In a Mobile World, Transportation Companies Need an SMS Solution More Than Ever

Scheduling and dispatching drivers seems like an easy task – to anyone who has never tried it. North America's roads are rarely quiet and never predictable. Dispatchers working in every niche of the transportation industry rely on multiple systems to effectively allocate drivers and respond to unpredictable changes in traffic, weather, cargo and more.

In today's consumer-driven economy, transportation is more regulated than ever. Behemoth companies pour millions of dollars into predictive analytics for their shipping networks. Ride hailing apps constantly innovate on dispatch methods. Traditional ride services craft premium experiences for their clientele.

Everyone has transportation in mind, and everyone wants to be faster, more efficient and more profitable.

Meeting Customer Efficiency Expectations

Today's customers want expediency. In fact, Blue Space Consulting, a group specializing in customer relations, named speed as one of the biggest challenges in meeting customer expectations.

Customers don't just want things immediately – they want them yesterday. In the people moving industry, this means being able to get drivers where they need to go at the exact right moment. The world of shipping is slightly more predictable, but when individual clients get involved, the scheduling and dispatching processes can get messy.

It's difficult to predict the needs of single riders which means dispatchers must be able to react quickly and effectively. An SMS dispatch system can provide the necessary ease of communication required of such a fluid industry.

The same line of reasoning applies to shipping companies. The value of freight is directly tied to its ability to move freely around the world. If a delivery of goods is unable to move – it loses value. In order for shipping companies to maintain the value of their businesses, they must maintain the ability to make deliveries on a strict timetable. SMS dispatches are quick, secure and reliable, making them an ideal solution for all transportation companies.

The Dangers of Data Dead Zones

While it's tempting to rely on mobile data to reach drivers, the infrastructure just isn't there yet. Look at any major network's data map and you'll see breaks in the coverage area. For everyday consumers who live in major metropolitan areas, this isn't usually a problem, but for companies that are always on the move, it could present unwanted risks.

Even when 4G signals are low, SMS is still reliable. The last thing a dispatcher wants is to lose contact with a driver. Even short breaks in communication can lead to efficiency losses.

The Dispatcher's Dilemma

Creating effective schedules and routes is a challenge because it's not simple math. Rather, it requires highly complex calculations with the randomness of human behavior and limits of the real world.

In the science magazine Nautilus, a senior project manager at UPS, Bob Santilli reported that route simulations often differ greatly from real-world scenarios. Santilli reported that food deliveries present the most accessible example:

"Simulated routes get interrupted by real world problems."

A food delivery driver could optimize a route to reach every stop using the shortest possible distance between each point – but if the last person on the list ordered ice cream, they're going to end up with soup instead.

In other words, human communication is required to actually optimize routes based on real-world scenarios. An SMS system makes that communication easier.

Driver dispatching is highly complex when you get beneath the surface of the problem. Implementing an intuitive SMS system is a key way to improve efficiency and meet client expectations.

To learn more about how SMS messaging can improve your transportation business, contact the experts at Swift SMS Gateway.