WHISTL NEWS
International eCommerce – six steps to success You’ve got the UK market covered, now you’re looking overseas for growth. We’re here to help! 1. Know why they buy Basic stuff – but this really helps to identify which territories to target.
Apprenticeships in action
CONTACT CENTRE
PARTNERSHIP STRIKES GOLD Whistl and client TOCA Social picked up a coveted Gold award at the recent UK Contact Centre Forum awards. The triumph came in the Outsourcing Partnership of the Year category, with the awards organiser commenting that “the entry showed a genuine partnership approach between Whistl and TOCA Social”. TOCA Social is the world’s first immersive football and dining experience, located at the O2 in London. Our Contact Centre team acts as an extension of their business, providing customer service support with over 850 interactions a week. “This award reflects the tremendous understanding we have with TOCA, sharing their aims, challenges and objectives”, said Christine Bryant, Contact Centre GM at Whistl. “Plus, of course, it’s testimony to the fantastic work our Contact Centre team does on their behalf”.
Direct Commerce Award for Thane and Whistl Fulfilment Our partnership with clients is one of our strongest assets, and this was proved again at the 2022 Direct Commerce Awards. Together with Thane Direct, we won the Fulfilment, Delivery & Logistics category at a glittering ceremony held at the Millennium Hotel, London. Thane Direct is a leading direct-to-consumer business, providing the latest home, fitness and beauty products. We operate a seven-day pick & pack service on their behalf, and notably have enabled later cut-off times for next-day delivery. “We’re delighted to win this fantastic award with Whistl,” said Sam Dooley, Operations Director at Thane. “Whistl are a great support in delivering our goals – we have true partnership.” L-R Anthea Turner (Presenter), Lindsay-Jane Vines (President, Thane UK & North America), Sam Dooley, (Thane, Operations Director), Rashpall Gill (Whistl, Commercial Director)
Whistl Apprentices Olusegun Idowu and Amber Pickard, flanked by Dr Tracey Worth, CEO of The Institute of Couriers (left) and Alistair Cochrane, CEO Whistl (right).
2. Be clear on costs Customers want to understand the entire cost of a product. Tax and duties shouldn’t be a nasty surprise, if they are identified at the point of purchase. Be as clear as possible about additional costs. 3. Prepare the paperwork Cross-border transactions come with a need to complete the required paperwork. Commodity codes and product descriptions should ensure smooth passage through customs. 4. Currencies – convert them To maximise sales and minimise cart abandonment, make sure your site has easy currency conversion. Enabling consumers to buy in their own currency helps them enormously, plus it speeds up transactions. 5. Capitalise on the eCommerce calendar OK, Black Friday and Christmas are peak pretty much the world over. But there’s Chinese New Year in January, Canadian Thanksgiving in October, and Mothers’ Day is either March or May, depending on which country you live in. There’s always a sales opportunity somewhere! 6. Select the right shipping partner Welcome to Whistl! We can manage all aspects of international delivery, through our International Gateway service. You get all the advice you need, and we take care of everything from checking your paperwork, to customs clearance.
Two trailblazing new initiatives reflect our commitment to apprenticeships, both within the company and also in the local communities where we’re based. Firstly, together with The Institute of Couriers, we’ve helped to develop a new Sortation Hub Apprenticeship and fifteen employees have signed up for this on-the-job training at our Bolton, Bedford and Bristol sites. They will emerge with a nationally recognised qualification, but most importantly the skills crucial to the functioning of the UK logistics sector. Secondly, we’ve launched the Whistl Apprenticeship Fund, enabling smaller companies local to our sites to offer apprenticeships with a focus on early years learning, digital and engineering. Take-up has been remarkable – already we have committed to funding 251 apprenticeships in 76 different organisations, through sharing our Apprenticeship Levy. Recognising our ground-breaking initiative, (then) Government Minister for Skills Andrea Jenkyns commented: “Apprenticeships are at the heart of our ambitious skills agenda, and it’s great to see companies like Whistl helping to plug skills gaps by sharing their apprenticeship funds with small companies…helping to deliver the highly skilled workforce employers so desperately need.” Apply for the Whistl Apprenticeship Fund at manage-apprentiships.service.gov.uk
Matt wins Kickstart award
Matt Prowse, Senior Trainer/Recruiter at Whistl Fulfilment in the South West, has been recognised for his support of the government’s Kickstart scheme, which operated during the pandemic. The scheme provided funding to employers who created jobs for 16-24 year olds on Universal Credit. Matt championed the programme, and led the way inducting, mentoring and supporting those who joined Whistl under it. Matt was nominated for the award by Brixham Jobcentre’s Alison Hulme, who presented it to him on behalf of the Department for Work & Pensions.
Visit www.whistl.co.uk/news/ improve-cross-border-shipping- opportunities-2022 to find out more.
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Whistl Magazine • Winter 2022
Whistl Magazine • Winter 2022
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