6 January 202412 minute read

The Top 4 Delivery Notification Software for Small Business in 2024

Explore the best delivery notification software for small businesses. Our review covers top solutions to automate communication with your customers

In a world where next-day delivery is becoming the norm, consumers' expectations are soaring. Delivery notification software is vital for keeping customers informed of the status of their shipment throughout the delivery process.

Delivery notification software helps you provide first-rate customer service while freeing up more time by automating your communication workflows. It makes it easier to update recipients on any changes with their delivery, and you’ll receive fewer phone calls from disgruntled customers.

We’ve analyzed the top solutions on the market – tried their features, listened to customers, and tested their accessibility – to bring you this thorough review of the best delivery notification software available right now.

The 4 best delivery notification software

Circuit for Teams: best for retailers, small business and courier companies
Tookan: best for on-demand delivery services
Track-POD: best for business-to-business deliveries
Onfleet: best for medium–large enterprises

What makes the best delivery notification software?

When it comes to delivery notification software, the most important factor is customer experience. Not just the software user’s experience (although that matters, too), but how effectively it helps businesses deliver exceptional customer service.

To make this a fair assessment, I asked: Which features and pain points matter most to both the sender and receiver of delivery notifications?

Good delivery notification software should be dynamic and flexible enough to meet the specific needs of every business. It should be easy to use. And it needs to integrate with any existing systems involved in managing your deliveries. Going a step further, the best delivery notification software uses AI to provide ‘dynamic delivery windows’, which will change depending on where the driver is on their route and send your customers updated timings automatically.

Note: Circuit for Teams has all of the delivery management features you need including automated delivery notifications. You can even enable dynamic time windows that change automatically based on where your drivers are on their journey, so your customers are always kept up-to-date on where their package is! Start your 14-day free trial today.

There are other factors too, of course.

Good delivery notification software should also:

Reliably keep customers informed of the current status of their deliveries
Save the retailer or courier company time and money
Ensure a positive customer experience for the recipient

With that addressed, let’s get into the findings of my research.

The best delivery notification software at a glance

Brand	Who it's best for	Unique feature	Pricing	Capterra score (out of 5)
Circuit for Teams	Small–medium retailers, courier companies	Real-time route optimization, dynamic tracking and automated notifications	Essentials $100/mo, Standard $200/mo, Pro $500/mo	4.8 (90+ reviews)
Tookan	Food delivery services, restaurants	Customer chat with assigned agents	Early Stage $49/mo, Startup $129/mo, Growth $299/mo, Standard $599/mo, Enterprise (contact sales team)	4.2 (70+ reviews)
Track-POD	Manufacturers, wholesalers, 3PL companies	Vehicle inspection app and safety management	Per driver plans: Standard $35/mo, Advanced $59/mo, Advanced Plus $79/mo, Enterprise (contact sales team) Per order plans: S Plan $285/mo, M Plan $510/mo, L Plan $900/mo, XL Plan $1449/mo	4.7 (120+ reviews)
Onfleet	Medium–large medical or pharmaceutical brands, supermarkets	Automatic carbon footprint minimization	Launch $550/mo, Scale $1265/mo, Enterprise (contact sales team)	4.7 (90+ reviews)

The best delivery notification software for customer satisfaction

The best delivery notification software for customer satisfaction offers real-time updates and dynamic notification settings to ensure customers stay informed every step of the way.

It prioritizes fast and efficient delivery and gives recipients a positive brand experience. The software should provide accurate, up-to-the-minute tracking information while streamlining communications with automated notifications.

Circuit for Teams

Circuit for Teams is delivery management software that helps businesses optimize the customer experience and meet the increasingly demanding needs of online shoppers. It keeps customers informed of changes in real time and lets you customize automated delivery notifications to ensure all communications are on-brand and reliable.

With Circuit for Teams, accurate ETAs and route optimization guarantee that goods are delivered efficiently. Delivery analytics features and integrations with popular navigation apps also enable you to continuously lift your delivery performance over time, further contributing to an improved customer experience.

Circuit for Teams pros:

Shaves precious minutes off each delivery with route planning and optimization
Streamlined customer communications with automated SMS and email updates
Keeps customers clued-in and makes accepting shipments a breeze with dynamic delivery windows and electronic proof of delivery
Offers further delivery notification automation via seamless API integrations with third-party tools such as Zapier
Gold-standard customer experience with live tracking and accurate ETAs

Positive Capterra review for Circuit for Teams product

Circuit for Teams cons:

Some users mention a learning curve that can take some getting used to when editing routes within the mobile app
Occasional glitches have been reported that may require reinstallation or customer support to remedy

Slightly negative Capterra review of Circuit for Teams

Circuit for Teams pricing:

Circuit for Teams pricing comes in three subscription plans to suit different company sizes and delivery requirements. However, only the Standard Plan and Pro Plan include customer notification features. A 14-day free trial is available for all plan sizes.

