eLogii’s Route Analytics: How to Leverage Route Data (2024)
Discover eLogii’s route analytics, the metrics it allows you to track, and how you can leverage that route data to drive delivery efficiency in 2024.
Home > Blog > How to Get +265% ROI with eLogii's Route Planning Software
BlogToday, we’re going to show you how you can get a +265% return on your investment with eLogii’s route planning software. (In just 20 days)
Today, we’re going to show you how you can get a +265% return on your investment with eLogii’s route planning software.
(In just 20 days)
This tool also leads to a flood of orders, new customers, and cost savings.
The best part?
The ROI is guaranteed with any fleet size, type of operations, and in any industry.
And in today’s post we’ll reveal the exact way route planning with eLogii gets you there.
First, route planning is A LOT of work.
Regardless of the size of your operations.
Or order volumes.
But manually planning routes isn’t an option anymore.
That’s why you need software.
Unfortunately, not all route planning software is the same.
And neither is all route planning software ROI the same.
So you need to know if all that work is paying off.
We’ve all witnessed it firsthand…
A company goes “all-in” with a new software solution.
So they invest heavily into a premium package.
Start using it.
Automate operations.
And when you ask them if they saw an ROI, they shrug their shoulders.
Considering that route planning software is a BIG investment of time, money, and energy, it’s crucial to know whether or not all that effort made an impact on your business.
(We’ll show you in a minute how eLogii makes that happen.)
Second, your route planning results let you know if you need to change your approach.
A lack of results doesn’t necessarily mean “route planning and optimization doesn’t work”.
It could simply mean that you need to change or tweak what you’re doing.
Additionally automate your operations with a routing API.
And closely monitoring your results lets you know whether you’re on the right track… or need to change course.
And switch to a more powerful software solution. Like eLogii.
A while ago one of our clients was looking for a routing solution.
They looked at Bringg:
And so on.
Pretty much all of the biggest players on the market.
At one point, they stumbled on us.
On eLogii.
They learned that our software can generate 56% more sales via delivery optimization.
So they thought: “Hmmm. Why don’t we try this one?”
And they did.
After the first month, we did our standard talk to see what their experiences were.
Then we learned that their first month with eLogii led to a 105% increase in operational cost savings.
Or $7,931.70 for their fleet of seven delivery vans.
We literally said: “We have to see how our other users are doing!”
So we did.
We were surprised at what we found out next…
We first interviewed some of our clients which you can see on our case studies page:
After analyzing the data we found that their ROI was consistent at 265% across the board for all of them.
They also had a huge spike in order volumes:
Because route planning software also optimizes delivery and field service operations…
…the software generated a lot of cost savings per month.
Needless to say, all of this resulted in a lot of profit.
In fact, all of these last mile deliveries had a positive profit margin throughout 2020 and 2021, even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now that you’ve seen the results, it’s time to show you EXACTLY how eLogii achieves this for our clients.
And how it can do the same for your business.
There are 4 ways eLogii makes operations more efficient:
2. Office personnel activities
Here’s why making these processes more efficient results in higher savings and ROI:
First, fuel efficiency cuts transportation costs.
Chances are, you’re spending 50.3% of logistical expenditure on transportation.
And a big chunk of that is spent on fuel.
But when you plan better routes, you reduce the mileage for all of the vehicles in your fleet.
In doing so you lower fuel consumption. And the amount of money you spend on fuel.
Second, people at the office spend less time planning routes and deliveries.
We’d be willing to bet that you have at least one dedicated route planner or delivery manager running your last-mile delivery operations.
But we’d also put our money that it’s not their only duty at the office.
If they’re planning routes manually, or using poor software, they’re wasting a lot of their work day on tasks they could and should complete faster.
When, actually, delivery management software saves you time.
And:
Faster route planning = higher productivity.
Third, you waste A LOT of time talking to customers.
Automating your operations through eLogii saves hours off of:
Fourth, how you manage your drivers has an impact on their performance.
When you use routing software, you also automate fleet dispatching.
So, on the one hand, drivers don’t waste time speaking to dispatch.
While dispatch teams can track drivers in real-time on the virtual map.
Drivers also don’t have to handle paperwork to confirm deliveries or put in reports.
All of that is done via the driver app on their phones.
On the other hand, you optimize each route for the maximum number of drop-offs.
So while your driver’s hourly rate stays the same, you’re able to squeeze more deliveries from your drivers for the same amount of money.
With that, let’s dive into how much ROI you get out of each stage when you use route planning software…
Your first step to better fuel economy is to plan and optimize your routes.
Here’s how you can do that with eLogii:
1. Set Up the Route Planning Software (The Right Way)
You probably know that route planning software lets you manage your entire delivery operations end to end.
To start using it in that capacity, you need to set it up.
So first you need to create and sign up to your account:
(In fact, you can also do this by booking a demo and we can help you get started.)
Once signed up, you get access to the main dashboard and menu.
