Yodel has saved an average of 20 minutes of wasted time a day from its drivers’ routes using mapping software from Trimble Maps, the parcel delivery company revealed this week.

The company, which  employs approximately 10,000 staff, has seen record growth and demand for its services since the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, with its delivery volumes rising by almost 35% in 2021, compared to 2020, and demand predicted to remain high throughout 2022.

In response to rocketing demand, Yodel tasked technology specialists Trimble Maps with upgrading the Yodel Driver routing app to optimise delivery times, improve driver productivity and boost customer service levels.

Trimble, which has been in partnership with Yodel since 2010, integrated Trimble Maps’ route optimisation technology into the app, giving Yodel drivers an additional 20 minutes of delivery time a day.

At the same time, the technology has allowed Yodel to communicate accurate delivery time windows to Xpect service customers 98.77% of the time, improving customer satisfaction.

The software ensures that when parcels are assigned and loaded into each Yodel driver’s app - according to their region and start time - an optimised stop order is instantly generated. This accounts for pre-defined priority destinations, expected delivery times per stop, and historical travel times, creating an accurate ETA for each stop along the way.

Trimble Maps’ routing solution also allows drivers to quickly identify if a route is over or underloaded, so routes can be load balanced prior to finalising. Once the driver approves and finalises the route, the technology generates an accurate ETA for each stop, which allows Yodel to communicate a two-hour delivery window to customers receiving a parcel through Yodel’s Xpect service.

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Chris Quin, EMEA VP at Trimble Maps, says: “Technology that enables drivers to optimise stops in seconds helps Yodel’s full-time and lifestyle drivers improve productivity while improving customer service. Putting advanced technology in drivers’ hands to automate route sequencing and ETAs helps drivers focus on exceeding customer expectations.”

Carl Moore, Yodel chief operating officer, added: “Our partnership with Trimble Maps has been key to our success. Having worked closely together for 14 years, we have been able to coordinate on the development of the technology and ensure it is seamlessly implemented across our network.

"We look forward to the future of this partnership to continue to provide a flexible and effective delivery service.”

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