Courier and logistics service Parcelforce Worldwide, has launched its Parcelforce Select service to support the growth of online retailing, by responding to the needs of e-retailers and their customers.
Parcelforce Select provides an improved range of interactive services to enable online retailers to provide their customers with greater control over the delivery of their parcels, offering them tailored delivery on demand.
Online retailers and other businesses will be able to help their customers better manage their parcel delivery after placing an order, enabling their customers the chance to change their mind, even on the day of delivery. Customers will be able to select exactly where they want their parcel to go if they know they will be out when delivery is attempted. This could be a specific neighbour, convenient Post Office branch or a safe place on their property.
Parcelforce Worldwide, which already has a Sunday delivery option, is also expanding the number of notifications parcels recipients receive about the progress of their parcel, including a one hour delivery time window. In addition to its existing notifications, the express parcel‘s business will be able to notify customers of:
ӢAttempted delivery Рwhen customers are not at home and no further instruction exists
ӢNeighbour delivery Рadvising which neighbour has accepted the parcel
ӢPost Office handover Рadvising customers of the Post Office where the parcel has been left
And for customers returning items:
ӢDay of booking notification Рconfirming the date of collection
ӢDay of collection notification Рa reminder to have the parcel ready
ӢCollection confirmation, or confirmation if we have been unable to collect Рincluding reasons why
Parcelforce Worldwide also provides a Convenient Collect service which enables shoppers to choose for parcels to be delivered to around 10,500 Post Office branches, providing greater control over the delivery of their items. Post Office branches are ideal locations to provide convenient, secure parcel collection facilities across the UK as 99%of the population live within three miles of a Post Office branch.
The launch comes as Royal Mail Group‘s express parcels business reports a 10% increase in parcel volumes for the first nine months of the financial year.
