For years DPD have set the benchmark for service that other couriers services are inevitably measured against. This year at The Delivery Conference, their CEO, Dwain McDonald, set out his vision for 2016 with DPD Precise.
Firstly I should say that the screen shots are from Dwain’s presentation, we’ve asked for real screen shots but they’re not available yet, however the service is so exciting we don’t want to wait until we give you a flavour of what it’s all about.
DPD Precise
DPD Precise builds upon their Predict offering which gives consumers expecting a parcel a one hour window in which it will be delivered followed by a 15 minute window as the delivery time approaches.
The new service will enable the consumer to tell DPD when they’d like their delivery to take place. Asking “When do you want your parcel?”, rather than DPD giving the consumer a time slot it will change the delivery experience on it’s head. With DPD Precise the consumer can instruct the driver when to deliver.
Of course this will entail a headache for DPD and Dwain frankly said he still didn’t know the ramifications of the service – for instance if a large number of people delay their parcel for one day. Just how much additional space will be needed for storage at delivery depots?
DPD Precise will come hand in hand with the DPD app, which enables consumers not only to track their DPD deliveries but also to give instant feedback. Importantly there will be no change to the retailer at checkout. Consumers will be able to book their preferred delivery time slots through the app but it doesn’t stop there.
Redelivery when DPD know you’re back home
What happens if you’ve had a missed delivery but have the DPD app installed? DPD will be able to see your location via the app and if they couldn’t deliver your parcel earlier in the day will be able to check your whereabouts later on in the day. If they see that you (or rather your mobile running the DPD app) are back home, DPD will be able to make a second delivery attempt if the driver is still in the area. You the customer won’t have to do a thing.
We’re waiting for more details with great anticipation, the initial launch will be to DPD’s top customers but DPD Precise should be running by the summer. Currently we’ve only given a small taster of their plans but if you’re a DPD customer we think you’ll be pretty impressed when all is revealed.
Why DPD are market leaders
Here at Tamebay we hate the term ‘market leader’, but in DPD’s case it really is fitting. While most couriers are still working to provide time slots to tell their customers when a parcel is likely to arrive, DPD are turning the entire service around to allow their customers to tell the courier what time they’d like to receive their delivery.
We expect to see DPD increase their delivery schedule to routinely include Saturday and Sunday deliveries. With weekend deliveries coupled with customer choice of time slot, for the first time consumers will be able to request a delivery that fits around their life, not around the couriers route.
2016 is going to be an exciting year for deliveries in general and for DPD in particular. Watch out for more news on DPD Precise later in the year.
5 Responses
We use DPD & I can this being an absolute nightmare for the drivers, as our driver covers a huge distance everyday & changing their route from a,b,c,d,e to c,d,a,e,b would be unviable.
Also their Saturday/Sunday service is very expensive & anything sent on Friday is currently delivered on a Monday no matter how busy they are
Why put the tail before the head?
So much emphasis these days goes towards the back end delivery experience (output) and very little thought goes towards how to make the front end more robust (Input)
If your a business that puts significant volume into carrier networks then you are likely to relate to the following;
* Carriers failing to collect
* Carriers arriving late
* Carriers arriving with insufficient space on the vehicle
* Carriers unable to provide later collection slots
* Carriers on hourly rate pulling out of depot regardless
* Carriers not scanning parcels onto vehicle
* Carriers literally throwing products onto vehicles
The start of any customer experience journey starts with input at the collection depot. This crucial stage is void of any real service measurement and sits firmly off the radar to the outside world and Joe public. When will the major parcel players realise that uncollected items, un-scanned items, and damaged items affect the service experience and the right first time percentage?
The sexy marketing spin sprinkled on the latest breakthrough in parcel delivery is all good and well but if the front end is broken then surely fixing the basics makes more sense and will deliver the step change in right first time delivery.
It could be pracical, IF it cut down on the number of first-time missses greatly. I dont think it will.
the kind of people who cant be at home when provided, multiple times, with a 15-minute timeslot and the option to change that if not suitable, still wont be at home when they pick their own timeslot.
Many already saying can’t be done or will be a nightmare for the drivers, maybe so but they are already a head of the game with 1 hour time slots.Companies that have a can do attitude stand a greater chance of survival in tough market places. Why not try an push the customer experience even further and where possible allow them to pick their time slot. If I get a customer return for an expensive item I use DPD as if I may be out part of the day I can see what deliver time slot they give and if out rebook to be dropped off at the local pick up point.