There’s a popular jest that goes around the logistics service sector, “If you’re a supplier and you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of delivery dates”.

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You seriously cannot afford to miss deliveries when the air is tarnished with COVID-19. Presently, your role in making timely deliveries without compromising on the safety protocols is the name of the game to skyrocket your presence among your potential clients. But you wonder how that is possible since the pandemic has disrupted your operations quite drastically. It is in this situation that Shadowfax comes to your rescue! Following is your rule-book to mitigate the impact of the perilous virus on your logistics and supply chain operations.

COVID-19 Logistics & Supply Chain Impact Mitigation Tips‍

‍Practice Physical Distancing

You are well aware that the virus spreads easily through contact. That said, it’s time to transform your physical operations to contactless operations. There are basically three interventions between your suppliers and customers that endorse physical contacts — signatures, paperwork, and check-ins. Let’s show you the easy steps to make these processes contactless.

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Scram Sign on Glass

• Avoid sign on glass though it’s part of your proof-of-delivery process
• Since your drivers and consumers use the same device, there’s a tantamount chance for the virus spread
• Instead, ask your supplier to click a picture of your consumer posing a thumbs up with the delivered goods

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‍Fly Paperless

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A crazy fear among most of your consumers is the presence of the virus on surfaces, papers included

• While you can go paperless to adjust to the new normal, there’s a good side to this too
• Paperless transactions are reducing the operating costs and shortening the payment cycles
• It is a great advantage that you must leverage to outsmart your disruptions

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Automate Check-Ins‍

• Trust us, physical check-in processes are outdated and are scary at the moment.
• Drub this warping activity through GPS-based tracking systems
• This way, your consumers would be automatically notified of the arriving goods while your suppliers would be able to reduce the stop time

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Embrace Real-Time Solutions

Even under normal circumstances, managing your consumer base is quite a tedious task. And with this COVID-19 disruption, oh boy, it’s a tough game. But what can you do as you receive numerous inbound products to your facilities while you have several scheduled outbound deliveries for your distributors? Simply abide by the following yardsticks.

Use real-time solutions like estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) and others to understand what’s happening in all your transits.

This would help you prevent costly disruptions. Further, you can visualize where you’re facing bottlenecks in addition to other gridlocks like shortage of drivers and dock congestion. Through this data, you can make the right adjustments to your operations to keep your assets in the right place, every time.

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Stabilise Ground Fleet

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If you are operating privately, you are likely grappling with costly delivery imbalances. Perceptive dialogues have shed light on the unique challenges faced by logistics businesses. For instance, while you might suffer from a shortage of delivery capacity, another with sufficient capacity could be experiencing a dramatic slowdown in business operations. These imbalances can hinder efficiency and profitability. So, here are the steps you need to know to crack omnichannel and alleviate your fleet imbalances effectively.

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• Avail route optimisation solutions to implement delivery strategies
• Being data-driven, you’d have the chance to enhance your new delivery policies
• This way, you can increase productivity and cut back on all unnecessary expenditure
• This is indeed the fastest solution to make changes to your delivery practices

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Assure Up-Scaled Freight

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Presently, many freight brokers are finding it hard to secure their carrier capacities. During pandemics, traditional methods aren’t going to work. That’s why you must procure a capacity that up-scales your freight. What’s in it for you?

1. Create novel rapport with trusted partners
2. Enable targeted public relations
3. Cover loads earlier than the normal delivery time bounds

Harness Quick Fixes

If you don’t act now, you’d be left behind. But to act now, you need solutions now. This is the only way to rapidly improve your processes as per the rules formulated by the governing authorities. So, here’s how you can collapse your time to change your operations.

• Make a list of what you have in your hand today
• Then, probe if it would help you accomplish what you need to
• If you’re in the negative, look out for quick fixes that would transform your business operations fast
• Unfortunately, conventional IT fixes aren’t the best solutions for the COVID-19 environment
• So, avail dynamic real-time solutions that are flexible

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Spice Your Game!

You don’t have to tread the unknown deep waters anymore. You know what it takes to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 in your business. Follow the rule-book, and you’d be sure to amp your logistics and supply chain operations. If you still find the transition challenging, don’t hesitate to reach out to Shadowfax. Our dedicated team is always prepared to elevate your logistics operations to the next level.