Overnight Shipment Drop Off

Solutions: OVERNIGHT SHIPMENT DROP OFF

The Challenge

How to get customers comfortable using curb-side drop-boxes for overnight delivery.

An international delivery company needed an effective way to notify customers if packages in their street-side drop-boxes had been picked up for the day. Their current method was entirely manual – the company displayed stickers and signs on drop-boxes to communicate “estimated” pick-up times.  Since the times were estimates, customers were often uncertain whether or not the pick-up had already taken place. The system did not instill customers with confidence in the process, which made them reluctant to leave their time-sensitive overnight packages.

The Solution

service-indicatorBellatrix proposed a solution that replaced the stickers and signs with electronic indicators units. These indicators were connected to new electric locks that the company’s drivers used to access the boxes.

  1. The delivery service driver opened the locker or drop-box via a signal sent to the Bellatrix solution from the company’s hand-held control/tracking computers.
  2. When the electric lock opened the door, the flag or indicator also flipped to display the new status (“Has” been picked up).
  3. The handheld computer logged the time that the driver visited and opened the drop-box.
  4. Data from the wand was transferred to the company’s central computer system that tracked information about that drop-box location as well as the time and date of the pickup. To facilitate quick and easy data transfer, Bellatrix developed software service tools on three different platforms: palm, pocket PC and PC.
  5. After a specified number of hours, the indicator unit in the box automatically re-set (“Has Not” been picked up) to notify customers of the box’s current status.

The Outcome

The new system was more efficient, reliable, secure and – best of all – more customer friendly:

  • The delivery company knew when and if every box was serviced.
  • Customers knew when it was safe to leave their packages for that days’ pick up. Due to increased confidence in the system, customers began using the drop-boxes more regularly.
  • Drivers had a quick and easy way to open and manage the drop-box.
  • Information about the box, drivers, and pick-up schedule could now be tracked in a centralized database, and management had the ability to analyze the information to improve efficiency and customer service.
  • The drop-boxes were more secure because the company could manage all the lock codes for the drop-boxes centrally, decreasing the chances of fraud or employee tampering.

The first 40 units put into the field paid for themselves in 10 days, and the delivery company implemented the new system on over 40,000 of these drop-boxes nationally. Bellatrix continues to manufacture and service these systems and improve on their efficiency, developing new and more reliable components.

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