At this week’s MetaPack Delivery Conference, Hermes revealed the launch of their new digital strategy and how all of the investment and innovations from the past few years are coming together to build a better delivery proposition for the future.
I was able to sit down and talk to Hermes UK CEO, Martijn de Lange to find out more about their evolution from a value based carrier to a premium service offering and how this would benefit retailers and delight consumers with the ‘WOW’ factor.
The foundations Hermes have in place
In the past, Hermes and their consumer arm myHermes have been known for the value proposition. For the future they’re becoming a fully multichannel proposition with 7 day a week ParcelShops, weekend deliveries and a new digital premium experience.
They’ve laid the foundations with their new Rugby hub, pay and print in store, photo and GPS delivery confirmations and have invested in new IT to bring all the different components of the business together. A new website and the launch of a brand new mobile app will add in amazing tracking, delivery notifications and inflight redirections in order to personalise the delivery experience for consumers.
Turning the focus from the parcel to the customer
There was a common theme throughout The Delivery Conference and this is to put the customer in control and focus on their experience rather than as has been in the past for many couriers a focus on the parcel itself. Hermes, with their recent investments and new website and app will be putting the customer first with real time ability to specify a safe place, a neighbour or diversion to a ParcelShop inflight so that they can choose the delivery experience that suits their needs on the day of delivery – and it might be different every time depending on the customers plans for that day.
This won’t be cold and faceless but a highly personalised experience – The app notifications will tell the consumer who their friendly local courier is with their picture. They’ll be given a delivery time slot to let them know when the parcel will arrive and the consumer will be entirely in control of the whole experience on the day.
Zero touch problem solving for retailers
Hermes ultimate aim is to address any delivery problems themselves rather than pushing back to the retailer. For instance nothing in the courier industry is worse than a failed delivery so giving the customer inflight options can address this. Should an address be incorrect, the Hermes will enable customers to update their address in order for a successful delivery to take place or give directions to the courier rather than the retailer having to deal with exceptions. It’s all revolves around the new proactive communications that Hermes will be putting in place.
Amazing returns with Hermes
The final piece in the delivery jigsaw that Hermes will address will be their amazing returns service. Either the website or the app will be able to arrange a return which could be collected or dropped at a ParcelShop without the need for the consumer to contact the retailer. Not going to be in? That won’t be a problem as the consumer can simply leave their parcel in their nominated safe place and in the app let the courier know where to pick it up from. Not got a printer for the label? Again no problem, the app will generate a QR code so that you can print your label at your local myHermes ParcelShop.
Hermes value proposition and premium experience
Hermes have a reputation as a value focused carrier and this won’t change, but they’ll now be able to offer a premium experience to the consumer whilst reducing the workload and touchpoints for the retailer.
Hermes entire business is growing, but especially their next day service for larger retailers, their estate of ParcelShops have proven enormously popular with consumers due to their long opening hours for both outbound parcels and returns and Hermes international business is seeing strong growth. Naturally Hermes and myHermes remain popular with smaller independent retailers as well and as the delivery experience offered to customers grows they will become ever more attractive due to their value proposition.
2018 – A year of ‘WOW’ for Hermes
Hermes has always stood for scale, value, convenience and the personal touch, now Hermes will come to be associated with a premium experience. What will differentiate Hermes in the future is their belief that premium services shouldn’t cost the earth.
24 Responses
GPS delivery confirmations are failing miserably for both customers and sellers. As far as they are concerned GPS taken within 20 metres of a customer’s address is classed as delivered to the correct address. 20 metres can be over a street away.
We had one particular customer who contacted us to say they hadn’t received an item, could we look in to it. We called Hermes who said GPS was within 20 metres and the customer had signed for the item. After 2 weeks of asking for extra information and Hermes refusing to look for the item as it had been correctly delivered, we contacted our Account Manager.
Turns out the driver had delivered the item to the incorrect address. It hadn’t been signed for, the driver had left it in the shed at the wrong address. No apology was given.
For the most part Hermes works really well for this, but this new policy is causing severe issues as they refuse to even call the driver for extra information.
No mention of the major issues in the new Rugby centre. They were failing to process so many parcels that the centre manager was removed in January and a new team installed. Thankfully better now but I’ve lost my Top-rated status for the first time in years.
Once again an outsider blaming the final mile courier,customers cheat and lie because they have the most to gain.
GPS ? I’ve actually been stood on a door step.posted item thru letter box… only to b told on terminal that I’m “out of gps position” ??
