations, automated processes, and cloud services lead to reduced costs of fuel and vehicle maintenance, faster, on-demand deliveries, and overall improved customer experience.
Fulfillment needs to be accurate and precise. As customer experience expectations rise, last mile delivery optimizes the user experience and leads to customer satisfaction, higher engagement rates, and improved customer retention.
Suppliers are able to track everything within the delivery platform. Transactional records, delivery and route data, and vehicle movement data help develop a more detailed view of operations. Greater emphasis can be placed on proper handling of materials, better training and equipment, and knowledgeable support teams for the customer.
Suppliers need to embrace technological changes as last mile delivery logistics advance or they might find themselves losing out to competition.
FRAYT Technologies
FRAYT is a tech company that brings professional, on-demand shipping to businesses through our web platform and phone app. We’re headquartered in Cincinnati, OH and provide service all across the United States.
We offer timely, on-demand delivery by providing a dedicated vehicle and professional driver capable of handling your biggest or smallest items. Our vehicle options range from cars to box trucks. Track your order from drop off to pickup and share delivery status and confirmation with customers. Streamline deliveries that occur a couple times a week, or use our delivery technology to build a scalable solution.
With FRAYT, you can place deliveries in 5 minutes or less. Once you sign up for a FRAYT business account, you unlock access to the most intuitive last-mile delivery platform out there.
1. Get a Price Estimate
Provide us with locations and dimensions and get pricing before posting your delivery
2. Post Your Delivery
An experienced FRAYT Driver will accept your dispatch and work with FRAYT support every step of the way to ensure an optimal experience for you and your customers.
3. Track in Real-Time
Trace deliveries from pickup to drop off with live updates and the option to share alerts & confirmation with your customers.
