How important is technology to the future of the air line haul industry?

For the majority of us, intelligent applications dictate and manage our everyday lives. And we like it that way. Driven from the B2C world, we have a thirst for knowledge and we use this knowledge to take more control of our lives. It’s a phenomenon which is causing us to ask things like:

“I can track the status of my groceries on my phone, but why can’t I do the same for my logistics?’

And that, is a very good question.

This blog explores why technology is so important to the future of air line haul…

Demand for flexibility and control
Like the rest of the logistics industry, air line hauls are an area where service delivery has been slow to adapt when it comes to customer demands. But we know that people want more visibility over their goods and yet, this hasn’t always been possible, particularly if businesses are using multiple providers or partners.

Businesses are also striving to offer more flexible delivery options and a speedier service, all in the vein hope of gaining more competitive advantage. These demands can only be met by the deployment of intelligent applications throughout the supply chain for 100% control. If providers fail to get this right, businesses will quickly look elsewhere for what they need.

Technology and the speed of delivery
We know that the expected delivery time strongly affects the buying opportunity for a customer; and with 24/7 buying habits this fact is hardly surprising. This means that the delivery time could be the difference between an order being placed or not, so ultimately businesses are needing to find new ways to shorten delivery times even further.

Air is one of the best ways to get components and critical parts across borders quickly, so it’s a popular option for businesses looking to improve delivery times for a better customer experience. But how can logistics providers bring faster transit times whilst also delivering exceptional reliability?

The answer lies again with the correct deployment of technology. Carousel’s own air line-haul for instance is underpinned with its 4C technology solution, integrating all of the user technologies ensuring that the customer and all stakeholders within the logistics supply chain get the most efficient and accurate data management. This integration brings significant benefits including fast and efficient airside sortation and greater visibility on the status of consignments. The efficiencies technology like this can bring, means that as your provider we can offer later cut off times giving you and your customers greater flexibility, choice and reliability than other providers can offer.
In short, the difference in minutes that a solution like this can bring, could be the difference between a satisfied or delighted customer.

But how does this now link to final mile?
With customer experience now at the heart of deliveries, it’s only natural that the line between logistics and final mile would now become blurred.

Ecommerce is the main reason that the two have been brought together and yet despite this shift not all logistics providers can provide this kind of service offering. For those that do, the two services aren’t always integrated, allowing for other costly errors and delays. Nevertheless, the businesses that seek to put the customer at the heart of the journey will be those that understand the careful knitting together of the two.

Technology is again critical for this step-change in the development of air line haul logistics, as it allows the two to be seamlessly brought together, particularly if multiple partners are being used. Any efficiencies saved airside will be lost if poor communication or service and data integration is not prevalent at the final mile stage. While success will bring greater brand loyalty and an increase in customer satisfaction.

Investment in making this work may seem costly, but long-term brand loyalty and the ability to scale quickly will bring businesses huge rewards in the end.

In conclusion
In short, technology needs to work for the end customer, otherwise what’s the point of it? For those that use it to disrupt the norm, as a means to make things better, will be the ones that succeed. Competitive advantage is only gained by those pushing for better and technology is a major player in pushing those boundaries.

To discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact 01795 413602 or email: findoutmore@carousel.eu.