Parcel couriers Twitter customer service

OVERVIEW

The research in this report is tailored to four parcel couriers: DPD, Hermes, Parcelforce and Yodel. It is an analysis of the Twitter customer workflow of each of the courier brands.

The report benchmarks each of the couriers’ performance in relation to the customer experience. It provides an insight into the leading topics and conversational threads around customer service, satisfaction and complaints, with a spotlight on deliveries and the online experience. It includes a comparative analysis of key influencers in the brand discussion, and sentiment. It also provides an insight into unexplored opportunities within each of the couriers’ customer base. It highlights how integrating social into your customer service strategy will improve your customers’ experience, and reduce complaints and dissatisfaction. Turning social media channels to your advantage will win you new fans and customers, help retain existing customers, and convert them to be your brand champions.

The reporting period is 1 December 2014 – 31 December 2014

BUZZ ANALYSIS

COMPETITOR BUZZ ANALYSIS

Total number of mentions

Average number of mentions each week

Number of followers

@DPD_UK - 11,060

2,760

21,300

@myhermes - 10,563

2,640

12,800

@parcelforce - 9,503

2,263

10,800

@YodelOnline - 38,999

9,749

24,800

KEY INFLUENCERS

DPD: KEY INFLUENCERS BY AUTHORITY

DJ @LaurenPope, with 1.15m followers, was the most influential DPD customer tweeting about service over the month. The customer was unhappy that two parcels from ASOS were not delivered. Comedian @almurray, with 384,000 followers, was the second most influential tweeter. The comedian was frustrated with DHL’s service and DPD was recommended to him. However his supplier preferred DHL.

HERMES: KEY INFLUENCERS BY AUTHORITY

@Official_Craig, with 113,000 followers, was the most influential Hermes customer tweeting about its service. The customer complained about their delivery text being too vague. @TheQueerGuy, with 71,800 followers, was the second most influential tweeter. The customer was unhappy that Hermes had not collected a parcel for a second time.

PARCELFORCE: KEY INFLUENCERS BY AUTHORITY

@naomikisted, with 189,000 followers, was the most influential Parcelforce customer who used Twitter to chase her missing delivery. @IndywoodPromos, with 132,000 followers, was the second most influential. The customer was critical of deliveries not arriving at the time stated on text alerts.

YODEL: KEY INFLUENCERS BY AUTHORITY

TV presenter @andipeters, with 349,000 followers, was the most influent Yodel customer. The customer was frustrated at being kept on hold. @MUFCSparesHOME, with121,000 followers, was the second most influential tweeter about its services and sent several tweets alleging that Yodel drivers stole parcels.

LEADING TOPICS: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

COMPETITOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND DISSATISFACTION Competitor customer satisfaction

Competitor customer dissatisfaction

COMPETITOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND COMPLAINTS DPD

Positive comments - 1,363

Negative comments - 3,056

Hermes

Positive comments - 691

Negative comments - 3,367

COMPETITOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND COMPLAINTS Parcelforce

Positive comments - 695

Negative comments - 2,051

Yodel

Positive comments - 2,569

Negative comments - 12,209

COMPETITOR CUSTOMER SERVICE Customer service Customers gave feedback on the quality of the service they received from each of the couriers and tweeted thanks when customer service teams were quick to reply to queries. Positive comments for DPD included appreciation of good service from drivers on routes including Edinburgh and Anglessey. The courier was also praised by some customers for its clear communication strategy on deliveries, including @ChrisPercival_ who liked its ‘transparent communication’ with customers and online tracking. Hermes customers tweeted thanks when they received excellent customer service especially during the Christmas rush. There was also good service from its parcel shops, for example, Didcot. Parcelforce customers appreciated good service in Inverness and at its Newport depot. Yodel customers liked its weekend service and experienced good service on routes including Carlisle. However, there was a disconnect in support provided by contact channels and customers used Twitter to vent frustration at service from the couriers’ phone, email and social customer support teams.

Being kept on hold and unanswered tweets were common problems. For example, DPD customer @debbie russel5 tweeted ‘@DPD_UK Is anybody there? Tweeted you over an hour ago re 2773121007. No change on website. Kept today free to take delivery... please help!’ Small charity @N_ewStarts was frustrated that @myhermes did not reply to their tweet and wanted to escalate and email the company’s CEO. @CEOmail joined the conversation and tweeted a link to the executive’s email address to them. @r_moore04 tweeted @BBCWatchdog to complain about poor customer service from Yodel’s online and telephone support teams. @Bigtallclift was unhappy with being kept on hold at Parcelforce’s Gatwick depot. There were also reported problems with being kept on hold on DPD telephone lines for more than an hour.

