DHL Parcel (Speedpack) delivers a daily total of over 6,000 parcels, 800 pallets and 2,000 irregular-sized items in Belgium and Luxembourg. This involves around 270 vehicles departing every day from the warehouse or one of the five cross-docking zones in Belgium.
DHL Parcel (Speedpack) went out looking for a solution to make deliveries as efficient as possible and to offer customers the possibility to follow their parcels in real time. This solution was also to give an alert in case of a discrepancy between the load and the delivery note. With a number of customers at DHL Parcel (Speedpack) having rather specific reporting requirements it needs to be possible to also create customised reports. Finally DHL Parcel also wanted the solution to integrate complaints and claims easily in the process.
“We have been in touch with a number of suppliers”, says David Thys, BPO/IT Program Manager at DHL Parcel. “IDdelivery from PHI DATA came top when we compared them. There were a number of reasons for that. PHI DATA scored well in the ratio between price and quality, and also regarding installation and daily operation. Not only that, their system was easy to use and quick to implement while also providing all the options we were hoping for.”
IDdelivery gives each item a barcode with a unique number. These numbers are linked to a delivery note belonging to a particular round or route. All drivers have an industrial PDA from Motorola with integrated barcode scanner. This has a real-time connection to the central database. By scanning all barcodes during loading, drivers can check immediately if they are leaving with the correct load.
After loading, IDdelivery displays the list of all delivery addresses en route. With just one press of a button the driver can start the journey and head towards the first address on the list. The system is connected to planning software and Bing Maps, in order to calculate the best route and the anticipated arrival time. This enables customers to follow their package in real time and know precisely where it is at any particular moment and at what time it is expected to arrive at their home.
Once it arrives at the customer the delivery note and barcode on the article are scanned. Should there be any problems with the delivery, for example if it has been damaged, this can be identified, using photos if necessary. The recipient signs the delivery note or the PDA screen, avoiding any discussion later on about whether the goods have been received.
After delivery the details are available straight away, allowing administration to be finalised or for customer service, without the driver having to bring in the paperwork first.
“We are really delighted with the solution”, says David Thys. “In the meantime it’s been up and running for a number of years and both our fleet and our back office can now work more efficiently. In addition we invest less time and money in making phone calls, both to and from people with questions about their delivery and to and from our drivers. Our customers are happy because we can offer them customised support. And people waiting for a delivery are really positive about it because they can check their parcel’s delivery time online.”
