Best Courier Software with Customer Portal

Updated on March 20, 2024 by Alina Kostukova

Customers can use documentation to back up their claims and resolve issues more swiftly in the event of delivery issues or disagreements.Last-mile delivery operations require a high level of cooperation.

Your crew consists of dispatchers, drivers, and, most importantly, customers.

Although dispatchers and drivers may occasionally overlap tasks, shippers (or customers) are always recognized as separate entities and play an important role in the process.

Customers contribute significantly to the workload of an already bustling delivery operation.

The procedure requires a lot of work to guarantee a flawless delivery experience, from placing orders to tracking their status and even locating packages.

But why not engage your customers' help to expedite order fulfillment and shorten turnaround times?

The solution lies in courier software equipped with a proof of delivery (POD) Customer Portal.

Let's talk about the benefits of incorporating POD Customer Portal into your delivery operations and look at some of the best software in this category on the market.

Jump to the most relevant part:

What is a POD Customer Portal?

Benefits of POD customer portal software for logistics

Key features of courier software with customer portal

Top 5 courier software with customer portal

What is a POD Customer Portal?

A POD (Proof of Delivery) customer portal is a feature within delivery management software that enables shippers to access and interact with proof of delivery and other information for their shipments.

The POD customer portal allows customers to place and edit orders, track their status, and access delivery details independently. It reduces the effort of customer service staff and enables shippers to better manage their deliveries.

Customer portal allows shippers to view proof of delivery details such as delivery status, recipient signatures, timestamps, and any accompanying notes or photos captured during the delivery process.

Additionally, courier software with a customer portal often offers reporting and analytics tools. This functionality allows businesses to gain valuable insights into their delivery operations and continuously improve their services.

Benefits of POD customer portal software for logistics

Customer involvement in last-mile delivery operations goes beyond mere receipt of packages; it can significantly impact the efficiency of the entire logistics process.

Below are the main benefits of choosing courier software with customer portal functionality:

1. Improved communication: Customer portal software can facilitate seamless communication between businesses and customers, allowing for real-time updates and two-way communication channels.

2. Enhanced transparency: By providing customers with access to order status, delivery updates, and ePOD documentation, client portal can promote transparency and trust in the delivery process.

3. Reduced errors: One significant advantage of leveraging client input is increased order accuracy. Businesses can reduce errors and ensure that every service matches customers' expectations by allowing them to enter order details directly into the system via the portal.

4. Streamlined operations: POD customer portal reduces the burden on customer service teams by enabling self-service order management, freeing up resources for other important tasks.

5. Data insights: POD customer portal can generate valuable data insights on customer behavior, preferences, and delivery performance, which businesses can leverage to refine their strategies and optimize operations.

6. Brand loyalty: Offering a convenient and user-friendly client portal experience can strengthen customer loyalty and increase repeat business, as satisfied customers are more likely to return for delivery services.

Key features of courier software with customer portal

Let's speak about the key features of delivery management software with customer portal and how it can help address common logistics challenges.

Order management

Shippers can place new orders or add new orders directly through the portal, providing details such as delivery addresses, order items, preferred delivery time windows, and special instructions for couriers.

This tool reduces errors by allowing customers to enter or import order information and considerably shortens order processing time.

Order history

Customers can view a history of their past orders, including order details, delivery dates, and status updates.

It helps to increase trasparency, reduce missed deliveries and improve the overall customer service. Offering insight into past orders aids in customer satisfaction and fosters trust in your delivery service.

Proof of Delivery (POD) Access

Customers can access proof of delivery documentation, including delivery confirmation, photos, recipient or driver signatures, timestamps, and any accompanying notes.

Customers can use POD customer portal to back up their claims and resolve issues more swiftly in the event of delivery issues or disputes.

Reporting and analytics

Reporting and analytics tools provide clients with valuable insights into their shipping data, helping them identify trends, optimize processes, and make informed decisions.

Some courier software with a customer portal allows users to view and export several types of reports, such as shipping labels and an overview of items.

Analyzing shipping data helps clients refine strategies and improve overall logistics performance.

Live tracking

The live tracking feature of a customer portal in logistics provides real-time visibility into delivery status and allows to track the progress of the order on the map.

Live tracking feature makes it easier to plan and reduce the need to contact customer service for updates. 

Real-time visibility reduces uncertainty and enhances the customer experience during the shipping process.

User permissions

User roles and permissions feature allows administrators to assign specific roles and access levels to different users within the customer portal.

Shippers, for example, can have permissions to place new orders and track shipments, whereas customer support reps can only be allowed to view order history and ePOD.

This ensures that only authorized personnel can perform certain actions and access sensitive delivery information.

Top 5 courier software with customer portal 

When selecting courier software with a customer portal, it can be difficult to understand all of the features and tools and weigh their benefits and drawbacks.

To assist you, we've evaluated 5 top-tier delivery management solutions in the industry and provided a full review below.

1. Track-POD

Track-POD is an all-in-one delivery management software with customer portal. It is ideal for courier companies of any size since it provides out-of-the-box functionality at an affordable price.

Track-POD aims to streamline the entire delivery process, from order creation to last mile delivery, by providing visibility, automation, and efficiency.

In addition to its advanced features like route optimization, driver app, electronic proof of delivery (ePOD), barcode scanner, customer notifications, live tracking and shipping integrations, Track-POD also offers a web customer portal tool, which we'll explore further below.

