We had a chat with our longstanding business partner 'Longlane Food & Wine' in London Borough, who were not only our featured Location of the Month last year in May, but also one of the first Parcelly locations to offer our Key Exchange service launched back in 2016!
Providing an additional layer of convenience, customers can collect parcels at their preferred Parcelly location, but also exchange keys with third parties as and when required. The service revolutionises the way property owners and Airbnb hosts can hand over keys to family, friends, sub-tenants, maintenance and cleaning companies, without having to try and accommodate busy schedules and by simply utilising Parcelly's easy to access nationwide click&collect network.
We wanted to know what the experience has been for one of our Parcelly locations, how easy it blended in with their daily business and if they would recommend the service to other business owners…
What was your initial reaction when Parcelly told you about the opportunity to offer this new service to your customers?
I first heard about Key Exchange from Parcelly. Having been a Parcelly Location since 2015, I had no objections to run the service alongside parcel Click&Collect, and appreciated Parcelly for the innovative idea to monetize my free space and offer a new service to my customers.
How easy is it to provide Key Exchange in-store?
Checking in & out keys doesn't take much time, and the tenants are usually tourists who end up buying other items. The app works the same for keys and parcels as both are checked in with a six digit code, which makes it very easy for me. Parcelly also provides a lockbox that helps me and my staff members to keep all keys safe and secure in one box.
How much time does it actually take for you to check in & out keys? Does it interfere with your main business in any way?
It only takes few seconds to put in the 6-digit Parcelly ID, and even if I have to log in to the app first, it would be maximum 30 seconds. There is literally no interruption with my main operations, seeing how easy it is to operate the service. Key Exchange Service might be a new concept for some merchants, but for me it is very efficient as it does not consume much time.
Would you say the Key Exchange service is beneficial to your store? Did you receive any feedback from customers?
Parcelly brings in new customers which is why I wanted to become a Parcelly Location in the first place. In addition, I receive commission payments for each transaction, plus the customers end up buying other things when they come to my store. I haven't had any direct feedback from tenants as they are mainly tourists, but they always leave with a big smile and understand how smooth it is to use this service.
Have you had any issues running this next to the Click&Collect service? How is the customer service provided by the Parcelly team?
I haven't had many issues and the very few I had were swiftly sorted over the phone by Parcelly's customer service team. The app makes it very easy to contact them and I find their team extremely helpful. They even visited the store to set up the lockbox and make sure the service was set up properly.
Would you recommend Parcelly's Key Exchange service to other shop owners?
I would recommend it to all stores with good opening hours that are NOT in my area... (big laugh). This is a great service for convenience stores or any other stores that are located in a residential areas and want to invite new customers/tenants to their business. Secondly, it does not take much space to keep the lockbox and is ideal for locations that do not have a lot of space. Definitely the easiest and smartest service to me!
Parcelly lockbox example in-store
Parcelly's Key Exchange service provides a secure app technology for key management in cities across the UK that facilitates the check-in, safe-keeping and check-out of property keys. We look forward to working with more landlords, property managers and private individuals, who are keen to save time and ensure maximum convenience and efficiency. If your business is interested in partnering with Parcelly, please get in touch HERE. #parcellove
