Ever wonder how companies like DHL Express manage to deliver thousands of packages efficiently every single day? The secret lies in sophisticated AI-powered routing and dispatch automation - and today's guest is at the forefront of this revolution.

Join me as I sit down with Erin Blair, VP of Global Partnerships at Wise Systems, an MIT-born company that's transforming how businesses handle their last-mile delivery operations. WISE Systems processes 20,000-30,000 routes daily using machine learning to capture the "tribal knowledge" of experienced dispatchers and drivers, turning it into automated systems that optimize operations in real-time.

In this fascinating deep-dive, Erin reveals how AI is solving one of logistics' biggest challenges: turning reactive dispatch operations into proactive, data-driven systems that can identify when trucks are running 30% empty and immediately alert sales teams to fill that capacity.

Key Takeaways

• AI-Powered Route Optimization: How machine learning captures dispatcher preferences, driver patterns, and service times to optimize 20,000+ routes daily
• Turning Operations into Sales Opportunities: Real-time visibility into truck capacity creates immediate revenue opportunities for sales teams
• The Power of Field Research: Why WISE Systems sends engineers and founders on actual delivery routes across different countries to understand real user needs
• Proactive vs Reactive Operations: How AI is transforming dispatchers from firefighters into strategic planners with data-driven insights
• Tribal Knowledge Capture: How machine learning preserves and scales the expertise of veteran dispatchers and drivers
• Real-Time Business Intelligence: Moving from quarterly reports to instant feedback on route performance and capacity utilization

Sound Bites

• "I talked to a national carrier recently - they're running 30% full on half their trucks. How does the salesperson know that?"
• "We want to automate and give that dispatcher more time to deal with the exceptions, not the rules"
• "One of our founders will sit in a truck with somebody and deliver with them. That's impressive."
• "You plan to do 1800 miles today with 12 trucks - how did you actually do? I'll find out in a couple months when my quarterly report comes in. Well, that doesn't help them for next Tuesday."
• "If you're not in the game, you can't lose it - but you can't win it either"

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction to WISE Systems and Last-Mile Logistics
02:16 - What WISE Systems Does: Routing & Dispatch Automation
04:15 - Scale and Major Customers (DHL Express, Anheuser-Busch)
05:34 - AI and Machine Learning in Route Optimization
09:32 - Turning Empty Truck Capacity into Sales Opportunities
12:18 - Being Proactive vs Reactive in Operations
15:51 - AI Tools and Technology Stack at WISE Systems
18:57 - Internal AI Tools for Support and Engineering
24:22 - Field Research: Engineers on Delivery Routes
29:41 - The Future: Changing the Role of Dispatchers
33:40 - Personal Values and Family as Greatest Achievement
38:59 - How to Connect with Erin and WISE Systems

Connect with us
Where to find Erin:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-blair/
Website: https://www.wisesystems.com/

Where to find Sani: 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sani-djaya/
Get in touch: sani@gridgoals.com