This all sounds great on paper but Hermes need to start paying couriers a decent parcel rate not the 63p average that I have had for 24yrs as a courier
If Hermes want to provide a DPD service then they will need to pay their couriers DPD rates at the moment it’s less than half!!
hermes cant do theys items as we are self employed and we can deliver the parcels when ever we like during the day not when hermes say we have to their are no timed deliverys just hermes forcing it on to the couriers with hermes being took court by the gmb union because they are classing their self employed couriers as employed so all theys rules hermes are applying should not be in place one bit and takeing photos and a finger print its against the law to do this and hermes need to pay the couriers more money some are still on 45p a parcels
GPS can be very inaccurate a lot of the time. I have been at the door also speaking to the customer and the GPS shows inaccurate.
Late lorrys to solus couriers, skeleton barcodes, unmanifested parcels, having to ask for payments when you have attempted 3 times to collect a return, when you make 3 attempts to deliver a parcel they pay you then take it back when they send that parcel out with another courier or send it back to you to try and deliver again so you only get paid for 3 attempts if the sender does not request hermes try to deliver again. The handsets are slow and crash numerous times having to take photos even when posting through letter box of each parcel to an address adds so much time to your day alot of couriers are now on less than minimum wage. Then theres the amount of parcels coming through the network as packets
Hermes are a disgrace with how they treat their couriers. The GMB Union have succeeded with legal action against other delivery firms, next up is Hermes and I hope they get taken to the cleaners.
If you are a retailer or member of the public, don’t use Hermes until they treat their couriers as employees.
what for the rate you pay us
couriers leaving left right and centre
I WAS ON 45P FOR 23YEARS .
LESS THAN THE MIN WAGE
I find this article absolutely laughable. Couriers at Hermes are “self employed ” earning low packet and parcel amounts and now they envisage that couriers are going to divert to the local parcel shop. I am astounded that the couriers are once more the last to know-astounded but not surprised!! Working for this company is now becoming so dispiriting……
Complete Circus… Run by Clowns
Complete comedy of errors this company. Customer services sending you wrong messages on HTT, broken English , can’t understand what they want. Bullying tactics by FM and compliance managers who sit behind a computer giving you statistics of what you haven’t done property. All form of control without the employment. Disgusting company to work for . I’ve had enough
Hermes need to get their house in order first Martin de Lange!!
Try treating hard working,poorly paid self employed couriers with some respect in the first instance, instead of the usual bullying and intimidation meted out by your Field Managers.
No one is going to jump to the whims of the end customer, if they want it to go to a parcel shop they should make that the first option address when they order the goods.
Couriers on 50p a parcel aren’t going to go out of their way to redirect a delivery on the same day as it’s just not cost effective.
de Lange,sort you own house out first,idiot call centre staff,compliance ‘little hitlers’
field managers who haven’t got a clue,their bosses who are as bad,hubs that send back green cards and throw heavy items on anything they want,ridiculous size ‘packets’ and Victorian workhouse pay to you’re couriers,don’t get me started on next catalogues or timed deliveries which can be left in a safe place,you can’t build a jag when you’re company only has parts from a ford Capri.
this is ment to be about being a life style courier that means it fits in with your life. they treat us like employed when we are self employed. ive done rounds that pay 45p and 55p you cant make a living on these rates. i earnt £18 for 4 hours work not taking off fuel ect. its time hermes was investigated for all there lies
Mmmm
You can’t put a bow on something that’s falling apart.
We stopped using Hermes for 3 reasons:-
1. Unacceptably high rate of items lost or heavily delayed compared to other couriers we use.
2. Poor customer service with little effort made to trace missing items and some stickiness as well over compensation.
3. Shambolic delivery service – usually unmarked vans, taxis or even pizza delivery vans. Poorly paid, harrassed delivery staff with low morale do not give good service.
Basically, they’re the Ryanair of the courier world. You get what you pay for, folks.
Hermes – a multi million pound company run by imbeciles!
Honestly it is a joke -lorries and vans turning up late, less than a handle of ‘staff’ to sort the thousands of parcels at the sub depots, couriers having to load the (let’s not forget -paying customers) parcels into their vehicles in the rain (ever wondered why your parcel was a bit ‘damp’?)sub managers, field managers and compliance managers all on power trips and threatening the ‘self employed’ couriers with withdrawal of work.
Hermes treat their couriers and customers with equal contempt. Its all about keeping their lucrative client contracts. ……lol if only they knew what really goes on!
They’re trying to portray themselves as a professional outfit when they are a very long way from that! They expect their under paid couriers to take on all this extra work. …safe in the knowledge that I’d that courier leaves, another desperate person will be eager to jump in (until they realise fir themselves how bad it is!)
All true glad leigh & day have got my paperwork.
I have just withdrawn my service to Hermes after 13 years. Fed up with failing Technology, Systems and incompetent Managers. Hermes need to thoroughly Audit and Review the failings of their ever expanding top heavy Heierachy, and start treating their final mile Couriers with fairness and respect they deserve.