Fast-growing DPD UK plans to introduce new services giving consumers much more delivery flexibility and even enabling them to select their preferred time of delivery as it extends its award-winning technology products.
“We’re adding more and more choice,” CEO Dwain McDonald told retailers and other participants at The Delivery Conference in London this week.
In March, DPD UK will launch a new consumer app that will incorporate a detailed customer profile, pictures of ‘safe places’ where delivery staff can leave parcels and the addresses of nominated neighbours who could also accept a parcel.
Consumers will receive a 30-minute arrival notification and will be able to track the DPD driver as he approaches their home. In addition, they will be able to change deliveries ‘in-flight’ by redirecting them, for example to one of the company’s 2,500 parcel shops. App users will also benefit from a second delivery attempt later in the day towards the end of the delivery round.
Moreover, consumers will be able to rate their driver by contributing a customer satisfaction review to the app. This will generate internal competition between drivers “to see who is the most customer-centric driver”, according to McDonald.
The app options will enhance the existing Predict service which notifies parcel recipients of their one-hour delivery timeslot, enables ‘in-flight options' such as deliver to a specific neighbour, leave in a specified safe place or divert delivery to the nearest DPD Pickup parcel shop.
In the next stage, the fast-growing company will then launch ‘DPD Precise’ this summer with ASOS as the first customer. After making their online purchase, shoppers will be able to select their delivery date and time from a calendar, with deliveries available between 11.00 and 17.00 on seven days a week.
“The consumer will pick the hour and day (of delivery). There will be a time-window of one hour for a delivery,” McDonald told conference participants. This will be similar to the delivery options offered by food retailers.
Meanwhile, DPD also scooped two honours at the MetaPack Delivery Excellence Awards 2016 at the event. The company won the award for Best Contribution to Delivery Innovation ahead of DHL, Doddle, Nightline and On the Dot and, for the second year in a row, Best Provider of Outstanding Service beating Hermes, Parcelforce Worldwide, Royal Mail and Yodel.
McDonald commented: "These awards mean a lot to us because the winners are voted for by the very retailers who pay our wages. It is also significant for me as our investment in innovation and customer service are the two things we've focused on relentlessly to differentiate DPD and create a truly world class delivery experience.”
DPD UK, with annual revenues of some £945 million, delivers 200 million parcels a year. It employs more than 9,000 people, operating more than 3,000 vehicles from over 50 locations.