Number of mentions over the month where customers complained on Twitter about not being replied to, or when they felt ignored 166 357 95 1,164

LEADING TOPICS: CUSTOMER DELIVERIES, ONLINE EXPERIENCE

CUSTOMER DELIVERIES, ONLINE EXPERIENCE DPD

Deliveries - 6,992

Online experience - 508

Hermes

Deliveries - 6,456

Online experience - 520

CUSTOMER DELIVERIES, ONLINE EXPERIENCE Parcelforce

Deliveries - 5,533

Online experience - 456

Yodel

Deliveries - 21,223

Online experience - 1,388

CUSTOMER DELIVERIES

Deliveries DPD customers liked its SMS and online tracking service. ASOS customers were most vocal on deliveries from the courier. Some of the retailer’s customers were confident it was using the right delivery company and tweeted thanks when their orders arrived. For example, @vikkichowney thought the partnership was ‘*so* good. Advising where to leave a parcel, easily from a mobile, w/a confirm. text - just makes sense’. But, some were less sanguine. @danielmeade wondered why they paid for next-day delivery only for DPD to leave a card. In the wider conversation, @MkttgKaren asked for a delivery option to state which neighbours not to leave parcels with. There was also negative messaging on the frequency of complaints. @debbierussel5 claimed @DPD_UK received a ‘new tweet every 30 seconds’ from customers who were ‘let down’ by its drivers, and complained DPD was slow to answer tweets. .

Hermes customers liked the convenience of using @myhermes parcel shops. @Backontrack00 thought Hermes was better value than Parcelforce. On the downside, some Hermes customers were unhappy and concerned about parcels being damaged with claims that some drivers threw products over fences and gates. Its customers also talked about recent complaints about the courier on the BBC’s Watchdog program tweeted comments about their experiences. For example, @missgemfay thought the complaints on Watchdog about Hermes were ‘justified’ after her parcel was damaged by being thrown over her gate. Customers also complained about deliveries to random addresses, the fact some were left in unsecure places such as bins, long delays and missing parcels which customers thought had been stolen. @born_digital_ suggested better training for a Hermes driver on the Gosforth / Newcastle route on what constituted a ‘safe’place.

CUSTOMER DELIVERIES

Deliveries Parcelforce was proactive with tweets assuring customers they could trusted to deliver for Christmas. There were also positive messages from customers whose packages were delivered earlier than expected. @hilaire_chateau appreciated good service from its Twitter team and follow up phone call to book a redelivery. However, @Steadi0p was unhappy at not getting a response on Twitter four hours after tweeting a message about a late delivery. Parcelforce customers also asked for improvements to its notification service with criticisms of its text service. Its customers complained about how text alerts did not match when parcels arrived. @CassGemLeach asked @MuscleFoodUK to consider changing couriers to a delivery company like DPD, which offered one-hour time slots. Its customers also reported problems with 24-hour express deliveries and lost parcels.

@Firebox customer @juliasays_83 thanked Yodel for delivering her goods on a Sunday. Customers also tweeted thanks when its social media team was able to follow up on delivery problems. However, there was a gap in response rates and issues with direct messages and tweets going unanswered. A tweet from @EdBennettSEO, complaining about Yodel delivering goods for the company’s Xmas party two days after the event, was the most shared mention at 258 times, increasing negative visibility. Yodel customers also tweeted @BBCWatchdog to complain about the company’s service, long delays, and damaged, lost or ‘stolen’ parcels with calls for the consumer programme investigate. Its customers also asked for clearer information on when parcels were left with neighbours and complained about packages being left in bins and other unsafe places such as outside front doors.

CUSTOMER ONLINE EXPERIENCE

Online experience Some DPD customers thought its online tracking service gave it a competitive edge. For example @deargeek tweeted ‘I have to say, @DPD_UK are probably the best couriers I know - their delivery notification system and website are fantastic!’ They also liked being able to see where their deliveries were on Google maps. The quality of its online tracking service was also the stand-out positive for Hermes’ digital customers. Parceforce engaged its customers with a promotional code for a 15% off UK and selected international services offer. Yodel customers appreciated being able to use its #TomTheTracker service and tweeted thanks for efficient online support. However, customers across the board asked for improvement to web services. DPD customer @MummyBarrows was confused that the number on its website went to sister company Interlink’s team. @benosteen had a problem with its app returning a blank page template.

