In this edition of the magazine we say thanks to our employees for their efforts, and our customers for their understanding during the pandemic. We focus on ecommerce and discuss our research findings on shipping, online shopping and cross-border buying habits. We also take a look at best practices for contact centres and the benefits of having agents working from home.
Whistl
Summer 2020
magazine
Delivering in different times
THANKSALLROUND FROMNICKWELLS
INCENTIVES FOR DM FOCUS ON E - COMMERCE BEST PRACTICE IN CONTACT CENTRES MOMENTUM FOR MOVEMBER
Wells Said
Delivering in different times… helping our customers through the pandemic
I’d just like to say thank you… to our employees and our customers
“ We are sustaining our business thanks to the work and dedication of Whistl employees and other third parties. We truly appreciate your teamhas been a lifeline to our business…..” “The Service has been really helping our customers in need. Particularly all of the mums and dads who have kids at home. The packages the teamdeliver are helping to educate a nation and it’s making a big difference tomany families’ lives. Not all heroes wear capes!” “I wanted to endorse the roleWhistl plays for us being able to send information to our customers. This includes regulatory and contractual information that customers need so they are reassured of the cover they have, and how they can access our claims and breakdown services they have paid for. While some can be sent electronically, we still have documents to post as customers are able to choose how they would like to receive information. Whistl play a critical part in this process for us” “Postal donations are a lifeline to charities at this moment and it is great to see that the mail system is working just fine. Could you please feed this back to the teamat Whistl as it really does make a difference as we need tomaintain donations so that we can continue to support people living with Cancer”
My regular Wells Said column normally occupies just one third of a page in this magazine… but, as I’m far from the first to say, 2020 isn’t about ‘normal’.
In mid-March, just before lockdown, we activated our Pandemic business continuity plan here at Whistl. The safety and wellbeing of our team was, and remains, our first priority, whilst maintaining continuity of our essential services to customers. Those who could work from home – including our fantastic Customer Services team – did, (and still largely do), non- essential travel was halted, and meetings went virtual. All depots remained open with our cleaning contractors nationwide implementing stringent new procedures in line with all Public Health England and government advice. Our collection drivers loaded their vehicles unaided to minimise contact with customers, and delivery into our partners also become ‘contactless’. Early in the pandemic, the government declared that those involved in postal services and deliveries were ‘key workers’ and that Whistl provided ‘essential services’. I wrote to thank the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) for identifying the delivery and logistics sector as ‘essential’, urging his Department to continue their support
of the broad delivery sector. I think it’s worth repeating part of the reply from BEIS, recognising the vital role played by our sector. ‘The government recognises the important role that delivery workers play in serving customers and supporting businesses across the UK. Their willingness to maintain deliveries during a time of increased social isolation and when many people cannot leave their homes is vital’ wrote Paul Scully MP, Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Labour Markets. I’d like to put on record my thanks to the team here at Whistl, for their unstinting efforts in keeping supply chains moving. I’d also like to thank our customers for their understanding, collaboration and cooperation in this most extraordinary of times. Some of their kind words are included on the next page. Kindest regards
NickWells Chief Executive, Whistl
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Whistl Magazine • Summer 2020
Win-Win for senders! New incentives and new service offering introduced by Royal Mail for DM and business mail .
Best practices every contact centre shouldknow There’s nothing more frustrating than phoning customer service with a problemonly to be put on hold for 10minutes and having 1,000 UK consumers what their preferences are when it comes to a good customer experience and what they find intolerable! Here’s what we found. to endure that annoying on-holdmusic. We asked
Buttons not prompts 86% of respondents prefer selecting options via push buttons on a handset rather than voice prompts. Keep costs down 44% are very conscious of call costs which increases with retirement age. Don’t keep themwaiting 3.9minutes is seen as a reasonable hold time; longer than 5 minutes is unreasonable. Catch thembefore they go 69% of those surveyed said they’d hang up after 10minutes. Men are the most impatient hanging up after 8.3 minutes.
Mornings work best Most people prefer to call between 9am and 12pm, especially those agedover 65. Don’t repeat yourself Listening to a recordedmessage on repeat is the most annoying feature of contacting a call centre. Get in the queue The most popular recordedmessage is ‘you are position x in the queue’, followed by ‘all our agents are currently busy, press 1 and we’ll call you back’. Get to the point A long greeting message and rigid script reading were found to be the most annoying aspects of a call centre.
