Avoid Courier Delivery Delays during the Olympics with ParcelHero.com’s amazing ParcelVision Technology

With the spread of e-commerce we all have got used to being able to order goods online, and receive delivery the following day. Well the world’s biggest sporting event is just about to significantly impact deliveries for people living in affected areas and also of course businesses located in or trying to make deliveries in areas around the 109-mile Olympic Route Network.

With over 8 million tickets sold, 17,800 participating athletes and officials, and 500,000 spectators travelling through London each day, it’s clear that the potential for disruption and congestion is huge.

Every courier is taking a different approach to making deliveries during the games. From employing additional ‘foot couriers’ in central London to making deliveries ‘out of hours’ and establishing special committees to monitor events as they occur, a lot of work and planning has already gone into minimising the potential disruption. It’s clear however that some carriers are far better placed to cope with the ensuing delays.

ParcelHero’s special 2012 delivery team has been working with our preferred partners along with the relevant authorities to ensure minimal disruption to our customers. This article outlines the approaches each courier is taking and suggests ways to avoid the worst of the delays.

ParcelHero.com is a parcel management company; our state-of-the-art technology selects the most efficient route for each package based upon real-time carrier performance and analyses. At ParcelHero we are very aware of the impact local events can have on deliveries. We only need to look back to the winter of 2010 to see the impact the bad weather had on deliveries to individuals and businesses across the country. With this in mind we are pleased to announce special changes to our ParcelVision technology to help route deliveries through the carriers coping best with deliveries in areas affected games throughout the summer of 2012.

So how does it work?
ParcelHero is different to most courier aggregators in that instead of letting you chose from a huge list of available carriers and services; ParcelHero selects the optimum carrier for each service and destination. Our ParcelVision technology monitors delivery performance stats by postcode for all of our premium delivery partners. ParcelHero then uses the carrier with the best delivery performance on a by-postcode basis. To see ParcelVision technology in action, simply visit: http://www.parcelhero.com and complete the quick quote.

How can I find out if I am in a zone affected by sports events this summer?

There will be a number of areas that will be closed to the general public, these areas are called ‘Lockdown areas’ there will be over 50 lockdown areas across the UK. Additionally there will be other areas affected by associated congestion.

UPS is the official Olympics logistics sponsor and therefore is the only carrier with the ability to deliver to ‘Lockdown areas’ Other carriers will be able to use UPS to deliver within these areas, but only by paying a £25 security screening and delivery surcharge to UPS.

Different carriers have different approaches to dealing with the delays. Here’s follows a brief summary of the different approaches being taken to minimise delays.

FedEx:
The FedEx Action Plan includes:
• Increased operational capacity
• Increasing number of couriers and re-designing their routes to maintain existing
service
• Introducing motorbikes to expedite urgent deliveries
• Providing drivers with ‘runners’ to make deliveries where parking restrictions in place
• Using foot couriers for small parcel deliveries in Central London
• Giving International Shipping Customers increased option to Hold At Locations
• Giving both Domestic and International Shipping Customers option to have
shipments delivered to alternative addresses
• Liaising directly with delivery points to create delivery solutions

FedEx Olympic Operating Plan
http://www.fedex.com/gb/about/2012summeroperatingplan/index.html

DHL:
DHL has been working with key stakeholders since 2010 to raise visibility of the likely impact the events in London in 2012 will cause. DHL is actively working with its customers on a site-by-site basis to develop plans to support their business operations during the summer of 2012. It is likely that a number of different scenarios will be implemented to minimize disruption to DHL’s customers, including earlier forecasting; pre-stocking; utilising consolidation centres and agreeing revised delivery schedules to take into account the restrictions being imposed.

DHL Olympic Updates
http://www.dhl.co.uk/en/logistics/2012.html

UPS:
In order to understand, plan, prepare, and implement solutions to keep our day-to-day business moving around the city UPS have assembled a dedicated team of experts representing all internal business functions. They have been working closely with key stakeholders for some time and are setting out clear plans as more information is released and finalized. The team is analysing traffic charts, integrating new technology and launching a customer engagement campaign to ensure UPS are able to maintain our high level of service during the upcoming London 2012 Games.

UPS Olympics Operating Plan
http://newlogistics.ups.com/london2012/games-time/

DPD:
DPD have a number of Olympics Specialists at each impacted depot. They will be responsible for working to minimize Olympics related delays and monitoring and reacting to events as they occur. DPD are also double-manning certain routes in response to restrictions on stopping and parking in certain areas, with assistants completing deliveries on foot. DPD timed and next day services are affected and delays can be expected. DPD are also introducing a surcharge of £1.95 for deliveries made to areas in the ‘Olympics congestion zone’

DPD have published a list of affected postcodes:
http://www.dpd.co.uk/pdf/Postcode-Impact-DPD.pdf

YODEL:
Following its detailed analysis YODEL has developed contingency plans and is now carrying out scenario testing. Yodel has also created its very own "Yodel Olympic Village HQ" at its Vauxhall Service Centre in the heart of central London.
During the key period between the opening and closing of the Olympic Village (15 July - 14 September) Yodel will be providing clients with daily updates on service, traffic congestion and postcode hot spots.
Yodel Olympic Contingency Plans
http://www.yodel.co.uk/about/read-all-about-us/yodel-announces-olympic-contingency-plans.aspx

TNT:
TNT, the UK's leading express delivery company, is advising its customers to open early to receive deliveries and avoid as much as possible the potential disruptions caused by road restrictions during the Games this summer.
Fears that the Olympic Route Network, which will see many roads restricted to only competitors, officials and dignitaries, may cause delivery chaos have prompted delivery companies to come up with innovative solutions.
TNT is leading the way in trying to minimise the impact on its service to customers in order to help keep their businesses running during games which run from late July to mid-September.
TNT Olympics Updates
http://www.tnt-summerofsport.co.uk/

City Link:
City Link’ s dedicated Olympic Project team have been working closely with Transport for London (TfL) to understand what the restrictions are so that they can develop their plans for the period.

City Link will continue to operate a Next Day service in all areas.
• City Link will be forced to suspend timed services in affected areas in London and around other Olympic venues.
•City Link may extend our daily delivery windows as we often do in the period before Christmas.
• City Link may extend the Parcel Collection Point opening hours
• The City Link third party collection service will operate on a Next Day basis (no collections will be made on the day of booking).
• City Link may have to change collection times for some customers in the affected areas. The local depot teams will contact affected customers as soon as final plans are available.
• City Link are not currently planning to offer deliveries through the night.
• Specialist and tailored services will be available on demand through our Same-day service.
• Due to the increased costs caused by the congestion, a surcharge will be applied to all deliveries attempted and 3rd party collections within the affected postcode areas throughout the Olympic and Paralympic period.
• The London Congestion Charge (zone 7) will still apply

City Link Olympic Plans
http://www.city-link.co.uk/press/2012/news_289084.html

ParcelHero is the UK's leading parcel delivery company. ParcelHero offers express, timed and economy parcel delivery services to the UK and over 220 countries worldwide, from the world's largest carriers; DHL, UPS and FedEx.

ParcelHero
1 Spruce House
Durham Wharf Drive
Brentford
TW8 8HR
Tel: 08448804558
Contact: Virginia

This release was published on openPR.