Recently, Team Inogic– Maplytics had an opportunity to meet and greet with one of our esteemed clients, John Carter, the owner of a global Material Handling company. During talks he mentioned how Maplytics has been a blessing for his business, especially the last few months harrowed with an extensive workload. Here, are some interesting snippets from our conversation.

Interviewer (Maplytics Team Member): The holiday season is always a busy time for the Material Handling industry. What are the typical challenges you face during this period?

Business Owner (John Carter): Absolutely! I run a mid-sized Material Handling company, managing deliveries for e-commerce retailers and suppliers, manufacturers producing material for construction sites, and more. Pre-holidays, when people are renovating, our workload is very high. But during the holidays, it simply triples. We manage dozens of vehicles, thousands of shipments, and tight deadlines. It’s a handler’s nightmare—inefficiencies can result in delayed deliveries, frustrated customers, increased costs, and crushed hopes, as it is the season of giving!

Last year, we struggled with optimizing delivery routes and tracking our fleet. Drivers often took inefficient routes, fuel costs skyrocketed, and we had little visibility into real-time operations. That’s when we decided to invest in Maplytics for Microsoft Dynamics 365, as suggested by our consultant!

Interviewer: How has it helped your organization with the additional and unaccounted pressure?

John Carter: Maplytics has been a game-changer for us. It empowers us with location intelligence and geo-analytics tools that make logistics operations smoother and more efficient. Let me walk you through some specific features that made all the difference.

Route Optimization for Fleet Management

John Carter- Route optimization was one of the first features we implemented. Before Maplytics, our drivers used generic maps, which didn’t account for real-time traffic, avoidance zones, or time-sensitive deliveries. With Maplytics, we can:

  1. Plan optimized multi-stop routes for each vehicle, reducing unnecessary backtracks and detours.
  2. Incorporate factors like traffic, road construction, and delivery time windows.
  3. Save on fuel costs by avoiding high-traffic zones or longer routes.

For example, during last year’s holiday rush, we delivered over 5,000 packages in two weeks. With optimized routes, we reduced fuel consumption by 20%, cut delivery times by 25%, and delivered more than 12,000 packages in 2 weeks. That’s efficiency I had only dreamed of before.

Real-Time Vehicle and Shipment Tracking

John Carter: Real-time tracking was another game-changing feature. Customers expect precise updates about their deliveries at all times. With Maplytics, we now-

  1. Track our fleet in real-time.
  2. Monitor vehicle locations, ETAs, and delays.
  3. Provide accurate updates to our customers, boosting satisfaction whilst improving our relationship and trust

If we can compare our busiest time of the year, last Christmas, one of our trucks faced a roadblock due to a snowstorm. Thanks to Maplytics this year, we rerouted the truck in minutes, or even changed the mode and time of transport, ensuring that all shipments arrived on time.

Territory Planning for Efficient Delivery Zones

Interviewer: Efficient territory management is essential for any Material Handling business. How does Maplytics help in this area?

John Carter: During the rush period, deliveries can come from any corner of the city or region. Maplytics allows us to create balanced territories for our drivers. This means-

  1. Workload distribution is fair and manageable.
  2. Overlaps are avoided, reducing redundant trips.
  3. Delivery zones are optimized based on shipment density, geography, and revenue.

For instance, this year, we used Maplytics to assign territories dynamically. Our drivers worked smarter, not harder, completing more deliveries in less time as they were allotted their respective territories. It was a game-changer for our efficiency.

A Real-Life Case Study

Interviewer: Can you share a specific story of how Maplytics helped you manage holiday chaos?

John Carter: Certainly! During the Black Friday to Christmas window this time around, we were also handling shipments for a popular e-commerce client. Their order volume skyrocketed to 10,000 deliveries in three weeks. Without Maplytics, this would have been impossible to manage.

  1. Route Optimization: We planned multi-stop routes for over 50 trucks. Each truck covered around 100 deliveries daily. Optimized routes saved us 15,000 kilometers over three weeks.
  2. Real-Time Tracking: One of our high-priority shipments, a set of gaming consoles, was delayed due to a highway accident. Maplytics alerted us immediately of congestion and rerouted the truck through country roads to avoid further delays.
  3. Territory Management: We created balanced territories based on shipment density. Drivers covered regions efficiently, completing deliveries faster.

The result? We completed all deliveries ahead of schedule. Our client was thrilled, and customer satisfaction scores soared.

Beyond the Holidays: Everyday Efficiency

Interviewer: While the holidays are peak time, how does Maplytics help you during regular operations?

John Carter: Maplytics isn’t just a holiday hero, it’s an everyday buddy. We use it for

  1. Predictive Planning: Analyzing past delivery data to forecast trends through Heat Maps.
  2. Customer Insights: Mapping customer locations and demographics to identify demand hotspots.
  3. Data Visualization: Visualizing fleet performance, delivery times, and customer feedback on a map.

These insights help us continuously improve and scale our operations.

Interviewer: How do you see Maplytics shaping the future of your business?

John Carter: The possibilities are endless! We’re excited about exploring even more features, like:

  1. Geo-fencing: Setting up virtual boundaries to monitor vehicle entry and exit from client location.
  2. AI Integration: Using AI-driven insights to enhance delivery predictions and customer service.
  3. Mobility Across Devices: Empower drivers to access Maplytics on their smartphones or tablets using Azure Maps, Google Maps, Apple Maps, or Waze App.

With Maplytics, we’re confident in scaling our business while maintaining exceptional efficiency and customer service. Don’t wait. If you’re struggling with inefficiencies, delayed deliveries, or rising costs, Maplytics is the solution you need. It’s an investment that pays for itself by transforming how you manage operations.

What’s More?

Maplytics is like water that can be molded into any role. It makes Bing Maps and Azure Maps integration within Dynamics 365 look seamless. Radius Search, Route Mapping, and more have become super easy to use. To get more acquainted and experience it first-hand, one can write to crm@inogic.com To investigate the product further, with a personalized demo within Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM / Dataverse get in touch with the team. For applied knowledge, do visit our Website or Microsoft AppSource. One can hop on to the detailed Blogs, Client Testimonials, Success Stories, Industry Applications, and Video Library for a quick query resolution. You can check out our technical tutorial video series #KnowYourMaplytics here and for fun Tips & Tricks about Maplytics have a look at our series #ProAtMaplytics here. Technical docs for the working of Maplytics are also available for reference.

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