Since so many of us shop on the internet, parcel delivery is big business. But it has its problems. £376.6 million worth of parcels were stolen by ‘porch pirates’ in the UK in 2024 according to FoI (Freedom of Information) requests to UK police. Not only that but the thieves are becoming increasingly savvy, using readily-available wi-fi blockers to bypass smart doorbells and cameras.
If you’re like me and logistics isn’t relevant to your job, you possibly haven’t given enormous thought to the extent of the issue, or to the transformation around delivery services over the last decade. However, having had a few parcels (read, insane numbers) both received and sent over the holiday season, it caught my attention. So I thought that I’d share my totally personal and unaffilliated views on the current state of 4 delivery services for your personal and business needs.
DPD
DPD is now the most decorated brand in the history of the Motor Transport Awards in the UK and holds a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation. Yet 10 years ago I despaired if I knew that a parcel was being delivered by them. They always tried to deliver during the school run and a failed delivery card meant a 30 minute drive to the depot the next day to collect my parcel.
So how did DPD transform itself from a no-go to a go-to? By making things as easy as possible for their customers.
Here are 3 things that they do that I really value:
1. Great app
The app is both intuitive and easy to use. It’s also a one-stop shop, allowing you to send a parcel, check on items in transit or look at your parcel delivery history.
2. Great communications
Communication is good from start to finish, with regular updates letting you know when to expect your delivery and if there are any hold-ups.
They personalise the service by supplying the driver name (and a little bio) and asking for feedback, resulting in a genuinely customer-centric experience.
3. Great customer service
Wherever you are in your ‘delivery journey’, call and chat are both available.
Not only that, but when I needed to query something, a real person answered my call quickly. She was polite, well-informed and provided an answer in real time that resolved my query.
Evri
Whilst Hermes may have rebranded itself as Evri, its poor customer service remains the same. Regular WhatsApp messages fly around our estate, trying to trace parcels that the Evri app or email show as delivered.
It often has been delivered, just not to the addressee.
The lucky few may recognise a distinctive doormat in the attached photograph, or it was misdelivered to someone they know but it’s poor service either way.
Yodel
Yodel wins my raspberry award for worst customer experience. Here’s a recent example.
I was sent a delivery alert with a 2 hour window. Fantastic. Unfortunately the parcel never arrived.
Although annoying, the delay wasn’t my real beef. The real problem was that no one told me what the issue was or when to expect delivery. When I used the Call option, the automated system simply repeated the information already available on the app.
I also tried the Chat option several times, but I never connected with anyone from their team, despite the promise of being “shortly connected.” After waiting for a couple of hours, I gave up.
So how did I get my parcel? Eventually, I was so fed up that I posted negative feedback on Trustpilot. Evri replied and delivered my parcel two days later.
Royal Mail
Royal Mail has really improved its messaging and I’ve found their comms to be helpful and accurate. Since parcels are often delivered by the regular posties, that also makes the service feel personal and creates brand loyalty.
However, deliveries can still be a little hit and miss. Yesterday was the first time that one of my Amazon Prime orders didn’t arrive on time and it’s because Amazon weren’t delivering it. I absolutely accept that the weather is bad but I think it is a Royal Mail logistics issue, not a weather one.
Firstly, Royal Mail did deliver a parcel yesterday, just not the Amazon one. Secondly, Amazon delivered a parcel on time that day.
A plea for secure delivery
As we’ve seen, the ability to deliver a parcel to the right address and on time isn’t always a given for some companies. Now more than ever, being able to deliver securely is a real differentiator.
With the rise in doorstep theft we need to push suppliers to up their game but as users we need to take responsibility as well. I’m lucky, I work from home but I know that I can rely on neighbours to accept delivery if I’m out. Consider secure parcel containers or delivery to lockers if you don’t have that option.
A final word of caution for what seems to be the slightly strange option of hiding parcels in a green bin. One of my parcels was placed there by a delivery service since the bin was conveniently kerbside, but sadly the dustbinmen collected it before I could!
At Dewar Creative I provide professional Copywriting services, specialising in high conversion B2B and Saas content. If you would like to find out more about what I can offer, email ann@dewarcreative.com for a no-obligation chat.