Here, your first step should be to set up your timezone:
This is a mandatory step. It ensures the software will display precise estimated times of arrival (ETAs) once you start planning your routes.
Next, you need to add your depots:
These can be the warehouses, storage or packing facilities, or physical stores where drivers go to pick-up orders for shipping.
You should also set up dimensions:
Dimensions refer to specific units of measurement that determine the payload capacity of your vehicles.
This will help you to optimize how much cargo each vehicle can carry.
So you don’t overstuff your vans and trucks with orders beyond their limit.
Or dispatch half-empty vehicles. Which in both cases, reduces fuel efficiency.
Speaking of vehicles, you also need to add vehicles to the software:
These are virtual profiles for each vehicle in your fleet.
With their name, model, size, and vehicle type.
Then, you need to create a driver profile:
So you can then attach the vehicle to the correct driver:
2. Add Tasks to the Routing Software
Like most routing solutions, eLogii works based on tasks.
In most situations, a task can be either a pick-up (visiting a depot location) or drop-off (delivering an order to the customer’s location).
But since eLogii enables you to handle returns and reverse logistics, a pick-up task can mean collecting a return order from a customer and dropping it off to a depot location.
That’s why each task has a set of required information that includes:
Beyond this mandatory data, tasks can also contain an order ID or code, contact information, time window for delivery, special driver instructions, and so on.
There are three ways you can add tasks to the eLogii dashboard.
Manually via the dashboard (single order input):
Importing a CSV file (batch action input):
API Integration (automated order input):
This allows you to connect eLogii’s routing software to any internal or external system. In doing so, the software can automatically generate tasks from your e-commerce platform, OMS, ERP, CRM, or any other tool or platform that you use to receive order requests.
3. Planning and Optimizing Routes Around Fuel Efficiency
You’ve set up the software…
…added your tasks…
…now it’s time to plan and optimize your routes.
This is the fun part.
To do make your operations more fuel efficient with eLogii, all you need to do is:
Select a date for delivery:
And click the Optimize button:
That’s it!
The software will automatically generate optimized routes based on the distance between each task. It will intuitively makes sure to maximize route density for each route:
This will reduce the distance between stops and lower drive time.
The software can also incorporate certain road conditions that cause higher fuel consumption, such as left-handed turns, stop lights, or traffic conditions:
Best of all, there is always a LOT of room for improvement.
You can always add more conditions and tweak each route to get even better fuel efficiency.
So…
How Much ROI Do You Generate with Fuel Efficiency?
With eLogii, you can save an estimated $86.43 on fuel per vehicle:
For the example fleet of seven vehicles that’s $605.01 per month.
But it doesn’t stop there…
The second way you generate ROI is through raising the efficiency of your team at the office.
Here’s how you can do that with eLogii:
1. Adding Tasks Digitally
As we’ve mentioned earlier, there are three ways you can add tasks to route optimization software: manually, via CSV import, and via API integration.
Integrating external systems using a routing API requires support from a dev team.
But once set up, the system can generate tasks automatically.
Which means, planners and delivery managers spend 0 time adding tasks to the dashboard.
Using a CSV import isn’t as fast.
But it still takes only a few minutes to do.
Plus, eLogii offers a CSV template that you can download from the dashboard:
This makes it SUPER efficient to generate files from an external system like an OMS by exporting data in that format.
While manually adjusting routes, tasks, and driver schedules is easier thanks to the drag and drop feature.
2. Planning Routes Automatically
To plan and optimize a route, all a planner or delivery manager has to do is click the Optimize button.
The software can generate all the routes within seconds or minutes.
The time it takes to complete this task depends on:
Still, with each plan you can manage routes for an unlimited number of drivers and vehicles:
(A better deal than any other route planning software on the market.)
3. Planning Schedules Automatically
Another key activity that takes up a LOT of time is scheduling.
Delivery planners and managers spend hours planning schedules for their drivers.
With eLogii, this too is automated.
Planners have a number of options to choose from that help them to create exceptions and plan better delivery schedules.
This includes adding time spent per task:
(Which limits how much time they can spend at pick-up/drop-off locations.)
And create and add driver break times:
(Which helps your business comply with most workforce laws and regulations.)
Best of all, once set up this is automatically included in each delivery schedule.
While you can add exceptions manually or re-schedule based on the demands of the day.
So…
How Much ROI Do You Generate with Office Personnel Efficiency?
With eLogii, your office staff saves an extra 15 minutes each day by automating their routing and scheduling activities.
If you have just one staffer on board, who has an hourly rate of $25, you can save as much as $125 per month per vehicle.
That’s $875 for a fleet of seven vehicles.
This can only increase if you have more staffers.
Plus, the ROI generally goes up even more.
Since your delivery managers or route planners have more time to focus on other activities that generate profit or raise efficiencies.
You also generate ROI with eLogii’s route planning software by reducing the time your support team spends communicating with customers.
Here’s how that works:
1. Enabling Customers to Self-Schedule Deliveries
We’ve already mentioned this:
Integrating delivery management software with an OMS or e-commerce platform is SMART.
