Spring 2006

In the undeclared competition to see who checks on the location of tracked vehicles most frequently, eCourier could perhaps claim a lead with an automated despatch system it has set up. This is said to report the location of its mobile units every ten seconds.

The supplier is network operator O2, which has provided its XdaII handheld terminals for the operation. Back at base, the management system cross-references location data with live information on weather, traffic and demand, selecting the best-placed courier for each delivery.

The company says the system has cut its central London pickup and delivery times by 33 per cent and 50 per cent respectively in relation to the industry average. Furthermore, the online tracking facility is said to have reduced eCourier's inbound query calls to less than 1 per cent - 95 per cent lower than industry average.

eCourier also says the system has removed previous barriers to its growth. The fully automated, mobile despatch solution has removed the artificial upper limit on the number of couriers a single operator can manage, the company says.

 

According to Ben Reardon, despatch manager for Harrods of Knightsbridge, which uses the company to deliver food hampers: "Booking online is faster and more efficient, and we have reduced our courier costs."