March is Women’s History Month—a time to focus on the accomplishments and contributions of women who have helped shape the world. In honor of the occasion, we’ve decided to highlight some modern-day women who have used their knowledge, experience, and leadership skills to influence the world of logistics.

This special episode features our women guests from seasons one and two of Unboxing Logistics. Although they all specialize in different areas of logistics—from warehouse management to shipping to supply chain technology—they share something in common. Each of them is helping to pave the way for women in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

This episode contains key insights and advice from our women guests. To hear more, make sure to check out their individual episodes:

• Jessica Lowrance’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/how-to-fight-porch-piracy
• Kelli Martin’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/shipping-resources-for-small-businesses
• Jill Barron’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/building-better-supplier-relationships
• Nancy Seaboldt’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/navigating-the-erp-implementation-highway
• Kylie Schafer’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/navigating-omnichannel-commerce
• Gemma Shaw’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/leveraging-an-oms-for-growth
• Veena Harbaugh’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/sustainable-shipping-tips-for-small-businesses
• Kim Baudry’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/warehouse-automation-and-sustainability
• Jicara Gorski’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/carbon-neutral-shipping-how-does-it-work
• Ching Pei’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/leveling-up-product-management
• Anna Podolskaya’s episode: https://www.easypost.com/podcast/empowering-women-in-logistics

Last-mile delivery is one of the most important parts of the logistics process, playing a huge role in the customer experience. But it’s also one of the hardest things to get right—and carriers aren’t the only ones responsible.

In this episode of Unboxing Logistics, Nicholas Daniel-Richards, CEO at Packiyo, lays out some last-mile challenges and explains how warehouse optimization streamlines the delivery process.

As CEO of Packiyo, a warehouse management system, Nicholas is very familiar with the ins and outs of logistics. But when it comes to the importance of last-mile delivery, he shifts to his consumer mindset.

“I'm still a consumer that's receiving packages … and I think the complications around last mile [involve] convenience. You know, do I have tracking information? Do I know when that package is going to arrive or when it has arrived? Is it the right thing (or things) inside the package?”

The answers to those questions can make or break the delivery experience—and mean the difference between loyal and lost customers.

Who’s in charge of making sure last-mile delivery goes smoothly? Nicholas says, “A lot of people put an emphasis on … the carrier. But ultimately, there is that step of how packages get to the carrier in the first place.”

He explains that businesses are responsible for receiving customer orders, picking products, packing boxes, and coordinating shipping. If those tasks lead to inaccuracies or wasted time, the last-mile delivery experience suffers.

When picking, packing, and shipping decisions are made in the moment by individual employees, there’s a lot of room for error. If it takes too long to pack boxes, last-mile shipping could be delayed. If the wrong product gets added to a package, you’ll face a frustrated customer. And the list of potential issues goes on.

The solution? Make decisions before it’s time to prep packages, so warehouse workers know exactly what to do.

Nicholas puts it like this: “You don't want to make decisions on how an order should be packaged and fulfilled and shipped at the time that you're trying to process the order. That’s a repetitive thing. [The] factors that affect that should be automated.”

• Connect with Nicholas on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholasdr/
• Visit Packiyo’s website: https://www.packiyo.com/

As businesses expand into new sales channels, order management gets complicated—and time-consuming. Gemma Shaw, head of partnerships at Order Desk, explains what order management systems do and shares tips for using yours effectively.

What are order management systems, and how do they benefit businesses? Gemma explains, “An OMS enables businesses to centralize all of their orders. This is particularly beneficial if you've got multiple sales channels. [If] you're selling in various markets, maybe even globally, all of your orders are housed in one place for visibility.”

One major challenge when setting up an OMS? Identifying your workflow. Before diving into the implementation process, Gemma recommends determining what the system needs to do and how it needs to work. “Knowing exactly what you want to achieve with your OMS is helpful.”

Gemma also notes that it takes time and patience to learn how OMSs work. She says, “There's a learning curve with any new piece of software. And with something robust and technical like this, there's a particularly steep learning curve at the start.”

OMSs serve a very practical purpose: centralizing order information from various sales channels. But that isn’t all they’re useful for. As Gemma points out, these systems capture a lot of data: order volumes, inventory numbers, and much more. To get the most out of your OMS, “use that single source of truth to inform your strategic decision-making.”

• Connect with Gemma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gemma-shaworderdesk/
• Visit Order Desk’s website: https://www.orderdesk.com/unboxing-logistics/