Parcel lockers are getting personal

Fancy picking up your groceries from Sleeping Beauty or fetching the latest gadget from Tarzan? Parcel lockers aren’t known for their personality but Posten Norge and SwipBox are on the path to change customer’s minds (and make them smile along the way).

In 2020 Posten Norge launched an innovative project with SwipBox to personalise parcel lockers   in locations across Norway, and improve customer experience. Over the last two years the project has rolled out to over 1000 locations and is set to continue.

Post & Parcel spoke to Brian Jonasson, Commercial Director at SwipBox and Camilla de Verdier, Project Manager at Posten Norge to find out more.

Why did you decide to change the way the parcel lockers were labelled?

Camilla: When we first began using SwipBox in 2020,  Posten Norge used numbers to help customers identify which locker their parcel was in. We noticed that customers sometimes struggled to see which locker contained their package.  After looking at a few options we decided naming the lockers was a good way to help customers quickly find their parcel and ease their frustration.

How can names help improve the customer experience?

Camilla: It is easier to differentiate between names than numbers plus we hoped to make the lockers seem more relatable to our customers which in turn could improve the overall experience of using the lockers.Finally we also hoped that the more creative names might make people smile.

How challenging has it been to develop this solution?

Brian: This was a new and different requirement that really forced SwipBox to rethink our traditional flow. But we also found it an exciting challenge to work on and solve. We also found it motivating because we could really see that this could improve the end-user experience bringing a personal touch in form of human names as well as making it easier for end-users to find the right locker.

 What obstacles did you have to overcome?

Brian: Some of the challenges we faced were ensuring  an even split between female and male names from system generation to physical labelling of the boxes at factory. Furthermore, we also had to ensure that we didn’t reuse any names, that names weren’t too long for the label area as well as securing a continuous flow of names from our database to the factory.

Can you tell me about the names you chose to use?

Camilla: Since the aim was to make the lockers more relatable we started by using names that represent the Norwegian population such as Frode,  Mujtaba and   Hege  plus a few more fun names such as cartoon characters like Tarzan and Tornerose (the Norweigan Name for Sleeping Beauty).

How did you find working with Posten Norge on the project?

Brian: The dialogue and interaction between the teams was agile and solution oriented. The team on Posten’s end was very clear on the requirements. Which all in all made both teams deliver both on time and according to requirements.

What has been the public reaction to the names? 

Camilla: The customer experience and we believe that the naming of the lockers is definitely a part of this.  People seem to enjoy picking up parcels from lockers with cartoon names so we might use even more creative names in the future.

Of course not everyone has noticed that the lockers have names, but in general we believe that the names are appreciated by our customers. Since customers often use the same locker location when receiving their packages they learn what the lockers’ names are and this helps them quickly find where their parcel will be.

 How do you feel about the end result?

Brian: I’m actually very proud of the outcome, and not least the collaboration from both sides all the way through to bringing it to the market. This was an excellent idea that came from our good and long-term partner Posten Norge which materialized into a solution that brings technology closer to the end-users, giving it an identity as well as making it easier for end-users to utilize in their daily life.

What advice would you have for other posts looking to roll out something similar?

 Brian: My advice on a more general level would be to challenge the norm, listen to the voice of the end-users and don’t be afraid of challenging your provider to take part in co-creation. It pays off.