Urbify: Improving customer service by planning better routes
Premium delivery solution provider, Urbify, is working to redefine the last mile delivery experience. Their focus is on providing excellent service for both retailers and online shoppers by offering same day or next delivery. All whilst minimising their environmental impact. However, achieving this is dependent on developing efficient, cost-effective routes that ensure reliability.
Urbify Success Video
Putting customers front and centre
In a market that is as competitive as online retail, last mile solutions providers need to find a way to stand out. For Urbify, their point of differentiation is providing unbeatable customer service. As Dr. Ben Stolze, CEO of Urbify explains, “Customer experience is the holy grail of our business. It is not our goal to challenge incumbent players on efficiency and price, because that is an almost impossible task to pursue, but customer experience is where we can exceed expectations and outperform competitors.”
Good customer experience is key to building customer loyalty. “Online retailers' business model depends on satisfied and recurring customers; hence our clients cannot afford negative delivery experiences for their customers.” The same is true for Urbify, which is why their efforts are centred on keeping their own customers satisfied.
Transparency and consistency keep customers happy
To do this though, requires them to consistently deliver a high-quality service. For retailers, this means ensuring as close to 100% successful delivery rates as possible. As Stolze explains, “We deliver when customers are at home, we do not have drop of points, so delivery success is at the heart of what we do and we have best-in-class transparency about the delivery process to ensure a seamless experience.” For online shoppers, this means accurate and reliable delivery windows at the most convenient times for them. “We focus on efficient delivery, but make sure that customers receive their parcels when they are at home (16:00-21:00) and on the day they like to have the delivery.”
Urbify achievements
Build loyalty and set Urbify apart from competitors in the last-mile delivery market.
By developing efficient routes, Urbify enhances reliability and reduces travel and emissions.
Achieved near 100% delivery success through efficient route planning and convenient delivery scheduling.
Precision planning for reliable deliveries
One of the ways to ensure deliveries arrive on time is to focus on route planning. By planning more efficient routes that factor in potential disruptions (such as avoiding certain roads during heavy traffic times), PTV Logistics can help Urbify reduce delays and increase reliability. According to Stolze, “Reliability is crucial also in terms of customer experience, so the precision of our planned deliveries is paramount.”
And, in the case of unavoidable delays, communication with the customers can reduce the impact of the disruption by giving them enough time to change their plans. “PTV Logistics is an important enabler in planning our deliveries and tours through which we are capable of informing recipients about their upcoming delivery.”
Satisfaction across the delivery supply chain
Providing a good customer experience is important across the whole delivery supply chain, which means Urbify expect their suppliers to meet the same high standards they hold themselves to. That’s one of the reasons they have chosen to work with PTV Logistics. “The collaboration has always been uncomplicated, and we have benefited strongly from the common understanding of each others' business. We are very aligned on many aspects of our business and with that we can create solutions that aid both sides and make both our business better. This is exactly how we like collaborations to be.”
The future of customer experience
Urbify's success is partly characterized by their ability to guarantee a 1-hour delivery window at any time, their presence in over 80 cities in Germany and Austria, a maximum of 12 hours from warehouse pickup to customer delivery, and the development of their technical solution for flexible integration and customization of individual services.
Nevertheless, customer needs remain at the forefront, so it is not surprising that the company aims to continue and further optimize this approach and look for ways to further improve. As Stoltz explains, “Certainly, we continue to develop service options and features that ultimately benefit our clients as well as their customers to stay ahead of the curve. ...We are confident that our approach will continue to be a success in the market and also the slowly brightening economic outlook makes us excited to expand our service to more customers. All in all, we believe in what we are doing, as we are putting our customers in the focus and eventually that approach will always win.”
