The next time the next time you see one of those universally known UPS trucks on the road think about this: that driver has more ways to run his delivery route than the number of seconds the hours of a day has, and what is even more amazing, he can visualize those routes in a matter seconds. UPS has figured out a way of optimizing to the fullest each delivery route of each package – – from doorstep to doorstep – – and for each of the 55,000 drivers in the US, and 1.600 drivers around the world – all through the power of its microsoft SQL server reporting and business reporting tools.
How does UPS do this?
It’s all done through their business server reporting system, allowing drivers to input location and addresses and come up with the fastest route to get there. Their computer data system finds the best delivery route, while making sure that drivers meet all of the business regulations – – in about 8 seconds. The IT and BI gurus who design the MySQL reporting service say it’s a matter of applying descriptive analytics and then fine-tuning it into predictive suggestions.
The key
The key to finding this best route or delivery method is not about making huge driving changes, but it is a system where the reporting analyst has configured the SQL server reporting data to offer optimized routes that look similar to the drivers normal one. A few years ago, UPS realized that the best changes were those that required little deviation. It’s a matter of, saving a quarter of a mile here and a half a mile there – – thereby increasing the total savings. This reporting model helps drivers see how small changes early on can impact their later time, and reduces times required for backtracking deliveries.
What Does the UPS Tracking System Have To Do With My Business?
You might think, ‘what does this mean for me?” Actually a lot! UPS is a pioneer when it comes to configuring data reporting systems that work. It is through the configuration and implementation of an efficient SQL server reporting system that UPS management and employees can keep their delivery process efficient. It is this system that makes UPS one of the leading data driven decision making pioneers in the world – and which keeps this company extremely profitable. Without the use of technology, BI and data, UPS would be just another small package delivery company and not the world leader it is today.
It is the example of this company and many others, that shows smaller companies just now adopting business reporting tools, the benefits, success and better management opportunities this type of system gives a business of any size. But the fist step lies in configuring the reporting system for the data that offers insight into your business.