The Essentials Plan is the cheapest option, coming at $100 per month. It includes route planner app access for two drivers, route planning, and stop optimization – plus real-time tracking of deliveries. This option is best for small teams that require simple delivery management functionality.

At $200 per month, the Standard Plan is Circuit’s most popular option and is ideal for medium-sized teams. It includes three drivers, route planning and optimization, dynamic customer notifications, and electronic proof of delivery capture.

The Pro Plan is priced at $500 per month and is the most comprehensive Circuit for Teams subscription package. Pro users can enjoy all the features of the Essentials and Standard plans, along with six drivers, unlimited delivery history access, and powerful delivery analytics features.

Additional drivers can be purchased for all plan sizes. Pricing for extra drivers depends on the plan size: $40 per driver for Essentials, $60 per driver for Standard, and $80 per driver for Pro.

Note: With Circuit for Teams, managing deliveries just got easier. Imagine having route optimization, real-time tracking, and automated customer notifications at your fingertips. It's all about keeping your customers in the loop with dynamic time windows that adjust as the day unfolds. Interested in seeing how it can streamline your delivery process? Why not give it a go with our 14-day free trial.

The best delivery notification software for on-demand delivery services

For on-demand delivery services such as pharmacies, meal delivery, and groceries, the best delivery notification software should facilitate easy communication between the company, the delivery agents, and the customers. It should feature real-time tracking and updates for deliveries and make it easy for customers and drivers to communicate with each other.

Tookan by Jungleworks

Tookan is a fleet-tracking software solution designed to help on-demand delivery services streamline delivery operations. Users can access a suite of delivery management tools that include a Customer App, a Driver App, and a Manager App – ideal for keeping all parties informed about deliveries.

Customers can receive SMS delivery notifications, track the status of their order on a map interface in real time, and communicate with assigned agents through synchronized mobile and web apps.

Tookan pros:

Multiple payment gateways that allow it to be used as a point-of-sale (POS) system
Specifically designed to improve the efficiency of on-demand deliveries such as groceries and flowers
Integrates with popular food delivery apps including Just Eat, Grubhub, and Hungryhouse

Positive Capterra review of Tookan by Jungleworks

Tookan cons:

Customers mention frequent app freezes and report that the software is often down for extended periods
Limited delivery management functionality means it may not be suitable for large or complex operations
Several customer reviews mention features or assistance promised by Tookan before signing up that are never delivered

A negative review on Capterra of Tookan by Jungleworks

Tookan pricing:

Tookan pricing is available in five subscription options and ranges from $49 per month to $599+ per month. It is billed annually or monthly, and a free 14-day trial is included with every plan. Additional features including Route Optimization, Branded Agent App & Dashboard, and Email Parsing cost extra and are not included in any of the normal plans.

The Early Stage plan is $49 per month and includes 200 tasks a month, unlimited drivers, API access, and real-time chat. All extra features must be paid separately and Multi Merchant Extension is not available.

The Startup plan costs $129 per month and shares the same features and limitations as the Early Stage plan. However, 700 monthly tasks are included with the subscription.

The Growth plan comes in at $299 per month and includes 2000 tasks per month. It shares the same features and limitations as the Early Stage and Startup plans, except that it includes Multi Merchant Extension and one free Customer Booking Form.

The Standard plan costs $599 per month and includes 5000 tasks and two free Customer Booking Forms. All other features and limitations are the same as you would get with the Growth plan.

For businesses needing more than 5000 tasks per month, the Enterprise plan is available. Pricing is unlisted on their website and will be dependent on specific customizations and delivery volume.

The best delivery notification software for B2B

When it comes to business-to-business (B2B) deliveries, the best delivery notification software should ensure on-time deliveries and provide clear, instant notifications to customers anytime a delivery status is updated.

B2B customers represent high-value, often long-term, contracts. Accuracy and reliability are crucial to maintaining positive relationships and securing the trust of your customers. The best B2B delivery notification software should therefore prioritize live ETA tracking and facilitate easy communications between you and your customers.

Track-POD

Track-POD is a comprehensive last-mile logistics platform built for logistics companies, 3PLs, manufacturers, and other enterprises that organize and manage B2B and B2C deliveries. It helps companies plan drop-offs and pick-ups, document your deliveries, and share custom Proof of Delivery to customers.

It’s featured in this list for its delivery notification features, which include instant SMS and email notifications for customers. You can also use Track-POD to generate shipping labels, scan barcodes, and even perform paperless safety inspections on your vehicles.

Track-POD pros:

The simple, user-friendly dashboard makes it easy to action all your key tasks from one place
Multiple delivery management and delivery driver features, including vehicle inspection and route planning

Delivers real-time delivery tracking and live ETAs to keep B2B customers updated.

