New Zealand system a big hit in UK
An electronic tracking system using wireless technology developed in Christchurch is being heralded as “one of the most significant” systems ever deployed in the United Kingdom.
The new managed service provided by iTouch Business Mobility to Parcelforce Worldwide’s 2500 delivery staff is helping the courier division of loss-making UK postal service Royal Mail to lower costs and improve productivity.
“Our key objective was to enhance customer service, maintaining our position as the UK’s leading express parcel carrier with clearly competitive technology and service advantage,” said head of operations development at Parcelforce Worldwide Ken O’Rahilly.
The system went live six months ago, and the UK company has already praised iTouch for delivering the system so speedily.
Phil Holliday, managing director of iTouch Business Mobility, said the company won the contract following months of tenders, proposals, and a series of depot trials.
Mr Holliday said part of the appeal of the managed service now in place at Parcelforce was the non-invasive nature of the technology.
“One of our claims to fame is that we delivered this without them having to change a single line of code.”
The system is making it possible for the courier company to arrange ad hoc deliveries and collections with drivers in transit, enabling it to shrink the amount of time taken to react to customer requests on the old system.
Parcelforce depot staff can now assign parcel collections to designated routes and rely on the system to automatically allocate the job to the first driver who logs onto that route.
All data is now exchanged between depot and driver in real time, enabling the company to provide customers with live access to the latest delivery status of their parcel, including accurate time and proof of delivery.
“The new … dispatch, collection, and delivery wireless tracking system is a modern industry revelation that has met and exceeded all objectives,” said Mr O’Rahilly.
Royal Mail, which was bleeding up to 1.3 million ($NZ3.4m) a day last year, is in the second year of a drive to improve productivity and retain customers.
The restructuring programme includes cutting 30,000 jobs from its 220,000 payroll and a revamp of its IT systems.
