Hermes UK today revealed a 24% rise in volumes in December 2015 while rival Yodel improved customer satisfaction significantly after holding down volume growth to ensure efficient operations.
B2C specialist Hermes said it enjoyed its busiest and most efficient peak season to date. Throughout December the delivery firm processed 30.3 million parcels, representing a 24% increase on the previous year.
The record-breaking peak season followed a successful Black Friday period, with Hermes processing 8.2 million parcels in the week following the major retail event that is famed for huge discounts.
Throughout the final month of the year, Hermes handled more than one million parcels in a single night on 22 separate occasions, while working the Bank Holiday on December 28th ensured its clients also received a Boxing Day sale service. The busiest day of the year fell on Friday 4th December when the delivery firm processed 1.4 million parcels.
For the third year running, Hermes offered its customers a Christmas Guarantee, which meant that every parcel that entered the Hermes network, with a UK mainland address, by 23.59 on Monday 21 December had at least one delivery attempt in time for Christmas, or the cost of the delivery was refunded.
Carole Woodhead, CEO at Hermes UK, said: “Our success during the recent peak season is testimony to the meticulous planning between our client managers and retailers, combined with the hard work and dedication displayed by our teams across our hubs, depots and final mile delivery network.
“Last year we also invested in a secondary sortation tier at our fully automated hub in Warrington, opened another 125 sub depots across the UK and added another 3,000 couriers to our network for the peak season. This investment has boosted our overall capacity and helped us to deliver a fantastic service in the lead-up to and after Christmas.”
The myHermes delivery solution, which is used by consumers and SMEs to send parcels within the UK and to more than 190 countries around the world, saw a 30% increase in volumes throughout December. The myHermes ParcelShop network, which now totals 4,500 outlets, handled 40% more parcels in December than the previous year.
Meanwhile, Yodel declared that its customer satisfaction is at an all-time high following the busy Black Friday and Christmas peak period. The carrier handled over 22 million parcels in the five weeks running up to Christmas (Sunday 22nd November to Thursday 24th December).
Researchers eDigitalResearch reported that consumer feedback on Yodel’s customer satisfaction levels reached an all-time high with 83% of online shoppers surveyed reporting a positive delivery experience*.
Keith Basnett, Yodel’s chief operating officer said: "Our focus for peak 2015 was on service and delivering a fantastic customer experience and we’re delighted that our efforts are reflected in the positive feedback received from consumers."
Following 2014’s Black Friday promotions, which triggered a huge and unprecedented spike in parcel volumes across the industry, the company made a number of changes, including partnering with retailers’ marketing departments to ensure that the supply chain was included in promotional planning.
In addition it agreed daily parcel volumes with retailers in advance and placed limits on next day delivery capacity, encouraging its clients to spread the delivery of orders taken during flash sales.
Dick Stead, Yodel’s executive chairman added: "Our customer satisfaction levels have continued to improve in line with service performance and it’s particularly pleasing to see them hit record highs at our busiest time of year."
The ongoing survey, which recently received its two millionth review, emphasise Yodel’s focus on customer experience. "Retailers are able to measure us on more than just service levels," Stead continued. "Clients can see every review for every parcel they send. The feedback also allows our service centres and drivers to see their individual scores in real time. It helps us to share best practice and identify and resolve potential issues as they occur. The programme is driving change throughout our business, ranging from Christmas peak planning to product development."