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Back to Business
Mailmark Economy
Home is where the new contact centre is
Back to Business Incentive An Advertising Mail incentive for all customers posting a minimumof 50,000 incremental items. A discounted postage rate of 12p per letter is offered, with postage credits to be used on futuremailings. Back to Business Extra Incentive Aimed at larger posting customers sending a minimumof 2.5 million incremental items. The postage rate for these volumes is 10p per letter. The application deadline for both incentives is 25 September 2020, and is applicable for mailings scheduled between 28 September – 24 December 2020. For more information talk to your Whistl Account Manager or visit: https://www.royalmailwholesale.com/back-to-business-incentives
This service is launching in January 2021, with prices to be announced in October 2020. • Lower-priced letter delivery for non time-critical letters – transactional or promotional • Delivery timeframe of 1-4 working days after handover to Royal Mail – with a target of 45% delivered the day after handover We’ll be in touch when prices are published, in themeantime contact your Whistl Account Manager for more information.
Customer service can often be one of themost difficult tasks in a business. As an organisation grows, there aremore customers to deal with, meaning more demands, more queries, andmore complaints. As a result, more andmore companies are turning towards outsourcing their customer service calls to companies. Withmany agents nowworking from home here are some of the benefits:
Reduced costs Choosing to outsource customer service to work-at-home agents rather than hiring additional staff keeps your overheads low as there’s no need to spendmore money on equipment, larger premises, electricity, or other overhead costs. Broader talent pool Maximising the chance tomatch agent to customer need whether this be a language need or technical support, improving call resolutions and customer satisfaction. Increased availability By working at home, agents are more available to work around other commitments, offering extended hours without increasing headcount.
Better balance Call volumes can be shared across the workforce creating a better balance in costs and call volumes to each call agent. Improved flexibility You can easily take on additional members of staff when call volumes are higher during seasonal promotions and new product launches. If you’d like to find out how outsourcing your contact centre toWhistl can help you save money, call us for a friendly chat on 01628 702 413, visit www.whistl.co.uk/contact-centre or email moreinfo@whistl.co.uk
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Whistl Magazine • Summer 2020
What keeps Brits buying
TOP TIPS TO REDUCE SHIPPINGCOSTS
With a surge in online shopping it’s vital for businesses to understand that final basket sales can be impacted bymore than just the cost of an item. The convenience of deliveries, howmuch packaging is used and how and when the customer’s goods arrive can have a huge impact on an e-retailer’s market share. Here are just some of the insights we gained fromour research about what customers want when buying online.
Use a carrier manager By leveraging the buying power of a carrier manager, you can access significantly discounted delivery rates by combining your shipping volumes with many other retailers.
Shipping is becoming the battleground for online retailers. Price is not the only weapon of choice when it cames to crushing the competition, shipping – andmore precisely, free shipping – plays an important role for consumers when weighing up who to buy from. Our recent research has revealed several useful pointers for online retailers. • Free delivery is rated as themost important consideration for online shoppers. 95% aremore likely tomake a purchase if delivery is free • Shoppers are willing to ‘overbuy’ tomeet the basket value threshold for free delivery • Points systems for frequent shoppers, and ‘membership’ services like Amazon Prime, are increasingly being offered as means of access to free delivery Before committing to free delivery, you should first carefully consider your shipping cost, customer location, speed of delivery and type of items that are likely to sell more. It’s all about striking the right balance between offering themost cost-effective delivery options, meeting customers’ expectations and accessing competitive delivery rates. Free shipping wins customers
