Labor-intensive route planning and limited order processing capacity were keeping United Kingdom-based distribution, warehousing, and logistics company Stop Start from meeting growing customer demand. But not anymore. The company, which specializes in business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) deliveries of large, bulky high-value goods, switched from manual delivery management processes to Descartes’ cloud-based last-mile delivery software solution as part of a recent digital business transformation that is already paying off. Early results show that Stop Start has cut its daily route planning time by more than 75% and achieved more efficient customer communications and invoicing since undertaking the project, according to both companies.
DESIGNED TO DELIVER
Descartes’ last-mile delivery solution is designed for distribution-intensive businesses—like Stop Start—that want to optimize delivery schedules and improve service, all while trimming costs. Among its features, the solution supports dynamic delivery requirements, including same-day delivery, by offering flexible, efficient, and cost-effective time windows and delivery options, according to Descartes. Using advanced optimization technology, the solution takes committed delivery times and improves how routes are planned and executed, which generates additional delivery capacity and reduces costs. It also features an integrated global positioning system (GPS)-based mobile app that coordinates drivers, dispatchers, and call centers to ensure that routes are executed according to plan and exceptions are handled efficiently. Self-service web and mobile tracking solutions allow customers to track their orders in real time. On top of all that, Descartes’ last-mile delivery solution improves sustainability by eliminating paper and improving route productivity.
For Stop Start, the results have been game-changing, according to CEO Chris Pullen.
“It used to take roughly four hours for three colleagues to plan and [optimize] approximately 1,000 deliveries daily across our 50-vehicle fleet,” Pullen said in a statement describing the project this past summer. “With Descartes, we can reduce this to one hour with one employee, allowing us to significantly increase productivity and redeploy staff to wider strategic initiatives. The level of automation and [digitization] we have already achieved using the solution has fundamentally transformed our logistics operations. This, combined with robust track-my-order functionality, means that the customer experience has significantly improved.”
And that’s more valuable than ever, given the current era of high costs and limited resources, according to Descartes officials.
“We’re pleased to help Stop Start improve its productivity to meet growing demand for high-value, high-touch delivery services,” Peio Ribas, Descartes’ senior vice president of sales, said in the statement. “Descartes’ last-mile delivery solutions are designed to automate and streamline delivery processes, allowing logistics services companies to be more efficient and effective, which is so important as many organizations face resource shortages and escalating costs.”