Other DPD customers reported slow updates on its tracking page and turned to Twitter for advice. Hermes customer @KatPodders asked for clearer information on its website on how to re-direct a delivery to an alternative address. As did @lauraaaspencex who wanted clearer information on its website on how to re-arrange a delivery. Hermes’ customers were frustrated by a website outage and slow tracking updates. Parcelforce customer @mellowdrifter asked why the courier did not offer real-time tracking information online, overlaid on Google maps. Some of its customers also questioned the accuracy of delivery status information on its website, which contradicted text messaging and parcel receipt times. Some Yodel customers complained its online chat function was not working. @FunLOVINGLesley asked its Twitter team if its online tracking system was down on 9 December and for clarity on whether the company still had a backlog following Black Friday. @racheltait asked for improved functionality to change a delivery address online.

SENTIMENT ANALYSIS

COMPETITOR SENTIMENT ANALYSIS

Key findings DPD had the highest proportion of positive comments at 17.2%, followed by Parcelforce on 14.9%. Hermes came next with 14% and Yodel trailed its competitors on 10.6%. Yodel had the highest number of negative comments at 30.3%., followed by DPD on 20.6% and Hermes on 19.4%. Parcelforce had the fewest negative comments at 14.1%.

DPD: KEY COMMENTS DRIVING SENTIMENT

‘@DPD_UK just spoke to Emily due to a huge error by @ThreeUK fantastic customer service DPD’ (@Adamm_Roper)

‘Frustrated to tears trying to change a delivery address, on hold with @ASOS for 25mins, neither @ASOS or @DPD_UK responding to my tweets.’ (@JessBradbury22)

‘@DPD_UK Loving your service, sms updates, great tracking, easy to make alternative delivery arrangements. @PostOffice need to learn from you’ (@andyleaning)

‘@DPD_UK no response from email sent last night and very slow to reply to tweets. Parcel has now left depot which I did not want!!!!’ (@debbierussel5)

HERMES: KEY COMMENTS DRIVING SENTIMENT

‘@myhermes Hi Junior, the driver has now delivered the parcel. Thank you very much for responding to my tweet. :o)’ (@AbsKebabs85)

‘@myhermes one of your drivers just gave me best delivery service ever. Ian in tooting, london. How do I pass on an official thank you?’ (@Blueminiman)

‘@myhermes Over 2hrs since my first tweet to you & you still ain't replying back! #GreatWayToTreatCustomers’ (@theenkay)

‘@myhermes any chance of a reply to this? Parcel has been with you since the 8th, I emailed on Saturday about it and then tweeted 2 days ago’ (@lovelyjojos)

PARCELFORCE: KEY COMMENTS DRIVING SENTIMENT

‘Big shout to @parcelforce , had a parcel sent for me Friday afternoon in Norway, arrived today! Great services.’ (@1997xJxB)

‘RT @northwalesinks: My hand goes out to @parcelforce driver covering LL25 LL26 area with extra christmas work. He very helpful too.’ (@yourWeePrint)

‘@parcelforce So.. 4hrs on from tweet - no email, no contact & now 8 days late for a next day del. Poor customer service #fail @BBCWatchdog’ (@Steadi0p)

‘@parcelforce 17 tweets ... 3 phone calls .. one email .. been to the post office .. and still you won't contact me or give me my parcel’ (@JAZZkeeley)

YODEL: KEY COMMENTS DRIVING SENTIMENT

‘So impressed with you guys.. @YodelOnline my order from choiceshops always arrives so quickly with you. My daughter and I are so grateful’ (@_Jan1ce)

‘@YodelOnline Can you please respond to my latest Tweet and Direct Message. You've had my parcel since 4th Dec. @taraevans @MoneySavingExp’ (@andrewemmett)

‘@YodelOnline Thank you Punam, I really appreciated your helpfulness. Did you discover why my tracking codes didn't scan? Was it me?’ (@SarahAbbottMW)

‘@YodelOnline Why ask for a follow to DM then...nothing? Clearly your social media skills are every bit as lousy as your delivery service.’ (@MarklAllison)