Technology – a vital part of Successful Parcel Delivery?

Technology plays a vital part in the smooth workings of all businesses and in an industry where security is paramount, the most up to date technological systems need to be in place, or do they?

Nightspeed Secure Worldwide Express, the parcel carrier industry’s most secure conveyer of packages worldwide, has an internal computer system which hasn’t been upgraded for some years and as a result, says Les Roberts, Management Services Manager, “ it is very trustworthy and gives us very few problems.” So much so that the computer disaster recovery plan has never been invoked and computer maintenance is outsourced to a company called Marketing IT, based in Birmingham.

Operated by a small team within the Management Services Department, the IT system at the Tipton, West Midlands, company is vital for the sustained processing of 204,200 items of data each night. Nearly everyone in the team of five computer operators, have worked together for over ten years, manning the system 24 hours per day seven days per week.

“As well as routinely refreshing the original computer system, we have a team of excellent people and good departmental disciplines which means that I sleep fairly well at night” said Les. The busiest time for the computer system is over night, when all the data is inputted. “We have a window on a Sunday afternoon when we might have to do work on the machines.” Les continued “and Bank Holidays are for major overhauls.”

Despite the older internal computer system, the company wholeheartedly embraces new technology for its customers, with the introduction of software, which enables despatching procedure information to be accomplished by customers. Connector 3 and 4 are software packages that run on a pc, which will print the despatch label, ensuring clear concise addresses and direct the parcel to one of the company’s 25 depots throughout the UK. Customers are even able to track delivery of their parcels on the Nightspeed Secure Worldwide Express web site, just by inputting a unique reference number.

As for the future, technology is changing all the time and says Les:

“New technology has its place and GPS, satellite tracking systems will eventually become more affordable and more user friendly and will be used to track each individual parcel’s journey from customer to final destination.”