When you’re in a business that’s required to have some form of delivery service, one of the biggest problems that you can encounter is heavy traffic. It doesn’t just literally stop you in your tracks, but it also increases your expenses for gas, wastes time, and lowers customer satisfaction even though you’re not the one at fault. No matter how you look at it, it’s bad for business. Fortunately, people are now working on a technology that can help you with it in the future.
Cutting Travel Time
A particular method being researched is using automated drones developed by U.S. manufacturers along with self-driving cars for deliveries. What happens is that the drone takes your product from your place, and then it lands on the vehicle, which is somewhere near the customer and possibly out of traffic. The car will then drive to the client’s location, where the package will be picked up. It can cut delivery time by a significant amount, as it will be able to bypass areas with the most traffic.
Package Safety
You might think that if that’s the case, then it would be better if only the drones should go out. However, that will be risky, especially when the device and the package get to the customer’s place. It can end up on terrain that’s dangerous for the package, or it might go to an inaccessible location. There is also the risk that animals, such as dogs, will get to it before the customer does. At least the top of a car is easy for people to access and is relatively safe for the package.
Reduced Labor and Resource Costs
Part of the reason why it’s planned to be unmanned is that it will reduce costs for the businesses involved. For one, companies don’t need to have essential manpower out on the streets wasting their time and effort. If it pans out, they won’t even need people for deliveries at all. Another point where they can save money is through reducing the number of costly errors, provided that the automation is on point. There’s also less spending on fuel, as the vehicles will be able to spend less time waiting on the road.
Impact on Business
Given that businesses might be able to deliver their products faster with this method, there would be an expected increase in customer satisfaction. Also, it would be possible for companies to make more deliveries and increase the success rate. This method would also prove essential for urgently-needed goods, such as medicine and other materials for emergency cases in hospitals.
For now, the technology needed for automated drones and autonomous cars is still in the works. People are still uncertain about their effectiveness and safety, especially for vehicles. But if it ever comes to the point that it will be feasible, it will undoubtedly become a game-changer for both the automotive and drone industries. If you need more information on this new technology, you can look for more sources online.