To find out more about how you can reduce shipping costs download our white paper at www.whistl.co.uk/research oversized boxes and excessive packaging. Tailor-made packaging for your product line will help you increase savings by reducing the size and dimensional weight of shipments whilst also reducing the need for excessive packaging. Get to know your customers Managing your shipping options allows you to delight customers and keep costs in check. By understanding what your customers want and how quickly they need their items, you can tailor what shipping options you offer according to your customer base. Offer a range of delivery options If you sell products of different weights and sizes, you could actually reduce shipping costs and save yourself money, simply by using more than one courier service. Different providers will be more cost-effective for certain parcel types. Minimise your packaging Make sure you’re not using
MORE MEN PURCHASE ITEMS ONLINE DAILY/ WEEKLY THANWOMEN
Whistl and Independent mail and parcel broker, UKPWorldwide joined forces to offer a simple, seamless customs clearance process for customers sending international items. The collaboration means that customers of bothWhistl and UKPWorldwide will benefit from their goods passing through UK customs approved processes without any unnecessary delay. • In-house customers clearance for compliance and speed • Covers mail, packets & parcels (tracked & untracked), plus returns from specified territories. Nick Wells, CEO of Whistl, said: “As the UK’s trading relationships with the wider world are changing, it’s important for customers to be working with experts in the international import and export mail and parcel sector who can navigate this complex compliance journey. “By working with UKP, Whistl continues to simplify the delivery management process by taking away unnecessary hurdles that can impede efficient and reliable delivery both in the UK and internationally.” Lee Bucktrout, CEO of UKPWorldwide added: “Whether you import, export or tranship parcels, it’s imperative to select a partner who understands local and international regulations. “This collaboration allows UKPWorldwide to provide clearance solutions and seamless transfer to the Whistl carrier network with a single point of contact for customs clearance, final mile delivery andmanaged returns.” COLLABORATION SIMPLIFIES CUSTOMS CLEARANCE
CLOTHES / FASHION IS THE MOST POPULAR CATEGORY IN EVERY REGION OF GREAT BRITAIN
MEN DO NOT CONSIDER THE CONVENIENCE OF DELIVERY AS IMPORTANT AS WOMEN
FINDTHEABILITYTOSPECIFY LOCATIONVERY/ SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT
OF THOSE SURVEYED FELT MINIMISING THE AMOUNT OF PACKAGING IS IMPORTANT
To find out howWhistl can help you savemoney on shipping costs through multi-carrier deliverymanagement email moreinfo@whistl.co.uk
DELIVERY COST AND ENSURING THE PACKAGE ARRIVES SAFELY ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS TO THOSE PURCHASING ONLINE
HALF WOULD BEWILLING TO PAY MORE FOR ECO - FRIENDLY PACKAGING AND THIS INCREASES WITH AGE
OF BRITS ARE MORE LIKELY TO MAKE A PURCHASE IF DELIVERY IS FREE
SHOPPERS WILL ‘OVERBUY’ TO MEET THE FREE DELIVERY THRESHOLD
‘WHAT DO YOUR CUSTOMERS WANT?’ visit www.whistl.co.uk/research/ what-your-online-customers-want
DOWNLOAD OUR WHITE PAPER
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Whistl Magazine • Summer 2020
Shopping without frontiers – the boom in international e-commerce
Planes are flying again, the freight lanes are open and international e-commerce is set to resume its upward growth trajectory. Recent research conducted across six countries by Whistl has revealed the trends and behaviours that are driving cross-border online shopping. • Fashion is the biggest cross-border market, closely followed by electric/tech • People shop on overseas websites primarily because of ‘a better price’ • A third of shoppers check the returns procedure before pressing the buy now button
• PayPal ismore popular than credit cards as the payment method • International shoppers are a diverse bunch – with an equal gender split and the over 60s matching the millennials. Whistl is well-placed to help UK based online retailers capitalise on the boom in cross-border trade. Our range of outbound delivery services, including customs clearance, is not only comprehensive, but comes with support and advice that is available to both those looking to expand their online offering into overseas markets, and those already with an international customer base. Formore informationaboutour international services, email moreinfo@whistl.co.ukorcontactyourWhistlAccountManager.
New research by Parcelhub, themulti-carrier delivery management provider that’s part of Whistl, has found that almost 70% of mid-market retailers fail tomeet their required customer service standards. The survey asked 100 British mid-market retailers how well they are responding to their customers’ delivery needs, with 69% of respondents saying they are struggling to respond effectively to customer queries. 72% of those surveyed were also considering outsourcing delivery tracking to a third party with 84% stating they are willing to outsource tracking to a delivery management provider. SimonWright, Marketing Manager at Parcelhub, commented: “Our research shows that larger retailers have the size and scale to be able to adapt to customer demand, but smaller retailers do not have the critical mass tomanage these complex carrier relationships efficiently. “It demonstrates the value that a multi-carrier delivery management provider like Parcelhub can bring to smaller retailers. We offer a variety of shipping options through one multi-carrier system and once the parcel has been shipped, we can take care of any queries that may arise in the process.” E-retailers struggling to meet customer service standards
STRUGGLE TO MANAGE THEIR CUSTOMER QUERIES EFFECTIVELY
ARE CONSIDERING OUTSOURCING DELIVERY TRACKING TO A THIRD PARTY
FASHION IS THE NO1 PURCHASE FOR INTERNATIONAL ONLINE SHOPPERS
A BETTER PRICE IS THE NO1 MOTIVATION FOR BUYING INTERNATIONALLY
ARE PLANNING TO INVEST IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE MANAGEMENT
“SETTING THE INNOVATION AGENDA WITH PROACTIVE DELIVERY” VISIT PARCELHUB.CO.UK / WHITEPAPER
DOWNLOAD OUR WHITE PAPER
ARE INVESTING IN OUTSOURCED CUSTOMER SERVICE OPERATIONS
For more information about Parcelhub’s range of ecommerce solutions visit www.parcelhub.co.uk or call 01159 503 018.
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Whistl Magazine • Summer 2020
The charity Coin Carrier Use Doordrop Media to encourage cash donations
WHISTL NAMED GLOBAL LEADER IN SUPPLIER ENGAGEMENT ON CLIMATE CHANGE
WHY DIRECT MAIL STILL WORKS Although we now live in a digitally- driven world it doesn’t mean that business direct mail is dead. In fact, recent research by the Joint Industry Committee for Mail (JICMAIL) shows businessmail has the highest interaction rates of all mail types. Here we share some of those insights that prove business direct mail still works.
What was your involvement in the campaign? We were appointed to apply our data, insights and analytics to plan and build a targeted doordrop campaign within a very tight timescale. Our start point was to build a bespoke targeting model using 43,000 historical postcodes of anonymous fundraisers which then enabled us to create national and regional Mosaic profiles to enhance our targeting. As headroomopportunity was key to the success of the campaign, the London TV region was excluded from the campaign due to the high penetration of existing donors in that region. Howwas themessage communicated? The creative led with a ‘Shave the date’ theme which included an offer of a free razor to those signing up to the Movember campaign. Inside, the doordrop outlined the scale of the men’s health crisis and gave recipients a clear call to action about how they could help in three simple steps. To encourage sign-up, recipients had to register for Movember first before they could claim a free razor. The doordrop was delivered to 250,000 households and unique codes were applied to each leaflet for post campaign evaluation. And the result..? Thanks to our data analytics and highly accurate targeting we achieved our objective of generating more new donors to the Movember campaign. We saw around 3,000 new donors and a response rate of 1.48% of which 79% were new donors. 5,000 free razors were redeemed from the doordrop, giving a redemption rate of 2%.
Doordrops reachmore customers than almost any other broadcast media. So when The Movember Foundation wanted to generate sign ups and raise awareness of men’s health issues, doordrops proved to be the perfect medium. We catch up with Mark Davies, Managing Director of Whistl DoordropMedia, to tell us a bit more about the award-winning What is the Movember Foundation? It’s the only leading global charity tackling men’s health, specifically focusing on three key areas – prostate cancer, testicular cancer andmental health and suicide prevention. And what it the Movember campaign? Every year the charity hosts a Movember campaign which encourages people to grow and groom their moustaches for the full 30 days of November, whilst also raising funds for and awareness of men’s health issues. success of the charity’s Movember campaign. So what was the charity seeking to achieve? Primarily to keep the momentum going of the previous year’s successful campaign by generating sign ups and increasing penetration of new donors within the UK. 10 Whistl Magazine • Summer 2020 Driving momentum for Movember
We’re proud to announce that CDP, the international non- profit organisation that works with companies tomeasure and manage their environmental impact, has awardedWhistl a position on the Supplier Engagement Leaderboard. The award recognises global leaders for their effectiveness in engaging with suppliers across the supply chain to reduce carbon emissions andmanage climate risks. Over 4,800 companies were assessed by CDP and given a Supplier Engagement Rating based on their response to its climate change questionnaire which evaluated governance, targets, scope 3 emissions and value chain engagement. Thesemeasures have earnedWhistl the distinction of being among the top 3% of organisations assessed by CDP, one of fewer than 160 companies on the Leaderboard. Nigel Polglass, Whistl Chief Operating Officer said: “We are delighted that we have improved our performance year on year and that we continue to lead the sector inmaking a positive contribution to reducing CO 2 emissions. Whistl’s
partnership approach to issues like this is reflected in the A-rating for supplier engagement and I am grateful for all the hard work of the procurement and transport teamwho took the lead on this work within the company. “Over the past 12months we have invested heavily in our van and bulk fleet to boost fuel efficiencies and cut emissions whilst also installing telematics like IsoTrak across the entire fleet to improve driving efficiency throughout our operation. It’s great to see that our commitment to environmental sustainability has been recognisedwith this award.” Dexter Galvin, Director of Corporates and Supply Chains at CDP said: “Congratulations to all the companies on the CDP Supplier Engagement Leaderboard for this year. They are showing leadership on engaging their suppliers tomanage climate risk and cut emissions. Given that supply chain emissions are on average 5.5 times as high as a company’s operational emissions, this couldn’t bemore crucial. If we are to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and decarbonise the economy, then other companies learning from these leaders and engaging their suppliers is going to be vital.”
What is a Coin Carrier? A simple cardwith 2-4 slots perfect for holding £1 coins and used as the call-to- actionelement ina charitymailingpack. Who uses it? Charities , especially thosewhose new donor acquisitions and fundraising have been hit by GDPR andmore recently the pandemic. Why is it popular? When Charities need to quickly GROW their donor base andwant a cash led programme, Coin Carriers provide high volume donors and high response rates. They are also a great stepping-stone for recruiting regular givers. combinedwith sophisticated targeting, the resulting ROI ensures a successful campaign for that charity. We can assist with everything from creative design, messaging, targeting, modelling of predicted response and evaluations of the campaign’s performance. Email moreinfo@whistl.co.uk or visitwww.whistl.co.uk/industries/ charities Whistl verdict When these standout packs are
ADDITIONAL REACH ACHIEVED BY BUSINESS DIRECT MAIL
IS THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME BUSINESS MAIL STAYS IN THE HOME
OF BUSINESS MAIL DRIVES CONSUMERS TO BUY SOMETHING / MAKE A PAYMENT
OF BUSINESSMAILDRIVESVISITS TO THE SENDER’S WEBSITE
OF BUSINESS MAIL DRIVES BRAND CONVERSATIONS
For more information about Whistl’s environmental policy visit www.whistl.co.uk/about-us/environment
SOURCE : JICMAIL
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Whistl Magazine • Summer 2020
We’re here to provide solutions to support you and your business. Whatever you are looking to deliver and wherever you need it to go, we have a service for you. Any other business?
• Tracked • Part tracked • Standard • International Our range of UK and international parcel shipping solutions can help you meet your customers’ expectations.
Global reach for mail and parcels through a network of leading partners worldwide.
• Sorted & unsorted mail • Tracked & untracked parcels
Choose from our range of mail delivery solutions developed to save you time and money. • Sorted • Unsorted • International • Partially addressed • Admail
• Call centre services • Ecommerce customer service • Customer data handling • Telemarketing services Providing tailored solutions for inbound and outbound contact centre services for brands and retailers.
• Pick and pack • Systems and technology • Despatch and distribution • Returns management • Inventory management Give your customers a high-quality, seamless experience from first click to final delivery.
Increase customer engagement, acquisition or retention with our intelligent approach including targeted leaflets, catalogues, samples and partially addressed.
• Leafletdrop • Partially addressed • Customer insights • Print solutions • Leaflet advertising • Product sampling
Existing customers contact your account manager New customers call 01628 702 413 email whistl.magazine@whistl.co.uk visit www.whistl.co.uk TO FIND OUT MORE
We hope you enjoy reading Whistl Magazine. If you have any news or views that you’d like us to feature in future editions, just get in touch! email whistl.magazine@whistl.co.uk write Rina Maisuria, Whistl UK Ltd, Meridian House, Fieldhouse Lane, Marlow, Buckinghamshire, SL7 1TB
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