Track-POD Customer Portal features

Let's look at the primary features of the Track-POD customer portal:

1. Order management: add, overview, sort, edit orders with ease;

2. Bulk import: import orders in bulk to save time;

3. Order history: review order and goods information for extra visibility;

4. Reporting: export overview of items and other types of reports;

5. Shipping labels: switfly access and print shipping labels;

6. ePOD access: access and review proof of delivery documentation (signatures, notes, timestamps, etc.);

7. Live tracking: access live tracking page for real-time visibility;

8. Call driver: use live trackign page to contact the driver for urgent requests;

9. User roles and permissions: allows or restrict specific dashboard functionality.

Track-POD pricing

Track-POD offers straightforward and flexible pricing options. You can select from 'per driver' plans, starting at $29 per month per vehicle, or 'per order' plans, starting at $0.19 per task.

Additionally, there's a convenient 7-day free trial available for you to explore the platform before making a decision.

2. Tookan

Tookan is a solid courier software with POD portal for companies looking to upgrade their daily delivery operations.

This tools offers a wide range of basic features that include route planning, driver app, barcode scanner, shipping notifications and customer application.

Tookan Customer Application features

Tookan customer portal offers great tools to manage courier operations with ease. Let’s look at a few:

1. Create tasks: easily add and manage orders;

2. Order status: review and evaluate order statuses;

3. Customer chat: connect with an agent or a courier to clarify the details;

4. Live tracking: check the courier's location on the map.

5. Pickup and delivery details: provide any neccessary delivery details for the courier;

6. User permissions: setup the neccessary user permissions to stay in control.

Tookan pricing

Tookan operates on a task-based pricing model, where monthly expenses are determined by the number of tasks.The basic plan includes 200 tasks and is available for $39 per month with an annual subscription. On top of the fee, you will be charged for extra add-ons of you choice, including Customer App (the final price depends on a selected plan). 

Tookan also provides a 14-day free trial, enabling businesses to evaluate the software before making a subscription commitment.

3. Route4Me

Route4Me offers a comprehensive logistics solution for handling daily deliveries and planning efficient courier routes.

Route4Me provides a customer portal tool for shippers, alongside its core features such as dynamic routing, dispatch and tracking, and mobile app.

Route4Me Customer Portal features

While Route4Me provides a Customer Portal, its functionality is restricted to curbside pickup and real-time tracking. Customers can input their Order ID and track their delivery in real-time.

However, unlike other courier software solutions with customer portal capabilities, neither customers nor shippers can add or manage orders, or access reports and ePOD through Route4Me's Customer Portal.

Route4Me pricing

Route4Me provides a starting plan priced at $199 per month, with higher tiers available at $249/month and $349/month, offering advanced route optimization features. Additionally, the platform offers both free and paid add-ons for the entire company account or individual users.

4. eLogii

eLogii is a software platform for effective route optimization and scheduling. It helps organizations streamline their logistics operations by automating the planning and execution of delivery orders and routes.

In addition to route planning, delivery management tools, and ePOD tools, eLogii provides a customer dashboard solutions, which we will discuss below.

eLogii Customer Dashboard features

Let's have a look at the primary courier and order management features available through eLogii's B2B Customer Dashboard:

1. Order management: access and manage orders on the platfrom;

2. Bulk import: import orders in CSV format in bulk;

3. Delivery scheduling: schedule deliveries for added efficiency;

4. Live tracking: track orders simultaneously to increase visibility.

5. CSV export: download the list of your orders as a CSV report.

6. Task label printing: print task labels to streamline order processing time.

7. User roles: customize user permissions with ease.

eLogii pricing

eLogii offers subscription plans tailored to factors such as the size of the fleet, the number of users, and the level of customization required. Pricing is available upon request only.

5. Detrack

Detrack is a delivery tracking software designed to streamline the last-mile delivery process.

Detrack offers features such as electronic proof of delivery (ePOD), dispatch management, customer notifications, and client portal.

Detrack Client Portal Features

Once clients access Detrack's customer portal, they can enjoy the following features:

1. Order management: add, edit and review delivery orders;

2. Contact management: add customers' contact info for an easy access;

3. Vehicle management: add and remove delivery vehicles;

4. Jobs and contacts export: download order and client overviews.

5. View cash collection: review cash on delivery details;

6. User permissions: allow or restrict specific platform actions.

Detrack pricing

Detrack offers a simple pricing system based on the number of vehicles, starting at $29 per month. If you require route planning, you can opt for ElasticRoute, priced at an additional $29 per month or $44 when bundled with Detrack.

Wrapping up

To sum up, the smooth functioning of last-mile delivery depends on the cooperation of dispatchers, drivers, and most importantly, customers.

Although drivers and dispatchers handle the logistical parts, customers make a big impact on productivity and efficiency.

Using courier software with a POD Customer Portal is essential to accelerating order fulfillment and improving customer satisfaction.

Businesses can expedite procedures, increase transparency, and ultimately improve the delivery experience for all parties involved by implementing customer portal tool into their delivery operations.

Consider features specific to the needs of your sector when selecting the best courier software with customer portal.

A user-friendly interface, powerful reporting, real-time tracking, and easy order management are just a few of the features to look for. Consider scalability to accommodate your business growth and integration capabilities with your existing systems.