UK-based parcel delivery firm Yodel handled more than five million packages between November 26 and December 2, 2015, marking the busiest week in the company’s history.
Despite record volumes, the company managed to maintain high customer satisfaction levels with 86% of customers saying that they had a positive delivery experience.
One of the key factors in its steady performance was Yodel’s partnership with retailers, having agreed in advance the number of parcels that would be accepted into the delivery network each day. It also placed limits on next day delivery capacity and spread deliveries over the course of the week.
In the last 12 months, Yodel has spent £30m (US$45m) on improving efficiency and capacity, which saw the company introduce a brand new website, mechanical handling systems, sorting equipment, training, a larger fleet and new sites. This was in addition to 7,000 new recruits.
Dick Stead, executive chairman, Yodel, said, “We wanted this year’s festive peak to start smoothly and it undoubtedly has. Everyone’s worked incredibly hard to deliver for our clients and for the consumers who shopped online. Firmly agreeing volumes with retailers in advance of Black Friday and Cyber Monday was the right thing to do. We only accepted what we were equipped to deliver, which means everyone from staff to shoppers are happy.
“But we’re not complacent. We still have just over two weeks to go until Christmas and are expecting high parcel volumes to continue. We’ll be battling snow, high winds, transport disruption and more to make our deliveries. It’s down to the incredibly hard work of our teams and our preparation that we’re able to do this.”
December 8, 2015