We had a chat with Seán Holmes, Assistant Manager at Zedify Delivery Cambridge, our amazing business partner who is not only a fantastic delivery company but one of the first Parcelly locations to offer our new Click & Collect and Returns service.
Zedify Delivery Cambridge is a 'network of city logistics operators whose aim is to improve urban deliveries. Founded in 2005, Zedify has been delivering for over 200 customers. They offer first- and last-mile deliveries for businesses that demand reliable, time-sensitive and ethical deliveries. With the use of bikes and trikes, they refashion the deliveries traditionally completed by diesel vans and trucks. All their activities aim to make cities cleaner, quieter and less congested'. As discussed in one of our past Pick’n’Pack episodes and in our Thought Leadership piece, returns represent a big chunk of the supply chain costs and, usually, these charges are not well managed. Some of the problems that can arise are mishandling, damage and delays. All these factors not only represent a massive liability on the supply chain, but they can also negatively affect the product life cycle. To resolve all these problems, Parcelly is operating its nationwide network of location partners to improve operational efficiencies and to reduce the environmental impact of deliveries by cutting down congestion and the level of carbon emissions.
We wanted to know what the experience has been like for one of our partnering Parcelly locations as we are increasing the number of enterprise customers driving additional volume, how easily the service has blended with their daily business and if they would recommend the service to other business owners.
What was your first thought when Parcelly introduced you to our new enterprise partnerships?
When Parcelly introduced us to the new enterprise services we thought it was an exciting new feature. It was a great opportunity to be part of a wider system. In particular, we thought it was a new opportunity for customers wanting to get their parcels.
How do you find the service?
To be honest [...] once everything was set up, the service was really functional for customers to come and collect their parcels without having to know when they need to be in. We believe it is great for them to have a place to come and just get their online deliveries.
For the benefit of customers and locations not yet familiar, could you illustrate how the process works?
The process is quite simple. The courier comes and they deliver the parcels and we add them to our system. As soon as we enter it, the customer receives a notification via email and text that their parcels have been delivered to us. They come and they give us their 6 digits Parcelly ID and collect their parcels. We believe it is a very convenient service for people in this area because they are obviously very busy during working hours and Parcelly Click & Collect gives them the option to pop out during lunch breaks to collect their parcels. It gives them a higher degree of control and convenience over their online deliveries. They do not need to wait at home and they decrease the chances of missing their deliveries. In essence, they do not need to worry anymore about their online deliveries.
We have a new feature for our enterprise clients which is the return option. What do you think of it?
We believe it is convenient for us, for the customers and ultimately for the enterprise client. As many couriers come into our shop anyway, they can easily return the parcels that customers have dropped off to us. The new feature simplifies the whole process for all parties involved, customers, enterprise partners and us too as it is an extra revenue stream.
I know you guys implement green delivery methods. Do you think there has been a shift in customer demands for greener options?
We do believe that there has been a shift in customer demands for greener options when it comes to deliveries. A lot of customers use us not only because they know that they can get a reliable delivery service, but also because we employ bikes and trikes to deliver parcels. It is nice to see bigger delivery firms, such as international carrier brands, partnering with companies like Parcelly to offset the environmental impact of their vans and hopefully to move towards declustering larger city centres. Especially when it comes to cities like London and Cambridge, it is nice to have locations where couriers can drop off a big bulk of parcels in one location. Everybody wins.
How has the customer service been from our side?
Whenever faced with issues the customer service has been really good. They helped us in setting up the app, informed us about the steps to take in case of glitches. They were really helpful and prompt in resolving all our issues.
Would you recommend the service to other businesses?
Yes, definitely. They would benefit from this service as they would get more deliveries. We absolutely do!
CONGRATULATIONS again to ZEDIFY DELIVERY and Mr Holmes and a big THANK YOU for being such a great business partner and contributing towards Parcelly’s vision!
Parcelly aims to give business owners full control over their parcel flow, offering them the ability to modify the number of parcels they wish to receive, as well as the option to control the size of the parcels stored - all in real-time via the app. This means that regardless of the storage capacity or nature of your business, we provide seamless integration across our services, and welcome you to join our network and benefit from new customers, additional footfall to your store as well as an additional revenue stream.
If your business is interested in joining our nationwide network and becoming a Parcelly location for Click&Collect, Key Exchange or Hyper-Local Fulfilment services, please do not hesitate to CONTACT US.
