People Aren’t Going Anywhere

Although automation helps shippers meet unprecedented demand for faster and cheaper delivery, people are essential for a well-functioning network, says a Coyote Logistics report.

As supply chains grow increasingly complex, technology is more efficient at sifting through large data sets in real time and running scenario analyses. However, people aren’t going anywhere (see chart). No matter how many digital tools a business adopts, people still need to run them and problem-solve when things go wrong.

In 2021, similar to 2019, shippers indicate communication is the No. 1 task that requires human interaction, the report says. Specifically, communication with customers and third-party logistics providers are the top two human-centric tasks. While those numbers dropped compared to 2019, shippers’ preference shifted to a combination of people and technology, not technology alone.

When asked whether people, technology, or a combination gets the optimal results across 16 core supply chain tasks, on average, supply chain leaders opt for at least some level of human interaction 65% of the time, Coyote says.