DPD
When DPD approached major customers for feedback on its performance the message came back loud and clear - deliver those “tiny noticeable things” which, as one chief executive explained, “separates the truly great companies from the rest.”
To that end, DPD launched its Tiny Noticeable Things campaign aimed at creating a more personal home delivery service.
First it turned to its consumers, asking them, via its DPD customer app, what additional services they would like.
Ideas came thick and fast and from these DPD developed six new offerings, including a facility to alert customers their delivery is five minutes away and the ability for consumers to change their parcel’s destination during delivery.
Results have been impressive with DPD delivering 2.75m more parcels right first-time compared to the previous year - a performance reflected in its ranking at the top of the MoneySavingExpert’s 2019 poll of 9,475 shoppers.
In the same year DPD also ramped up its drive to cut its carbon footprint, boosting its electric vehicle fleet yet again to 622 vehicles, compared to just five in 2017.
And, after seeing a gap in the market, DPD designed and launched its own cargo bike, the P1, for urban deliveries, which will save DPD 30 tonnes of CO2 a year.
Judges praised the company’s commitment to listening to customers and consumers alike and its dynamic approach to designing its own cargo bike.
Keen & Able
Premium two-person home delivery firm Keen & Able has attained outstanding customer service levels since its launch in 2016, achieving a 98% successful delivery record and a 4.8 “excellent” rating on Trust Pilot.
It has also delivered rapid growth with consignments leaping from 34,000 to 120,000, over the past three years, and revenue up six fold from £700,000 to £4.3m.
Further strong growth is forecast this year, with revenue predicted to rise to £6m and consignments tipping 120,000.
This rapid expansion has helped create another 100 jobs and seen the company expand into a new 40,000ft2 facility in Northampton, with a 20,000ft2 satellite depot in Manchester, saving over 500,000 road miles a year and reducing the average driving day by two hours.
It has also invested in 25 new liveried, purpose-built, 3.5 tonne Maxi-Mover vans, doubling fleet capacity.
Training is highly valued with all two-person crews required to pass a customer service training course before going out on the road and all drivers attaining driver hour training to HGV standards.
The second person on each van is also trained as a Customer Service Representative (CSR), liaising with the customer throughout the delivery journey and also with the depot, which frees the driver to focus solely on the route.
Judges praised Keen & Able’s high customer satisfaction scores, its commitment to training drivers to HGV standard, its strong financial performance and its professional delivery experience.
Wren Kitchens
Wren Kitchens is constantly upgrading its delivery service to help it keep one step ahead of its rivals in what is a competitive and demanding market.
In 2019 the company, which runs a fleet of 214 vehicles, delivered 95% of its kitchens on time and in full, aided by some newly launched initiatives including its ‘My Account’ App, which keeps customers full informed of their order status from beginning to end, and a series of animated customer videos illustrating the delivery process.
Wren Kitchens has also made significant cuts to its delivery costs and its carbon footprint with the introduction of its triple trunking system. This uses an 18 tonne truck to carry six kitchens in three specially designed demountable boxes for the major part of the delivery route. Once close to delivery point the three boxes are demounted and placed onto 7.5 tonne Isuzu trucks to cover the final delivery miles.
Over an 18 month period Wren’s triple trunking system has cut the company’s carbon footprint by around 33%, delivered efficiency savings of £2.91m and helped the company achieve more than 20% annual growth year-on-year, for the tenth year running.
Judges praised Wren Kitchens for its clear commitment to improving the customer experience, its high percentage of on-time deliveries and the significant cuts achieved in its carbon emission levels.
- The Motor Transport Awards will take place on 17 November 2020 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London. Book a table now to avoid disappointment.