I think you will agree that clear communication is the fundamental key to success in any relationship.

And I'm sure you will not be surprised to learn that, according to Royal Mail trend research (2009), 74% of shoppers agreed that they would like to be kept informed as to the stage their delivery is at.

I have always been struck by all-too-common reports that consumers can feel like they are “held hostage” in their own home, afraid to take a shower or even pop out for a pint of milk lest they should miss an awaited delivery. Similarly, I wonder how much resentment builds up when people have to use a precious day of annual leave to receive an item that they have ordered online. More about this in a moment.

Naturally, you'll want to communicate clearly and effectively with your customers and delivery consignees not only to maximise on first time delivery success but also because if you don't you could be fulfilling customer expectations just 26% of the time.

Imagine a simple method of communication where all parties are kept in the loop, at every stage of the delivery, in real-time.

How can we offer this?...

With this in mind our team of developers have extended the Houndit framework to include the 'Notify-it' module as part of our continual commitment to provide innovative benefits to the delivery market.

The Notify-it module allows any tracking event to trigger the automated sending of a customised text message and/or e-mail to the consumer thereby keeping them up to date with the progress of their delivery/ collection. Whether its receipt by the carrier, left safe place, can’t find address or any other tracking event Notify-it allows each message to reach the consumer at the right time, informing them of the proposed actions and seeking their feedback where they might not be available to meet expected plans. This means that communication with the consumer is optimised, resulting in superior customer satisfaction, added value and enhanced service levels.

What's more, when everyone is kept informed as to the stage the delivery is at, potential obstacles to successful delivery can be overcome. As a result you have the power to maximise on efficiency and profits, saving fuel, time and money.

Incidentally the module is available either as an integrated part of the Houndit suite or as a stand alone piece for integration into other existing tracking systems. 

If you would like to experience first-hand the effectiveness of this valuable business-building tool contact me, Natasha, on 08700 707077 or email natasha.wilson@houndit.co.uk .

You can opt for configuration of tracking events and incident codes at trip, drop and parcel level all of which can be configured to trigger specific text message and e-mail templates sent to the consumers mobile phone or e-mail detail provided with the pre-advice.
 
In addition each message can be configured to include a hyper link which the consumer can use to view details about their delivery and communicate changes back to the carrier such as updated special instructions, notification they will not be in, alternate delivery date etc.
 
Mobile users can simply open the text message, select the hyper link and be directed to a mobile phone friendly web page about their specific parcel. By simply clicking they can provide valuable feedback which can be communicated to the carrier in seconds.

As I have mentioned, this solution provides significant improvements in perceived customer service, giving the consumer the opportunity to advise the carrier of potential issues that might prevent them being available for the courier and allowing the carrier to improve operational efficiency by communicating valuable data to the courier.
 
The integrated notification system allows messages to be generated that notify the consumer of an impending delivery and by using our route scheduling system combined with realtime feedback of job progress it is possible to predict when the courier is 30 minutes away from the delivery and notify  the consumer accordingly. Those working close by can simply return home upon receipt of the appropriate alert to receive a delivery without losing an entire day’s work.

It is also possible to provide a direct communication path between consumer and courier at this critical phase of the delivery to further improve first time success. 

If you would like to find out more about how to increase first time delivery success in your business contact me, Natasha, on 08700 707077 or email natasha.wilson@houndit.co.uk .