Furniture Giant Doubles Productivity with Route Optimiser from Postcode Anywhere
Oakfurnitureland cuts costs and improves customer service with smart route planning technology
- (1888PressRelease) February 08, 2012 - Online furniture retailer Oakfurnitureland has noted an immediate improvement in productivity and customer service using smart route planning software from Postcode Anywhere.
After rolling out the Route Optimiser service across its delivery fleet, the company reports it "can now plan over 185 delivery routes, compared to only 75 before."
From initially selling only on Ebay, Oakfurnitureland has now grown to become a £50 million business, delivering over 2,500 orders a week. Despite its unprecedented growth, the company was able to significantly reduce overheads with Route Optimiser.
Route Optimiser is a web-based service for commercial vehicles. It uses sophisticated route planning algorithms to calculate shorter, more efficient routes for road users such as travelling salespeople and couriers.
Ross Lawson, head of IT at Oakfurnitureland, said: "Our delivery fleet comprises over fifty vans and ten articulated lorries, which collectively fulfil over 2,500 orders every single week. What we needed was a system that could optimise all the routes in a more viable manner, and without costing us an arm and a leg for the privilege.
"Route Optimiser has really helped us to reduce our costs, particularly with our staff. Using this technology, I would estimate we've saved around ten man hours a week. We can now plan over 185 delivery routes compared to only 75 before we used the system. Even with the rapid growth of our company, we have been able to keep our routing team to only three people, which has been an enormous saving to us.
"But it's not just the cost savings that benefits us Route Optimiser provides us with the intelligence to provide 3-4 hour delivery windows as well as SMS delivery tracking, something quite rare in the industry. Our customers know exactly when they can expect us and of course this has proven to be overwhelmingly successful right across the board."
Postcode Anywhere's managing director Guy Mucklow said: "Fulfilment is a vital issue for any online retailer. Your website and products might be brilliant but if you delivery isn't up to standard, customers will simply look elsewhere.
"Efficiency in the route planning process can mark the difference between a viable business and one that barely breaks even. But perhaps even more importantly than the immediate cost savings, offering delivery windows dramatically improves the level of customer service you can offer.
"We've all had bad experiences of waiting in all day for a delivery. It's time the industry took note of changing consumer behaviour, caught up with progressives like Oakfurnitureland, and upped their game.
"Our recent research showed that nearly two-thirds of consumers see timed deliveries as important. It's not only a competitive advantage, but the level of service consumers have come to expect when ordering online."
For further information about Route Optimiser, or to take a free trial, visit the website at www.routeoptimiser.com. No downloads are required and the service works on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no contracts or hidden fees.
For further information about Oakfurnitureland visit the website at www.oakfurnitureland.co.uk
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