It automates how the system creates tasks.
But it also enables your customers to self-schedule their deliveries.
Using routing APIs works both externally and internally.
So while it’s easier to add tasks to your routing software, it also enables your customers to book the time and date of their delivery.
The OMS or e-commerce platform can access the schedule of your delivery fleet and display available delivery slots to customers at checkout.
Customers can then select a suitable delivery time window.
The time slot is logged onto the route planning platform.
And a task for the delivery is automatically created.
So your customer support team doesn’t have to interact with your customers.
2. Sending Status Updates and Notifications Automatically
Be it emailing.
Texting.
Or calling.
Informing customers about their order status wastes A LOT of time.
That’s why routing software does this automatically, as well.
With eLogii, you can set up custom notifications and status updates at every step of the delivery lifecycle:
And customers can receive these alerts directly on their phones:
Which means they’ll know exactly what’s going on with their order.
From the moment their delivery request is confirmed, to when the driver is 5 minutes away from their doorstep.
And since your customers are always in the loop about their order, it helps you to increase order accuracy.
Which raises your ROI.
And it also prevents failed deliveries, and raises your first delivery attempt rate above 95%.
Which again boosts ROI.
But that’s not the end…
3. Enabling Online Order Tracking for Customers
Customers also want to be able to track their orders.
And route planning software, like eLogii, lets them do that in real time.
So instead of calling to see the location of their orders, you can add order tracking to customer notifications:
The customer can see the live location of their order on the map.
And a precise ETA that tells them EXACTLY when their order will arrive.
So no more calls to customer service.
And even more minutes saved.
How Much ROI Do You Generate with Customer Communication Efficiency?
This is how much time you save with each of the three features:
This time is per vehicle.
So if you have seven vehicles in your fleet:
You ACTUALLY save over 8 HOURS.
That’s an entire work day.
Which means you can right-size your staff.
Or take one person from your payroll.
While the total amount you save comes to $4083.31.
Just from streamlining how you talk to your customers.
Now it’s time to improve driver efficiency, and raise their performance and productivity.
Here’s exactly how routing software achieves this:
1. Automatically Dispatching Drivers
Driver dispatching is another area where you can significantly remove operational waste.
To achieve this, eLogii automates dispatching.
Instead of having to create paper schedules, or manually dispatch drivers one at a time, routing software relies on the driver app:
The app is connected to the dashboard.
Once installed on the driver’s mobile device, all relevant data is automatically available to them.
Drivers can see their itinerary and schedule, and routes:
And even navigation to pick-up and drop-off points.
Plus, because the app updates data automatically, route planners can adjust schedules and routes dynamically in real time.
Which means there’s no need to call up drivers.
They can see the changes directly on the app.
2. Sending Automatic Reports and Updates
Besides receiving data, the driver app also sends data back to the dashboard.
This makes it easier for fleet managers to track the last mile.
Check progress through automatic reports:
And determine performance:
All without interacting with the driver.
Regardless of whether you’re using an internal fleet or a last mile carrier.
3. Digitally Collecting Data
This is a big one.
A key function of the driver app is that it can also collect data.
The best example of this is electronic proof of delivery.
Once a driver is at the customer’s doorstep, he simply:
Takes out his phone.
And collects the POD.
No pen and paper required.
But the POD can be a requirement to successfully finish the delivery.
The driver can’t move on to the next stop on his route without doing this.
With eLogii, drivers can collect PODs in several ways, including:
Both for pick-up and drop-off.
And once collected, the POD is immediately available on the dashboard.
Where delivery managers or dispatchers can review and download it:
So you can actually use proof of delivery to save money like crazy.
How Much ROI Do You Generate with Driver Efficiency?
Let’s take the average wage for delivery drivers in the US, which is $19.74.
Thanks to automation with routing software drivers shave off 48 minutes from their drive time.
And they save another 48 minutes by not having to send updates or talk directly to dispatch.
This saves you a total of $631.68 per driver each month:
And with seven drivers in the fleet, this comes to $4,421.76 saved.
Just from improving driver efficiency and performance.
So what’s the grand total?
It’s time to do the math.
With a fleet of just seven vehicles and eLogii to raise the delivery efficiency of your operations…
…you save $1,426.44 per vehicle per month
That comes to a total of $9.895.08 per month:
Even with our professional software plan, that’s a route planning software ROI of 265%.
So if you’re using one of our smaller plans the returns go through the roof.
Plus, we’ve only mentioned the basic features and ways to raise efficiency.
There’s still more that you can do, automate, and improve with this powerful route planning software.
But we get it.
You’re still not convinced.
So why not then…
Discover eLogii’s route analytics, the metrics it allows you to track, and how you can leverage that route data to drive delivery efficiency in 2024.
Learn how to use API integration with routing software, and how to use eLogii’s routing API to plug into any system, software, or app that you use.
Find out how to use eLogii for last mile tracking with a complete overview of tracking features for internal teams, carriers, and customer deliveries.
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