Track-POD cons:

Several users have complained online about inadequate customer support
Occasional software glitches and missing features negatively impact accessibility
Complicated and comparatively expensive pricing structure

A negative review of Track-POD with a thumbs down icon

Track-POD pricing plans are available on a per-driver basis or a per-order basis, ranging from $35 per month to $900+ per month. Driver-based subscriptions can be made cheaper by selecting annual billing. The prices below are based on a monthly subscription.

Per-driver pricing plans:

Standard: $35/mo per driver. This is Track-POD’s simplest plan and excludes many of the core product features. However, it does include three dashboard web users, delivery notifications, shipping labels, and six out of seven Proof of Delivery features.
Advanced: $59/mo per driver. The Advanced plan comes with seven dashboard web users and all the functionality included in the Standard plan, plus additional features for order management, route planning and analytics.
Advanced Plus: $79/mo per driver. Includes 50 dashboard web users, unlimited orders, and all Track-POD features apart from the Customized Support & Services Plan.
Enterprise: Contact the vendor for pricing. Includes all Track-POD features, unlimited web users, and unlimited orders.

Per-order pricing plans:

S Plan: $285/mo. Includes 1500 orders and all features except for developer API support and the Customized Support & Services Plan.
M Plan: $510/mo. Includes 3000 orders and all features except for developer API support and the Customized Support & Services Plan.
L Plan: $900/mo. Includes all features.

The best delivery notification software for large enterprises

The best delivery notification software for large or complex enterprises should offer a broad range of scalable and flexible delivery management features. It should be capable of integrating with major systems, such as ERP or logistics software. And it needs to be trainable; fast and simple when it comes time to onboard new employees.

Onfleet

Onfleet is an advanced logistics software designed to optimize last mile delivery. Companies can set up automatic status updates via SMS, anonymize calls to safeguard customer data, and build more efficient delivery management processes.

Although its subscription fees may outprice tighter budgets, Onfleet is an ideal last mile delivery solution for large or growing enterprises with high volumes of deliveries to manage.

It can also be used to automatically offset your carbon footprint, analyze delivery data, and consolidate routes to increase efficiency.

Onfleet pros:

A smooth onboarding process that makes it fast and simple to get started
Easy-to-understand and highly accessible user interface
Comprehensive suite of delivery management features that can scale with your business

Positive Capterra product review of Onfleet

Onfleet cons:

Integration with other systems can be expensive and challenging without developer assistance
Customers have reported needing to refresh tasks when the delivery software occasionally lags
The pricing structure may be too expensive for smaller companies

Onfleet pricing:

Onfleet pricing is available in three pricing tiers starting at $550 per month.

The Launch plan is their cheapest option, for $500/mo. It includes 2,000 delivery or pick-up tasks, unlimited users, ETA-triggered delivery notifications, route optimization, and basic support.

At $1,265/mo, the Scale plan includes all the features available with Launch, 5,000 tasks, barcode scanning, advanced ETA delivery notifications, and standard onboarding.

The Enterprise plan is priced upon application and can be customized for companies requiring more functionality than is available with the Scale plan.

Other delivery notification software options

In my research, I came across several delivery notification tools that did not make the final cut – either because of their usefulness, relevancy, or an insufficient volume of online reviews.

Which is the best delivery notification software overall?

Circuit for Teams takes first place as the best delivery notification software for most users.

Its dynamic notification functionality, reliable customer support, and powerful automation capabilities give you everything you need to provide an excellent experience for your customers.

In addition to its delivery notification features, Circuit for Teams offers a complete delivery management and route optimization platform. It makes life easier for retailers and courier companies by saving you time, money and effort on every delivery. For your customers, dynamic delivery notifications ensure a positive brand experience that can lead to higher retention rates.

The numerous integrations and tiered subscription options also make Circuit for Teams the best delivery notification software for most company types and fleet sizes.

FAQs for delivery notification software

What is delivery notification software?

Delivery notification software refers to a system that enables businesses to update customers about the status of their shipments. It is designed to streamline customer communications and provide an improved brand experience for the individual or business receiving goods.

What are the benefits of delivery notification software?

Delivery notification software empowers companies and drivers to give their customers the best possible service by keeping recipients informed of any updates to their delivery status.

The benefits of delivery notification software:

Reduces your administrative time by automating regular customer updates
Improves your customer satisfaction rates and brand loyalty
Provides clear visibility for management, the customer, and your drivers
Minimizes the number of customer support calls you receive
Lifts the overall efficiency and productivity of last-mile deliveries

What is a delivery notification?

In the world of delivery operations, a delivery notification is an update sent to a customer by a business regarding the status of their delivery. Delivery updates are commonly used to inform customers when goods have been shipped and delivered and in case of any changes such as in the ETA. They can be sent manually – via SMS, email, app, or other means – or automatically, using delivery notification software.