This week I am focussing on the benefits that can be derived from having an automated Proof Of Delivery process.

Doing so will lower your costs, increase efficiency, and improve customer service.

Is this your business?

Still, relying on paper documents coming back to your depot to validate delivery of your goods?
Orders taken at your customers’ premises are they being fed back to the customer service team as fast as you’d like?

Automating the Proof of Delivery process removes the risks associated with manual paper handling of delivery notes through to the invoicing.

•  Manual processing is expensive, tedious, and slow, and of course susceptible to human error.
• Staff costs are increased as the time spent resolving customer queries reduces the team’s time spent servicing your customers.
• P.O.D.’s are easily lost leading to a delay in payment or claims against you for lost goods and the potential loss of a valued customer.
• There is no functionality in place to provide live financial management reporting.

What happens when you automate the Proof of Delivery Process?

Any automation should in theory improve the speed of a business process. Automating your proof of delivery removes the following manual tasks:-

1. By removing the printing and scanning of the delivery notes
2. Manually capturing data from the document and keying into the finance system for invoicing
3. Physical distribution of documentation across the organisation
4. Storage, archiving and retrieval costs are reduced
5. Query management and resolution substantially reduced

What are the benefits of automating the Proof Of Delivery Process?

1. Improved efficiency and compliance
2. Improved customer service with the team focused on the customers rather than “fire-fighting” queries
3. Provides full tracking and auditing at each stage
4. Consistent cash flow as the time taken to capture and integrate data into the finance system is reduced minimising customer queries and time wasted on disputes.
5. Cost savings by reducing expenditure on staff needed to manually process delivery notes. Staff no longer have to be engaged in repetitive tasks and can be re-deployed into other areas of the business
6. Confirmation that the products have been delivered assists with any disputes or queries that might arise
7. Job sheet files are centralised and structured and are easily retrievable from any computer on the network
8. Management reporting provides an accurate measurement of the automated POD process within the organisation

Case Study

4 full-time administration staff @ £15,000 per annum were spending 100% of their time keying data from delivery notes into the finance system this equated to £60,000 total cost to the business per annum.

20 depot staff totaling £15,000 per annum spent 5% of their time every day either scanning, faxing, or posting delivery notes to head office for input into the finance system which was costing the business £15,000 per annum.

The Financial Controller @ £55,000 per annum was spending 25% of his time collating data for management reporting and accounts at a total cost of £13,750 per annum.

Automation reduced the staffing level to one person overseeing the process and delivered a total saving of £88,750 per annum for the business.

How does it work?

By capturing and allocating the data contained within the delivery notes that arrive from the depots and drivers. Data uploading is automatic and is deposited in the relevant business system. The documents are then digitised for storage and can then be retrieved if required at a later date.

The integrity of the data that is added to the system is validated and identifies any exceptions this then provides detailed reporting for KPI’s and SLA’s.

Ultimately automation reduces the time to manually keying data from proof of delivery notes, reduces customer queries and disputes, and gives your organisation a tangible and measurable ROI.

For more information on how to improve your Proof of Delivery process drop your details in the form below and one of our advisors will call you for an informal chat.

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