It is important to frame a solid business plan for a delivery service to work. So here they are divided into 4 essential sections of what should be included in these. Going into detail so that you do not miss the opportunity to run the business of your dreams.
The first of these sections will discuss what your service offers that your competition doesn't. The second will discuss how to structure operations from administration to delivery people. The third will discuss how you will achieve profits by reducing costs. And finally, how to leverage those profits to expand your business.
What difference can you make with your service?
If you're here because you're already in the delivery market, you know it's a highly competitive sector. Last year, 70% of people surveyed said they're less likely to give a chance after a bad experience. But what's a good one, really?
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Nearly half of the people in the previous survey said that on-time delivery was the most important thing.
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In second place was that the product arrived in perfect condition with 38%.
However, 26% of customers say they received their package with an excessive delay and 13% with considerable damage. Therefore, if your company meets these two characteristics, it will have extra points to be above the competition.
What else will make your delivery service attractive?
Another way to differentiate yourself is by absorbing the minority that is ignored by the big companies. By offering rates that fit their budgets and as long as several choose you, your margins will remain intact. Also, if you work for them in the time slots that no one else uses, you will become more attractive. These are usually in the early morning, late afternoon and night hours.
Delivering packages that require special care is a delivery service that calls customers and charges extra. So it could be seen as a win-win, you just have to adapt to what you are carrying. If it needs refrigeration, it needs to be carried with protection, among other specific care. Finally, you could implement home food delivery, which has been the trend since the pandemic.
A solid structure for making deliveries
It is vital to know that your company's structure should depend on its size and the niches it covers. However, there are certain basic rules that can be followed that all companies need. The main thing is to have a clear management of who is in charge of your company's delivery drivers. As these will inevitably make up the largest percentage of the payroll.
Having someone who can perform multiple functions is very useful when you are starting out. To keep things running smoothly, you will need to consolidate several functions, giving your team tools that will help them perform them successfully. This is where transportation software like ToolRides comes in, which covers a large part of the tasks in a systematic way.
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They have a panel where all the statistics of reservations, deliveries, income, among other details are shown.
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The route optimization avoids having a team do the work by hand that would take hours.
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Customer support is enhanced by having in-app registration forms, as well as messaging and notifications at your fingertips.
If you are planning a delivery service, this is the ideal time to hire us, as you will save thousands of dollars in hiring. You can still invest in this later, but it is less feasible to invest in a payroll and then not have work to hire them.
How to promote your business?
The first thing you need to do is to have social media and an active website. At this point in history, more than half of customers come because they found the service on the internet. So you need to have this face to the public with an eye-catching design, good informative posts and always up-to-date data. There is nothing worse than losing customers just because your networks do not offer enough.
Promote yourself in your area. If the business owners around you don't know you, you're doing something wrong. Expand your list of partner companies by showing them your work and how they can benefit from joining. Any of the options you adopt to reach new people should already be included in your business plan.
Preparing the business for expansion
One of the biggest costs is the time it takes to complete the entire last mile delivery. Or, in other words, having to drop the order directly to the customer's door. This means costs just because of the fuel, labor, and vehicle maintenance costs. One way to calculate this is, the longer the driver takes to deliver, the more it will cost the company.
To minimize these times, there is route optimization, which, as we already mentioned, can be done with our customized apps. You can add the area in which you deliver, what type of service is required, and notify the customer of the estimated time. In addition, your associates would have their app version to track the delivery, as would the customers.
Putting the business plan into action
You may be making a business plan with these elements to improve your service or to show it to potential clients. Whatever the case, what comes next is to apply your creativity and put it into action. Don't forget to ask about custom software, we guarantee that your delivery service will change when you get one.
