Staples Achieve Highest Possible Levels of Service Delivery for its Customers with Blackbay

To maintain its 99.9% first time delivery rate and continue to improve upon its the high levels of customer service it delivers, Staples has, in just three months, replaced its paper-based collection and delivery system with Blackbay's Delivery Connect, a mobility platform that allows the tracking and management of items throughout the entire collection and delivery process, but crucially within the all-important first mile, last mile.

Staples Australia has long been renowned for its excellent levels of customer service. However, in its quest for continual improvement the company recognised the need to introduce technology that would deliver the highest possible levels of service delivery. Staples launched a thorough investigation of the market, with eight providers reviewed for their technology and ability to support Staples’ current and future needs.

“The initial search for a provider was not easy. However, we quickly found that one provider, Blackbay has significant capabilities that put them ahead of the competition; a company with experience in SAP integrations, a flexible commercial approach, quick deployment capability and a product that could grow with the business,” said, Albert Knezevic, VP of Supply Chain, Staples Australia.

“One of the first difficulties we encountered, but which Blackbay was able to overcome, was that we needed a mobility solution partner who was able to deliver flexible financial options, with Staples’ specific requirement for an OPEX, pay as you go solution,” said Knezevic . “It soon became evident that only a handful of suppliers were able to offer this.”

Blackbay’s ability to implement Delivery Connect quickly was another differentiator from its competitors and was another crucial factor in its being chosen as Staples. “Despite us taking a huge leap from a completely paper-based collection and delivery system to a mobile solution, Blackbay's Delivery Connect was up and running in just three months,” continued Knezevic.

The Delivery Connect product deployed by Staples is integrated with Staples’ SAP Event Management system and allows Staples to track and manage all of its items throughout the entire collection and delivery process in real time, without the need for any customisation.” We have visibility of our drivers and the freight movements in real-time, enabling us to drive efficiencies amongst our team and respond to any issues as they happen” commented Knezevic.

Deployment of Delivery Connect has enabled Staples to immediately improve its customer offerings by introducing Staples Spot, which allows goods to be delivered in or outside of normal business hours to a designated safe place located within the delivery premises and without the need for a signature.

“Staples Spot is a key feature for customers who want to receive their office goods or equipment with the least delay possible. They simply sign up for Staples Spot and the next time that a delivery is made the delivery driver fixes a barcode to the nominated safe place. So when future deliveries are made, the goods are not only scanned on to the delivery van; they are scanned again when delivered to the safe place. A secure delivery takes place without the need for a signature,” explained Knezevic.

Another important feature of Delivery Connect that has helped Staples improve its customer service is electronic proof of delivery (ePOD). “Now when customers ask to view the ePOD this is instantly available via Delivery Connect. There is no longer the need to delve through archived folders and then photocopy or scan the paper POD and email it to the customer. Not only does this address any issues around delivery for customers; it equates to a massive time saving for our administration staff and is seen as a value added capability to our customers,” commented Knezevic.

He added: “Delivery Connect has also allowed us to eliminate short deliveries, by scanning each and every package onto our delivery vans this prevents the loading of a short delivery. If it can't be loaded, it can't be delivered, so our customers receive the goods which they were expecting!”

Staples went on a road trip to various locations across Australia and rolled out Delivery Connect to over 200 of its drivers in only eight weeks. Delivery Connect is utilised on Intermec CN70 devices carried by all Staples drivers and with GPS capability tracking the exact location of each and every package in real time.

“Importantly, even our non-techie drivers are able to use Delivery Connect. Each driver had a one hour training session in the morning prior to loading their vans, and then were accompanied by a trainer for two to three hours to ensure all collection and delivery scenarios were covered,” Knezevic stated.

Staples now have a real-time delivery solution that has been well received by its customers but also by its delivery drivers. “Delivery Connect allows us to ensure that we meet our customers’ office requirements quickly and cost effectively. The implementation of Staples Spot now means that our customers can receive what they need, when they need it, and we can provide proof of delivery, regardless of the time of delivery. It is a win, win situation for everyone!” concluded Knezevic.

“This partnership between Blackbay and Staples is a great illustration of how companies can, and should, work together to achieve a successful mobility deployment that is versatile enough to meet not only Staples requirement for efficiency improvements, but also one that can keep pace with the changing demands of its customers," added Nigel Doust, Blackbay's CEO.

About Staples Australia

Staples Australia is part of the world’s largest office products company and a trusted source for office solutions. The company provides products, services and expertise in the categories of office supplies, technology solutions, business furniture, print solutions, promotional marketing, kitchen supplies, and facility solutions. With 88,000 associates worldwide, Staples operates in 26 countries throughout the world. The company is headquartered at Framingham, Massachusetts, USA. Staples have over 200 drivers in the field managing delivery across Australia.

About Blackbay

Blackbay is the leading provider of mobility enabled solutions for the transport and logistics industry. The company’s configurable end-to-end products ensure first time, on time, every time delivery by connecting the shipper, operations, management, drivers and crucially the customer with real-time information and flexible workflows to create smarter delivery companies. Blackbay, headquartered in London, operates across APAC, EMEA and the USA, supporting over 145,000 drivers delivering in excess of 6 million deliveries per day.

For more information visit: http://www.blackbay.com/ Or follow Blackbay on Twitter @BlackbayLtd