Taking It To The Last Mile With Ready Set
High-end logistics startup goes the distance with workstream collaboration
Coolfire has been an invaluable partner in our critical journey to automate tracking, visibility, and collaboration for last-mile logistics. They have been diligent with deadlines, adaptable to changing requirements, and always receptive to refining their platform so it works to ensure our ongoing success.
In this Story
Ready Set’s Situation:
This disruptive startup specializes in “last mile” delivery services for flowers and food with a major twist in the road. The concept of last mile delivery has been sizably expanded by Ready Set to include a 50-mile radius. This is a distance far greater than all other metropolitan last mile logistics providers such as DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates which normally only cover a fractional 10–15-mile radius. The idea was to, “make the net bigger to catch the fish,” according to Ready Set
Coolfire’s Challenge:
For Ready Set, some of the specific workstream challenges and pain points that required a
robust solution included the following:
Ability to give brokerages visibility into their deliveries so they can effectively communicate with their customers
Real-time ETA and updating for end-customers awaiting status of their deliveries
Communication of delays to end-customers to reduce frustration
Use of GPS tracking for deliveries from start to finish
Capability to schedule multiple pick-up and drop-off locations
Enhanced two-way communication with delivery drivers including route adjustments
Ready Set—a high-end logistics provider—based in the San Francisco Bay Area with other locations in Sacramento, Atlanta, and Austin began full operations in February 2019. Expected growth to other major U.S. markets expected throughout 2022.
Currently, Ready Set has nearly 200 executives, staff, and drivers handling their volume of roughly 400+ deliveries per day with its highest concentration in the flower markets. Their business model generally involves working with large, nationally recognized brokerages for flowers and food such as FTD, 1-800-Flowers, and Foodee.
Because Ready Set is obsessively client-focused they will only work with top brokerages or carefully vetted direct clients. This ensures the highest quality and reliability of products for a secure chain of custody to the end customer. To be considered, direct clients must meet a minimum number of large weekly orders or span more than 5 major metros.
A typical food delivery for Ready Set ranges from 25 and upwards of 1,200 people at a time for large organizations like Google or Microsoft in the Silicon Valley area. Aside from catered food and traditional flower deliveries, Ready Set also works with high-end floral designers specializing in creative works of art. These delicate arrangements need to be maintained and kept in a preserved condition until arrival at their final destination.
To help facilitate the logistics process for both flowers and food, Ready Set is developing its own proprietary tote bag system and collapsible/stackable bins. Delivery containers are temperature controlled and spill-proof. They are rated up to 3 hours (hot or cold) to consistently maintain the integrity of all products for end-customers.
Ready Set also takes its promise of top-notch customer service a step further down the road than other last mile logistics providers. They have a comprehensive help desk—something nonexistent in the flower market—that leads the way in receiving, routing, and tracking all orders until a successful delivery.
Upgrading workflows with mission-critical information to track delivery drivers in real-time
Through a mutual colleague, Ready Set was introduced to Coolfire which has a battle-tested platform—Coolfire Core—designed specifically for collaboration and workflow on the move. It was built to connect teams to the people, processes, and information they need to work together in real-time.
After the kick-off, the Coolfire team immediately went into action, configuring Coolfire Core to address all the major challenges experienced by Ready Set. The Coolfire platform—which was already GPS enabled—was set up to track delivery drivers in real-time and allow other important stakeholders, such as the brokerages, to have complete visibility into the entire process. The app makes use of geofences, triggers, and automated actions showing when a driver is arriving and leaving from different locations using a GPS pin.
Coolfire’s platform was configured to accurately calculate ETAs in real-time—using an effective algorithm to determine on-time and late statuses. Multiple stops for pick-ups and drop-offs were added to the mapping function included the ability to manually organize a route for real-time adjustments as needed. The app also enabled drivers to easily communicate any issues back up the chain using Coolfire’s built-in chat function. Ready Set was also able to switch drivers after a route started while seeing an overview of all drivers in real-time—something they were unable to do before.
How Coolfire enables real-time response
Drivers can see job details, locations, and any required tasks when delivering.
See your job details mapped out for drivers.
Capture job details and update the entire Session as they happen.
Looking Towards the Future
Looking down the road, Ready Set has plans to scale up operations to support additional delivery types and to expand into additional metropolitan markets. To support the growth, the Coolfire app will also expand to ensure Ready Set remains compliant by adding additional functionality. In the near term, Coolfire is adding barcode scanning and additional integration points with Ready Set operations.
Coolfire provides SMB and enterprise-level solutions that make it easier for fast-moving teams to stay connected to the critical information they need to effectively do their jobs. We help people, teams, and businesses get their work done better, faster, and easier.