If you want to gain some awesome information about the top trends in UK courier services, you should first understand that the service of notification about the status of an order, the location of a parcel or courier in instant messengers, SMS, or an online store application is in demand. These customer needs have forced delivery services to adjust processes and improve technology.
UK courier service
According to experts, rapid growth and scaling of UK courier service are only possible if e-commerce market players, logistics companies, Omnichannel retailers, and small and medium-sized businesses in the regions work together. This is the only way to scale delivery in conditions of active growth, launch it in settlements of any size, and flexibly manage capacity at peak moments of demand.
Courier Software, as one of the largest software companies active in the country’s transportation industry, has been able to contribute to the advancement and development of this industry by using experts in the fields of software engineering and international transportation and by offering comprehensive automation of courier and express mail to localization. The operational processes, recovery, commercial, financial, distribution, and tracking of shipments of transport companies are addressed and respond to their needs.
What are Top Trends in UK Courier Services?
Consumer requests have caused an increase in the volume of work on delivery services within the relevant departments and on the hotlines of courier companies. In addition to the formation and adjustment of orders at the initial stage, coordination and change of details, including dates and delivery times, the need for notifications about the status and location of orders has increased.
1. Rapid growth and scaling of infrastructure
First, companies have seen the need to scale and flexibly manage delivery to make delivery more convenient for consumers. The desire to overcome the so-called “last mile” in the goods supply chain to develop their own logistics divisions.
New partners and services have come to the aid of online retailers and logistics services in peak conditions, contactless courier delivery, expansion of networks of parcel terminals, and pick-up points. It has become possible to receive orders, including at checkouts and from administrators of retail outlets.
2. Automation of communication
Automation of communication with customers when servicing incoming requests and coordinating delivery parameters is becoming increasingly popular. We believe that in the next six months to a year most large courier companies will begin to use it. One by one, they abandon classic interaction with clients and switch to communicating through instant messengers and social networks, or, in extreme cases, using a robocall.
Clients of large companies have already experienced the benefits of automated communication. Now they don’t have to wait long for a response from the hotline operator, and companies don’t have to spend money on servicing a number and paying for waiting minutes.
3. Robotic communication
Nowadays, robotic communication in instant messengers begins with the order being collected and ready for delivery, and the user is offered the opportunity to select the date and time range for its receipt using an interactive menu.
The schedule is dynamic: the system online checks the order with the courier service plan in a particular region – similar to making an appointment with a doctor: if some interval is already occupied, neither a specialist nor a bot will suggest it.
Options are offered until one of them suits the customer and the delivery schedule is filled. If the customer does not pay attention to the interactive menu, but writes in free text, artificial intelligence is activated – a neural network that analyzes the request, selects the necessary entities – date and time, puts it in the courier service schedule, and the author receives a confirmation notification.
Digital communication channels with working bots can filter out approximately half of client requests, processing routine ones and leaving only non-trivial tasks for operators. On the day of delivery, you can also connect an additional push notification in the channel through which the date and time of receiving the order were previously agreed upon as a reminder.
In principle, it is important for courier companies in the UK to organize order delivery the first time, minimizing repeated visits to customers. In modern realities, this is where preliminary approval of delivery by bots and a reminder in a channel convenient for the consumer help. In addition, experience shows that the efficiency of couriers increases if they are relieved of the need to call customers.
4. Artificial intelligence
The use of artificial intelligence in communications with clients is another trend. Let’s explain with an example. While waiting for delivery, the client may have various questions and wishes: where is the order, why is it taking so long to deliver, is it possible to reschedule the date and pick it up yourself, or maybe he wants to clarify something for the future: how much does it cost to send a parcel from London to Chester.
Artificial intelligence can analyze the content of requests, make a request to the company’s CRM system, obtain information about the order using the invoice number, or calculate the cost of delivery by sending input data to the system (point of departure, delivery location, order weight, dimensions), and receive the cost of sending the parcel, and provide a response to the client.
In other words, in order to get a result that an operator would spend a couple of minutes working on, artificial intelligence will spend a few seconds, performing calculations in an automated mode.
5. Omnichannel technologies
Omnichannel technologies are another fairly popular courier trend in the UK. The point is that courier service providers are required to have an integrated view of all the channels and inventory of the companies they work with, dynamic/flexible delivery and order fulfillment options, and ongoing customer engagement.
Most companies in the UK have already come to use Omnichannel platforms for processing requests. The operating company receives the request in one window, where all applications are aggregated, processes it using all available resources, and sends the answer to where the question was asked. For the client, this is an ideal situation when it is possible to write where it is convenient for him and receive an answer there.
Why is Courier Service Important?
Courier service is famous for faster speed and tractability compared to national postal service. Courier services are especially useful for people who sell their products online and need mail to send multiple packages.
In many ways, a courier service like Courier software can be needed in a business. Customers don’t like to wait too long for their package, so safe shipping and fast and efficient delivery are very crucial and significant.
1. Trustworthy
Most courier services are reliable. As you trust them to deliver your packages, they also strive to improve and attract customers to satisfy you.
2. Pricing
Delivery services often offer cost-effective solutions for package delivery. Especially for large shipments, or important agreements, or long-term contracts, the courier service may offer you cheaper prices. With this policy that benefits both parties, they keep you as their customer and deliver packages at a more reasonable price.
3. Tracing
With the advancement of technology, courier delivery services provide a lot of reassurance to customers through traceability. Both you and your customers can now find out what stage the package is at. This feature helps you inform your customers about the waiting time for your package and keep them informed of any delays.
4. Competitive service
A few years ago if you weren’t at the delivery location, your package would be returned or lost, but now customers can often add delivery instructions and safe locations.
Conclusion
For courier companies in the UK, efficiency and quality of delivery have always been and will be relevant. Technologies are designed to help maintain warehouse capacity and high quality service so that customers receive their orders on time and on flexible terms. And logistics services, understanding this, are ready to take the path of technology, especially during a period of rapidly growing demand for their services.
Also, don’t forget to take a look at Courier Software’s other blog posts for more information about all of its awesome services.
