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The Business Benefits of Using a Multi-Drop Delivery Service

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Multi-drop delivery services are couriers who have multiple deliveries along their route, instead of wasting resources by sending one courier per delivery. Using multi-drop deliveries can save you time and money while reducing carbon emissions, so can be a great investment if your business has a high volume of deliveries within a concentrated area.

Which businesses benefit from multi-drop deliveries?

Multi-drop deliveries are perfect for businesses that rely on hauling many goods, as they won’t need to allocate multiple vans or drivers for each individual delivery. Some common industries who rely on multi-drop services include:

  • Food providers
  • Healthcare providers
  • Printers
  • Manufacturers
  • Wholesalers
  • And more

Our multi-drop delivery services can help you fulfil your delivery requirements with dedicated same-day and next-day turnaround, allowing you to maintain excellent customer service.

Delivery routes

To make the multi-drop courier service as efficient as possible, optimising delivery route planning is crucial. This means a driver does not have to repeatedly loop back to different areas and can cut down on time spent driving and fuel costs.

Multi-drop delivery services normally have software to plan the best route based on traffic conditions, delivery time windows, packages sizes, and vehicle capacities. Scanners and geo-location tracking can allow you to check exactly when each package has been delivered and the projected delivery times for remaining packages, giving you peace of mind.

Multi-drop delivery drivers may charge a day rate for deliveries or charge a base-rate and then an additional cost for each delivery. The price of multi-drop can depend on several factors, including the size and weight of the packages, the distance travelled, and the type of vehicle being used for the delivery.

Get in touch with the team to learn more about our multi-drop delivery services.

Are you Ready for the Easter Shipping Season

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Over the course of the year, depending on upcoming holidays, festivals, and seasons, the shipping industry experiences increased demand. This is most apparent from August to October in the run-up to Christmas, known as peak shipping season. But during the Easter period, supply chains also often experience increased demand. This is due to more sales in preparation for the Easter celebrations, delays due to the bank holidays, and companies bringing in new stock ready for summer. Read on to learn how to best navigate peak periods for your business.

How to handle logistics peak seasons

While busy periods are often good for business and bring in extra sales and profits, they can cause a lot of stress or frustration if not properly planned for.

Higher demand means there are fewer available couriers, and so you may experience trouble getting your stock delivered. This may also lead to increased freight rates and transport costs.

Managing a peak period

To manage this, prepare in advance and try to ship items ahead of expected busy periods. Consider working with multiple manufacturers to accommodate demand so your products are being produced and shipped at a consistent rate. Insuring your stock is always a good idea so if there are any damages or losses during shipment you are covered. Also, communicate with customers and let them know if there will be delays, ideally before people have begun ordering in preparation for a specific holiday. Customers will be more forgiving of problems if they are informed and aware of projected delivery times.

With more sales comes less stock, and you may find yourself selling out of staple items that make up the core of your business, or new items which you invested money into marketing. This is especially prevalent with the ever-growing popularity of online shopping, where you can reach a much wider customer base and receive increased order volumes.

Keep close track of your available stock and flag any products as out-of-stock as soon as possible to prevent backorders. Conduct research to find out which products are more popular during specific periods, and order additional stock to accommodate this. If you notice a product selling much faster than you intended, order more stock before it has sold out to minimise any delays. Stay in touch with your suppliers so you, and your customers, can stay up to date with the status of your supply.

At MI Transport, we are ready to support your business during busy periods with our dedicated delivery and warehouse tracking systems specifically designed to cover all your courier and warehousing needs.

For more information on how MI Transport can support your business during peak, email us today at  info@mitransportltd.co.uk

Expanded fleet of vehicles drives growth of same-day courier specialist

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Three new artics have been added to the fleet of MI Transport, giving the flourishing Northampton business even more control over the courier services it delivers to customers.

Having built a reputation as a same-day courier specialist, and widened its portfolio out to named day delivery and warehousing, MI Transport has expanded its fleet of vehicles to meet the needs of its clients.

The upwards trajectory

Ben Bouttell joined MI Transport as Operations Director earlier this year, in order to support the upwards trajectory of the family-run company. It was founded over 15 years ago and is run by Managing Directors Warren Boxford and Matt Boxford, and Commercial Director Andrew Williams, from its headquarters on the Round Spinney Industrial Estate.

Ben said: “I came here with a vision, knowing the company has been planning to move in this direction for some time and we’re waiting to find the person who could take it forward. The business is four times the size it was but that has been done by building on its foundations and making sure we’re ready each step of the way.”

Improved courier services

MI Transport has become known for its fast, same-day courier service, promising collection within 60-90 minutes of a request and delivering across the UK 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The company also offers a timed, dedicated and two-man white glove delivery service, and recently added short and long term pallet storage at a 25,000 square foot warehouse.

Ben Bouttell said: “We had got to the stage where we needed to upgrade the fleet so we were relying less on third party services, so taking on the new artics has given us more control. The approach to growth has always been steady – we make promises to our customers and so we have to make sure we are true to those and don’t lose sight of what we are trying to do.”

“We’re looking to add more vehicles to the fleet later in the year and are in the process of increasing the warehouse space, but at each stage we consolidate. Staff are trained in line with new processes and services so we can maintain our standards and we don’t try to grow too fast too soon.”

“MI Transport believes in promoting from within wherever possible because, as a family-run company, the ethos is important. We need people who know and understand the business and what we are trying to achieve.”

“Things can go wrong out on the road and no one knows what is going to happen, so we have to be proactive and flexible and communicate with one another and our customers. As we grow we gain more control of how we operate.”

“We have to be true to our promises to customers, because in this business trust is everything.”