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By Greg Bartlett

We all rely on a company to pick up and deliver a package at some point. Two of the most popular such services are FedEx® and UPS®. There are many others. Usually these services work on a route system that places drivers at specific locations at about the same time each day. There are, however, times when a customer has a package that must be shipped today, and the route driver has already been and gone. When this happens, it is possible for the customer to request a special pickup. Using a vehicle tracking system enables these delivery companies to locate the nearest driver and reroute him to this customer to make the pickup.

This particular use of GPS technology is a valuable customer service tool for any successful delivery service that deals in packages, especially those that require overnight delivery. Being able to locate the nearest available driver minimizes extra fuel consumption, which saves money for the shipping company and increases their profit margin on such special requests. This tool is also useful for controlling costs associated with offering a higher level of customer service, which will lead to increased faith in and use of this company’s services.

Often customers who are waiting for a specific package that is absolutely essential will try to track that package to see where it is in transit. A vehicle tracking system makes it possible to know approximately how soon one can expect to see that package if it is known to be on a specific delivery truck. This is a relatively new level of package tracking, but one that is often appreciated by customers so that they will bring more business to a delivery service that offers this level of customer service.

These are just a couple of examples of how GPS can be an invaluable tool for delivery services. Another is the ability to locate a truck that has broken down while carrying important packages and routing assistance to that location quickly and efficiently. Both repair vehicles and a replacement trucks to transfer the packages can quickly respond so the packages may be delivered in a timely fashion. The web-based tracking allows a dispatcher to instantly see where all vehicles are and rout them where they need to go without wasting valuable time and money that would have been spent on cell phones or other ways of communication.

The investment required to give delivery companies the ability to track their vehicles using GPS technology is relatively low compared to the savings and good will that can be generated from utilizing such technology to improve customer service to a new level. The end result will be an improvement in revenue because customers will send more business to the company that provides this higher level of service. In addition, they will usually let other businesses they deal with know how much they appreciate the level of service these companies provide, which can lead to referral business.

Tracking vehicles for the purpose of rerouting them to make special pickups, giving customers the ability to track packages en route, and being able to locate and send assistance to vehicles that are stranded to get deliveries back on track are three ways that a vehicle tracking system can help Delivery companies.