Route planning is critical for the success of any business’s logistics. Lack of proper planning leads to drivers taking inefficient routes and unnecessary diversions, ultimately impacting the delivery time, fuel consumption, carbon emissions and customer experience. Approximately 69% of consumers say they are less likely to purchase again from a retailer if their order is not delivered within two days of the promised delivery date. 

Inefficient route planning also leads to poor utilization of resources and increased delivery costs. To understand this better, let’s take an example. A business receives three orders A, B, and C that need to be delivered at locations X, Y, and Z, which are two miles apart from each other. Manually planning delivery routes might create three different trips utilizing three vehicles and drivers. It might ensure the timely delivery of all three orders; however, it will certainly increase fuel consumption and overall delivery costs. 

Here is when multi stop route planning comes into play. Multi stop or multi point route planning can be done by integrating an automated route planning solution. Let’s delve deeper into what multi stop route planning is, what challenges it solves, and how to choose the best multi route planning software.

What is multi stop route planning?

Choosing an optimal route for delivery by considering parameters such as delivery time window, delivery location, number of stops, historical data of routes, real-time traffic and weather conditions, and scheduled returns comes under multi stop route planning.

It aims at executing the maximum number of deliveries to different locations in the shortest time and at the least cost possible in one trip. Multi stop route planning is an important part of last mile delivery as it drives delivery efficiency and customer satisfaction. Therefore, it is significant to invest in technologies, such as an advanced multi stop route planning solution, that makes the entire route planning process seamless.

Advantages of Multi Stop Route Planning Software

Multi point route planning sequence multiple stops into the most optimal order and empower businesses to deliver more consignments using fewer fleet resources. Here are some of the other amazing benefits of multi stop route planning.

Utilizes Resources Optimally

Smart multi point route planning solutions facilitate better resource utilization. It considers the weight and size of the consignments, the type of vehicle and consignments, and various other factors to assign multiple deliveries to a vehicle. 

Maximizes Deliveries Per Trip

Multi point route planning software enables logistics managers to cover as many stops as possible to maximize deliveries in one trip. Not only the number of stops, the software also considers various other constraints, such as delivery time window, historical data of routes, real-time traffic and weather conditions, etc., while designing delivery routes.

Offers Real-time Tracking

Multi point route planning solutions offer real-time tracking to all stakeholders, which means customers, 3PL providers, and eCommerce companies/retailers can check the exact status of the parcel. Tracking shipments helps to avoid any unnecessary delays and provides accurate delivery TAT.

Shrinks Carbon Footprint

The software ensures that each vehicle can make the maximum deliveries possible in one trip. Lesser number of vehicles on the road means less fuel consumption and, ultimately, reduced carbon footprint.

Improves Customer Experience

Smart multi stop route planning solutions make sure on-time delivery, establish communication between riders and customers, offer accurate delivery ETAs, and automatically send real-time delivery alerts. All these, together, boost customer experience and increase customer retention rate.

Minimizes Manual Intervention

Planning routes by factoring in different parameters is a time-intensive process that requires a big team of professionals. Smart route planning software minimizes manual intervention and automates the task of generating optimal delivery routes with multiple stops in no time. It saves time, cost, and effort.

Facilitates Advanced Geocoding

Advanced multi stop route planning systems have advanced geocoding as a built-in feature for address intelligence. It converts text-based addresses into latitude and longitude to locate delivery addresses without any hassle. The software leverages machine learning to self-learn and fix incomplete/incorrect addresses relying on previous delivery successes and failures.

Reduces Delivery Costs

Optimal resource utilization minimizes the need for hiring more vehicles, ensuring on-time deliveries reduces the chances for returns, and facilitating more deliveries with less number of vehicles reduces fuel consumption and the cost. All these, together, minimizes overall delivery costs. 

What types of businesses require multi route planning software?

Ecommerce

Delivery trends have changed significantly over the last couple of years. Shoppers who didn’t mind waiting for a week to receive their orders now want them to deliver on the same or the next day. To meet these expectations without impacting the logistics budget, eCommerce businesses are implementing route planning software with dynamic as well as multi stop route planning features. Such software automates the route planning process to plan smart delivery routes by factoring in multiple factors.

Healthcare

Companies that are into manufacturing of healthcare tools and equipment need smart multi route planning systems to ensure timely and cost-effective deliveries. Apart from timely delivery, tracking the transportation of medical supplies to know ETAs is also critical and cannot be achieved with manual route planning systems. Advanced multi point route planning solutions can solve delivery-related woes and allow hospitals to track deliverables in real-time while ensuring on-time deliveries. 

CEP or Courier, Express, and Parcel

Courier, express, and parcel companies offer logistics and supply chain management services to various clients. Lack of route planning can cause delivery delays, delivery re-attempts, increased fuel consumption, and many other issues that can impact their CEP providers’ reputation and profitability. Smart route planning solutions that offer multi stop route planning enable CEP providers to keep stakeholders informed with accurate ETAs, minimize delivery delays, track each shipment in real time, plan deliveries efficiently, and more.

Quick Service Restaurants

Planning efficient delivery routes is critical for quick service restaurants. Smart multi point route planning solutions consider multiple constraints such as real-time traffic, delivery time window, delivery location, and more to plan an optimal delivery route. The software also allows QSRs to track each order in real-time, which minimizes delivery delays and delivery costs.

Manufacturing

Advanced multi point route planning software is also required in the manufacturing industry to ensure the smooth and timely movement of goods from manufacturing facilities to various locations. The software leverages top-notch technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze historical data of routes and gain critical insights. It also provides real-time tracking, ETA updates, and more to ensure deliveries being done at the right time and location.

Shipsy: AI-powered Multi Point Route Planning Software

Shipsy’s AI-powered multi point route planning software enables businesses from manufacturing, courier, eCommerce, and other industries to improve delivery efficiency and productivity while managing their fleet effectively. It optimizes each vehicle’s capacity to make sure that it can accommodate a maximum number of consignments.

The software takes into account multiple constraints to ensure that each vehicle covers multiple delivery locations without impacting the delivery time and increasing the delivery costs. Logistics managers can control and track all consignments to ensure safe and timely deliveries from a single dashboard.

Using Shipsy’s multi stop route planning software, businesses can unlock the following advantages: