Yodel unveils “Business Control Tower” at Hatfield facility

Yodel has established a Business Control Tower at its new Hatfield sort centre in Hertfordshire. The information and insights hub provides an end-to-end (E2E) overview of operations across the UK so Yodel can take pre-emptive action on changing conditions, such road closures or bad weather, and inform clients in real time.

The Business Control Tower, which brings together the capabilities of the transport and Peak control towers which were previously at its Wednesbury site, runs 24/7 with a team of 10 agents operating under a dedicated manager, along with centralised events planning. A data wall shows Yodel’s forecasts, volumes moving through the network in real-time, and operational progress against plan.

The Business Control Tower will also analyse insights and trends, harnessing the availability of big data to improve service levels. Furthermore, the new facility will provide improved vehicle tracking and reduce costs, as the parcel carrier adopts Microlise technology. SMS services to consumers, and the launch of an enhanced Collections Hotline, will improve client communications.

Mike Cooper, CEO at Yodel, said: “The new Business Control Tower allows us to use our current data to better predict activity and respond quickly with detailed information. This strengthens our existing capability and offers significant benefits to our valued clients, providing year-round functionality and enhanced service capability in the all-important peak periods. The Business Control Tower fits into our wider operational planning strategy to improve service levels at the lowest reasonable costs for retailers and their customers.”