How organisations can take proof of delivery processes to the next level with digital visibility and control

When company revenue relies on processes that involve physical documents with handwritten notes or riffling through hordes of filed paperwork, it can be nearly impossible to have visibility on the current status of deliveries.

It takes time and money to manually manage paperwork, capture delivery details and track down physical documentation for proof of transactions. Not only does this waste company resources but it's entirely unnecessary and inefficient.

Automating proof of delivery (POD) processes takes a fraction of the time compared to traditional, manual methods. Finding information is quick and easy because notes, receipts, and purchase details are digitally recorded for immediate ease of access.

Automating these processes means transparency across all sectors. To successfully manage POD processes, it's essential to have visibility and control to maintain accuracy, and identify any issues that need to be addressed before they get out of hand.

Upstream has identified six key benefits of improved visibility and control over POD processes:

1. Improving internal processes. For internal processes, having visibility can highlight any shortfalls or areas that need more attention. This may be in relation to preparation time, invoicing or a particular product. By having an automated digital process reducing manual errors, organisations will receive an accurate view on performance and trading.

2. Monitoring deliveries. Being able to track deliveries is crucial. Digitalising this system makes it easier to monitor deliveries in transit, schedule upcoming deliveries, and obtain customer signatures on arrival for records. This method increases accuracy, timeliness, customer satisfaction, and can save on unnecessary costs replacing stolen or lost goods. Everyone in the company can access a digital record to follow up on progress, or to use as proof for any customer disputes.

3. Making informed decisions. Managers can only make informed decisions when they have all the details on what's happening with deliveries throughout the entire delivery cycle. Organisations could be losing time and resources due to small issues that may not be noticed until they take a step back and look at the overall picture. If organisations are using traditional, manual POD processes, then it's easy to overlook these small issues that can quickly add up.

4. Noting industry and company trends. Organisations need to keep up to date with industry news and trends. Having complete visibility on current processes can help organisations identify trends, patterns, and areas for future improvement. It can also indicate if targets and KPIs are being met with current processes.

5. Being proactive. Proactive planning for the future in terms of growth, targets, and company goals benefits all staff as they have clear objectives to work towards. But, to be proactive, organisations have to understand the current challenges and the areas of concern for the company. This may also include a need for more staff training on certain procedures, for example.

6. Creating an engaged workplace. When staff can work together towards common goals, and have sufficient training to do their roles, they are usually more motivated and engaged in their work. Using manual processes, tasks such as planning, tracking and gathering information takes hours. But, by having a digital solution in place for POD systems, organisations can eliminate this tedious work and gain instant visibility and control over these processes, and have the resources to make accurately-informed decisions, improving job satisfaction.