The delivery industry is complex and faceted, but there are many ways to transform those layers of complexity into something beneficial for your business. Traceability is one such method.
The concept of traceability may originate from a wide range of manufacturing fields, but it can also be helpful in delivery management. In this article, we will explore how traceability can be used in delivery management and how you can implement it.
What Is Traceability?
Traceability refers to the ability to track an item throughout its entire journey, from manufacturing to final delivery. In other contexts, traceability can also include monitoring the sources of raw materials, an item’s consumption and disposal, and ultimately culminates in an overview of a product's entire lifespan. This helps answer questions like, “When was this produced? Where was it used? Who disposed of it?”
Tracking vs. Tracing
While the terms tracking and tracing are often used interchangeably, there is a distinct difference between the two.
Tracking determines the current location of an order. It can be done with real-time GPS tracking, automated notifications, or driver communication.
Tracing, meanwhile, includes determining past locations of an order to get an overview of its entire journey. This can include historical GPS tracking, barcode scanning, and other proof of delivery methods.
Benefits of Traceability
In shipping, delivery, and logistics, traceability helps account for the location and status of each order. It increases service quality, reliability, and accountability.
Traceability also offers greater internal visibility into the delivery process. Dispatchers and admins can monitor the exact location of each order, its previously logged locations, track delivery progress, and identify potential issues in the supply chain. This level of visibility enables better decision-making and quicker responses to disruptions, ensuring a smoother package delivery process and reducing the risk of theft or loss.
On the customer’s side, traceability offers real-time visibility for their order’s current and past movement. Full traceability gives your customers greater confidence in your business, as they can confirm successful pickup from a confirmed location, any intermediate storage locations, and the final delivery.
Auditing Traceability in Your Delivery Business
To implement a thorough traceability protocol, you will first need to identify the current systems your business has in place.
One way to do this is to follow one order’s entire journey. Take note of every system or location it goes through. For example, where and how are orders submitted? How are they sorted, if at all? After being picked up, is the order first taken to a warehouse? What is the sorting system like? Does it get logged when loaded onto a delivery vehicle? If so, is it done manually, with a barcode scanner, or with another method?
The answers to all these questions will help you identify your current traceability structure, if applicable, and where visibility is lost. For example, two different pieces of software for barcode scanning and invoice management may not communicate with each other. Certain things, like time windows, may only be tracked in spreadsheets. Manual entry, switching between systems, and hand-drawn methods all make tracing an order’s journey harder and less visible.
Thankfully, sophisticated courier software can synthesize all traceability elements into one place.
Using OnTime 360 for Order Tracing
OnTime 360 is ideal for any delivery business interested in improving its order traceability. With OnTime 360, you can:
- Verify and organize incoming orders, including details like origin point, destination, and who submitted the order.
- Assign orders to drivers and easily see what orders drivers already have.
- Keep track of your drivers and vehicles with profiles that contain certifications, registrations, and more.
- Use multiple POD features to confirm safe delivery of orders.
- Track orders with real-time and historical GPS.
- Send customers automatic delivery updates.
- View and find orders easily even after they’ve been completed.
- Easily correlate orders with their respective invoices to know what’s already been billed and what still needs to be collected.
Additionally, OnTime 360 is scalable to any business size, accommodating growth in volume and complexity without requiring a software change. With over 3,900 features, OnTime 360 ensures businesses can enhance customer service and facilitate scalability.
Ready to upgrade your order traceability? Book a demo or start a free trial today to explore how you can enhance your business operations with OnTime 360.