Food and Beverage (F&B) companies run on tight timelines and require specific product freshness levels and times. In the F&B space, whether it’s a large distributor transporting cases of beverages or a small restaurant managing multiple daily delivery routes to customers’ homes, a reliable delivery platform is essential. The best delivery platforms don’t simply plan out delivery routes; they create more transparency by providing better visibility into delivery activities, reducing the amount of miscommunication between drivers and dispatchers, and helping your team keep up with the fast pace of F&B logistics operations.
Leading Food & Beverage Delivery Software Solutions
Here are four software delivery platforms being utilized within the F&B segment today. These are specifically designed for either large distribution companies, small food service companies, or restaurants, and focus on three of the most commonly referenced products in conversations about delivery technology: LETA Logistics Solutions, Onfleet, Tookan, and Routific.
#1: LETA Logistics Solutions
LETA is a well-liked tool for many food and beverage distribution companies in South Africa because it can help with the daily delivery route planning process, as well as keep an eye on where your trucks are at all times.
It allows the same team to deal with some common issues, such as short delivery time frames, multiple deliveries per day, and traffic delays, by giving them better routing options and real-time information about where their truck is.
Key Features
- Route Optimization
It determines if there are ways to make the route more efficient using traffic patterns, distance, customer delivery windows, and how much your truck can carry.
- Real-Time Fleet Tracking
Operations teams have access to the location of every vehicle in their fleet, the progress they are making toward completing their delivery, and the status of each driver.
- Operational Visibility
Delivery teams can see what stage of the delivery process (loading, unloading, etc.) they are at at any given time. This will help minimize miscommunication and/or missing deliveries.
- Capacity Planning
The system helps you plan your vehicles in order to maximize the amount of product that can be delivered per trip and minimize the number of unnecessary trips.
- Performance Analytics
Deliveries can provide data regarding delivery times, areas of service, and driver behavior; this data can be beneficial to teams that manage large volumes of perishable products.
LETA is a good choice for F&B companies looking for a reliable solution to track and monitor their routing and operations in a straightforward manner without having to deal with complex systems.
#2: Onfleet
Companies often use Onfleet to create a streamlined process for managing final mile deliveries in addition to providing a basic level of organization to their delivery operation. Restaurants are among the most common types of companies to use Onfleet as it offers very basic tracking capabilities in addition to basic customer-facing communication and does so with a minimal amount of setup required to get started.
Key Features
- Tracking of the real-time location of drivers on a map
- Driver arrival times can automatically notify customers of when they will arrive
- Routing is optimized for a basic delivery route
- Customers may confirm delivery upon receipt of an order via a photo, note or signature of the person receiving the order
- Integration with ordering/POS systems
Onfleet would be well-suited for a team that requires a very basic delivery management system that has good customer-facing functionality and good tracking features. The platform works well for restaurant-style deliveries and small food supplier operations.
#3: Tookan by Jungleworks
Tookan offers a low-cost delivery organization and driver coordination to help small food operations manage their delivery workflow and drivers. Tookan’s low price point and basic routing and dispatch capabilities make it a good fit for many smaller food delivery operations.
Key Features
- Automatic assignment of delivery tasks
- Basic Route Optimization
- Agent/Driver Real-Time Tracking
- Custom Workflows
- Payment/COD Capability
Tookan provides an easy-to-use, cost-effective solution for small food delivery operations with very limited or no experience in using any type of logistics tool.
#4: Routific
Routific is built for teams seeking a basic, reliable routing system with less complexity than heavy-duty enterprise systems. Routific offers solutions to help teams save time, eliminate planning errors, and improve the reliability of their deliveries.
Key Features
- Automated Routing
Provides quick and effective routes based on traffic patterns, customer priority and delivery time windows.
- Dynamic Scheduling
Enables dispatchers to rapidly create, update and modify driver assignments.
- Real-Time Driver Tracking
Provides up-to-date tracking information regarding the location of drivers and the current status of orders being delivered.
- Automated Customer Notifications
Enables customers to be notified about the expected arrival of their orders thereby eliminating missed deliveries and potential phone calls from customers inquiring as to why they have not received their orders.
Summary
Speed, Accuracy, and Communication are key to delivering food & beverages. The right software will make managing everyday delivery operations easier. LETA, Onfleet, Tookan, and Routific are four examples of tools that cater to three different segments of the Food & Beverage Delivery Market.
Ultimately, the key decision-making criteria for selecting the best delivery management software for your business are identifying what type of delivery model you have, how many orders you need to deliver daily/ weekly, and what visibility your drivers need. Once you have the right software to help with your day-to-day operations, you can better plan, communicate with customers, and organize your delivery processes.