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Reliable Logistics Tracking: A Simple Guide for Indian Businesses
Reliable logistics tracking means providing your customers with end-to-end shipment visibility. You should be able to tell them exactly where their shipment is at all times. The best logistics technologies provide GPS shipment tracking, automated status updates, and proof of delivery all in a single solution. Customers should be able to rely on your logistics tracking systems.
Customers in India have very low tolerance for the logistics tracking gaps that are common throughout the supply chain. There is typically very little visibility provided to customers for shipments once they leave the warehouse. Because of this, customers often complain about shipment tracking and delays in receiving payments, and they lose trust in logistics companies.
What Is Reliable Logistics Tracking?
A tracking system becomes “reliable” when it meets three main criteria. First, it must provide timely location information. This means that the tracking system updates the customer’s location in a timely fashion. Second, the information must reflect the customer’s actual location. Finally, a good tracking system proactively shares information with the customer.
There are many shipping applications that provide a tracking number and a map; however, there are very few applications that provide end-to-end reliable logistics tracking. Oftentimes, customers remain in the dark about the status of their shipment and only learn about the mishaps that may occur during transit once the shipment is delivered or is no longer in transit. The best and worst examples of tracking systems are sometimes defined by a single incident. A good tracking system sends an alert to the customer, while a bad tracking system does nothing.
Why Businesses in India Need It Now
India’s e-commerce logistics industry is moving an estimated 12 to 14 million shipments every day. During peak sale seasons, the number of shipments delivered by e-commerce logistics companies goes as high as 14 million. With such huge volumes, even small gaps in shipment tracking result in huge customer dissatisfaction and follow-up issues for the company.
Some of the pertinent issues that gaps in shipping tracking cause are:
- Shipment tracking pages are the most accessed webpages by customers during shipping. It is estimated that during a shipment, a customer tracks the shipment status an average of five times.
- There are numerous cases where B2B customers have agreed to payment terms upon confirmation of shipment.
- As per the provisions of the GST, every business is required to have an e-way bill for every shipment and a physical copy for record purposes. E-way bills can be checked and verified through the e-way bill website.
- During monsoons and the festive seasons, it is practically impossible to meet customers’ expectations without live shipment tracking.
While tracking the transit of cargo shipped across borders and interstate shipments, it is important for businesses to track shipments in real time. Tracking shipping containers in transit is a crucial service for businesses.
Key Features of a Reliable Logistics Tracking System
A reliable system has the following features: live GPS; end-to-end visibility; automated alerts; exception handling; integration with multiple carriers; and proof of delivery.
- Live GPS tracking means you know the exact location of your shipment at all times.
- End-to-end visibility means the logistics provider provides service from the moment your shipment is picked up until it is delivered.
- A reliable system provides automated alerts to users and/or customers.
- It provides exception handling to flag delivery exceptions.
- It provides integration with multiple carriers.
- It provides proof of delivery (POD).
Not all these features are required at the launch of a business, but it is important that your logistics tracking partner implements all these features.
Common Challenges in Indian Logistics Tracking
Tracking gaps mostly occur during last-mile delivery to smaller cities, during manual data entry, and during inter-logistics handoffs.
- Tracking gaps during last-mile delivery to smaller cities (tier 2 and tier 3 cities) in India face additional challenges due to the unavailability of properly labelled and formatted addresses and weak GPS signals.
- Tracking gaps occur during transport handoffs due to manual data entry at small transit hubs. This leads to delayed and inconsistent information flow between the logistics service providers and the transport service providers.
- Multiple transport service providers, e.g., a first-mile courier and a last-mile courier, result in multiple transport handoffs. Each transport service provider uses a different transport management system. This leads to tracking gaps during inter-logistics.
- Tracking gaps during intra-logistics are mainly due to a lack of reliable communication and navigation infrastructure and services in mountainous and remote areas.
Improving connectivity and using an active logistics partner, rather than a passive partner, can help resolve tracking gaps. An active logistics partner would take control of the situation and take action rather than solely depend on automated systems.
How Reliable Logistics Tracking Builds Customer Trust
Live tracking has multiple benefits. It decreases support calls, eliminates order cancellations, and increases trust in a transport vendor.
In business-to-business (B2B) situations, being able to track shipments builds even stronger relationships. When a shipping vendor can provide precise delivery windows, the vendor, shipping receivers, and shipping end users can plan and prepare for shipment receipt. This reduces the need for last-minute, expedited shipments.
This is the goal of the International Shipping Cargo Agency in Delhi — to provide tracking for all shipments, not just a select few. We have years of experience in international and national shipping and handling. We are also certified. Trust signals like these increase confidence in your ability to provide the service you claim.
How to Choose the Right Logistics Tracking Partner
The best way to evaluate a tracking partner is to examine how they work with time delays. Reliable partners will let you know about delays. Unreliable partners will require you to call for an update.
Questions can help you quickly evaluate tracking partners:
- Will your tracking update you at every step? Will it only give you the update at the end?
- Are you allowed to check the status of your shipment at any time? Are you required to contact their support to get an update?
- Do they provide real-time cargo tracking for all shipments, including domestic and international?
- Will they inform you if your cargo is delayed? Do they have mechanisms in place to track and inform you if your shipment is delayed?
- Do they have integrations in place with e-way bills? For international shipments, do they align their logistics tracking with the documentation requirements of the DGFT?
A tracking partner who is able to provide and explain answers to these questions will help you gain trust in their logistics tracking systems and processes. A partner who talks about “advanced systems and technology” will not give you the trust required to engage in business with them.
The Bottom Line
Transparency and immediacy are key when it comes to logistics tracking. Every so often, shipments are going to experience delays, whether due to inclement weather, shipping traffic, or simply snail-paced transportation. However, the difference between adequate and superior logistics is how quickly clients are notified of these delays. Reliable logistics tracking and transparency don’t always mean perfect on-time arrivals. The best logistics partner will be able to give clients a real-time status update of the shipment.
If perfect, real-time logistics tracking is important to you and your business, whether it be for national or international shipping, give International Shipping Cargo Agency in Delhi a call. While no logistics partner can guarantee perfect, on-time arrivals, we can provide clients with a live demo and/or a real-time example of our logistics tracking in action.
Book your free consultation with us at International Shipping Cargo Agency in Delhi to witness logistics tracking firsthand.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
When you have this, you can tell exactly where your shipment is and what the status of the shipment is at any point in time during the transport.
Yes, most big cargo agencies have real-time tracking for international shipments. The tracking may be slow if the destination country is far and if the shipment is through multiple carriers.
Ask for a sample tracking link. If the tracking link does not show the past movements of the shipment, it is not reliable.
No, tracking has been included for free with logistics services.
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