DHL Parcel provides the best service quality among the five top carriers in Germany, ahead of DPD and Hermes and with GLS and UPS trailing the field, according to wide-ranging quality tests conducted ahead of the current peak season.
Overall, Germany’s five large parcel operators have big differences in service quality and prices, the in-depth study by the German Institute for Service Quality (DISQ) for broadcaster N-TV found. It tested drop-off and pick-up processes, shipping times and options, pricing and other service elements under normal operating conditions and well ahead of the peak season.
Test winner with 80.6 points (out of 100 maximum) was DHL with a “very good” rating. The parcel service offers both the lowest prices and the best service, according to the study. All the test packages arrived without any defects and on average in less than two days. A large number of collection points and professional staff work in favour of the overall customer experience, DISQ noted. In addition, the website provides comprehensive information about the services.
DPD ranked second with 72 points and a “good” quality rating. The provider achieved a very good result in terms of pricing. Both domestic and international shipping is priced relatively low, especially if customers drop off packages themselves. A comfortable feature is the option of making direct contact via online chat on the website.
Hermes followed in third place with 68.3 points but only with a “satisfactory” quality rating. The company was the only one that picked up all the packages as planned and delivered them successfully. For services via telephone and e-mail, Hermes performed better than the competition, with relatively short waiting times for callers. Also, its website is user-friendly and informative, DISQ noted.
GLS (56.1 points) and UPS (55.8 points) ranked lowest with only "sufficient" performances. High prices in particular were responsible for the weak overall assessment. GLS also handled the parcels the roughest and one shipment took almost two weeks to arrive. UPS, on the other hand, was fast and handled the packages well. However, one of its couriers did not deliver the package to the agreed address, but to a location 18 kilometres away.
Across all carriers combined, most parcels arrived in a good condition but every fifth package was dirty or damaged on the outside. Also, ‘shock impact indicators’ showed that 30% of consignments were handled “roughly” during transportation.
Among service elements, the option of having packages picked up at home did not work smoothly every fourth time. Parcels were picked up too late or not at all.
Moreover, when customers try to contact customer support through conventional contact channels (phone or e-mail) in order to receive answers, for example regarding the shipping of fragile goods, they are usually not provided much information. In contrast, internet-based information is more helpful, and all the carriers allow customers to track consignments online or through an app.
Another finding was the enormous differences in prices that parcel providers offer; for example, up to 60% for a medium-sized parcel sent within Germany. No carrier was the cheapest in all five price categories. Customers can therefore save substantially by comparing prices for national or international shipping, DISQ pointed out.
The DISQ said that it tested the five carriers with a combination of test packages; price analysis; phone and e-mail service queries; and website analysis. In total, 310 ‘service contacts’ with the companies were included into the evaluation.
