Shutl exposes delivery reputation to unedited customer feedback
London-based sameday delivery company Shutl is shining a light on its delivery performances through a new feature sharing positive and negative customer feedback on its website. The company, which offers a premium service for online shoppers to take delivery of their purchases in as little as 90 minutes from purchase, is encouraging its customers to comment on its service, and then share their review through their own Facebook pages.
It is then publishing comments – good or bad – unedited on a feedback section of its shutl.co.uk website, as well as posting them to social media platforms Twitter and Tumbler.
Not long after one of the UK’s largest parcel delivery companies called in the lawyers to deal with abusive social media comments on its services, Shutl accepts that its new policy could leave a brand “highly exposed” to potentially damaging negative comments beyond its control.
But the firm states that the move will highlight the good performances – and when things go wrong, push it to do better.
Tom Allason, the founder and CEO of Shutl, said: “If shoppers use our service and find it magical, then we want to make sure that their friends know too.
“Being transparent about the service we provide, even when things don’t go to plan, is the rod down our back that keeps us focused on providing an exceptional customer experience. I’m sure there will be days where we regret this, but it will make our service even better.”
Word of mouth
Shutl, which launched in 2010, allows customers in about 65% of the UK to choose a one-hour delivery window for their parcels as an option along with the ninety-minute service. The company delivers for retailers including Argos, Maplin, Oasis, Coast, Warehouse and Karen Millen.
Its new approach to social media comes on the back of the current paradigm within the marketing industry, which states that the best way to promote products or services is through word-of-mouth.
Shutl said that research from social media monitors uberVU suggests that 53% of all comments on social media about delivery services is negative.
Among some of Shutl’s latest comments on its website as of today (13 July), the company had generally positive comments, with some remarks about the premium price of the service, while a few entries noted late deliveries and highlight the need for drivers to be courteous to customers.
Shutl told Post&Parcel today that the only moderation it will do with its customer feedback is if people use offensive language or include inappropriate personal information. Otherwise, head of marketing Guy Westlake said his company would “let it run”.
“The onus is on us to provide a great service. It we don’t, then people will post negative reviews about Shutl,” Westlake said. “Time will only tell whether this strategy works for us, but we’re quietly confident.”
