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A cutting-edge last mile delivery solution should offer more than run-of-the-mill scheduling and routing capabilities. Stop efficiency increases as deliveries are consolidated and routes are optimized – but so does invoicing complexity. Maintaining accurate invoices and being able to generate settlements quickly is crucial in today’s last mile industry. Whether your last mile business is expanding or you are trying to protect your bottom line, here are five must-have invoicing features to look for in your next delivery management system.
1. Freight/Stop Rate Calculations
Last mile delivery contracts are most often arranged using stop-based pricing. When delivery routes are scheduled, a single route may include a variety of stop types including deliveries, pickups, and exchanges. This can present challenges for invoicing and wreak havoc on billing accuracy. To complicate matters further, multiple service levels may occur depending on the item being delivered. From curbside and threshold deliveries to white glove, your invoicing solution must be able to accommodate the unique characteristics of every stop, seamlessly taking into account mileage, item weight, the result of the delivery, and any number of other criteria.
2. Fuel Surcharge
With fuel prices hitting record highs, precisely calculating fuel surcharges is essential to protecting your hard-earned profits. Client contracts often differ on how fuel surcharges are billed. Your delivery management software’s invoicing system should offer the flexibility to include these charges based on fuel prices, applying the surcharge based on a dollar value, percentage, or even according to your fleet’s average miles per gallon.
3. Accessorials
Not all deliveries are created equal. Whether you need an additional helper on a delivery truck or have to deliver above a certain number of floors in a building without an elevator, your invoicing solution should boast quick and customizable accessorial processing. This should include default amounts that can be pre-configured so that dispatchers can capture every accessorial simply and accurately, which directly affects route profitability.
4. Inventory Occupancy Billing
Your inventory space is valuable. Holding items in the warehouse that aren’t moving out the door costs you money. It’s one thing to stipulate in a contract that charges will accrue after an item is held over a certain number of days, but it’s another thing to accurately apply these charges. Manually keeping track of occupancy charges is an arduous task which can all too easily have a negative impact on your bottom line when errors occur. To avoid these pitfalls, your invoicing system should automatically record when an item arrives in your inventory, and when it leaves. A modern, last mile invoicing solution should leverage these occupancy dates and automatically apply storage charges based on your contract terms.
5. One-Click Invoicing and Settlements
Every last mile contract is different so having the technical capability to pre-configure rates and track billable activity should go without saying. An invoicing solution should be capable of generating invoices for clients, as well as settlements for contractors, with the click of a button.
A modern, comprehensive invoicing solution should help you pay drivers accurately and generate invoices at the click of a button. If your invoicing solution is lagging behind the times, so is your bottom line. If you are looking for unmatched management of your delivery operations visit Dash Logistics Systems to see how our state-of-the-art IDLS software suite can take your last mile business the extra mile. IDLS – the end-to-end solution for the last mile delivery industry.
