Supply Chain
reduces futile
deliveries
Driven by a desire to provide a
better customer experience and
reduce call volumes to the Customer
Service Centre (CSC), the Supply
Chain team set out to reduce futile
deliveries to customer and created a
whole new process.
Previously, our contracted Toll drivers
would leave a ‘Sorry we missed
you’ card for customers if unable to
delivery an order, which was followed
up by an email asking to call our CSC.
The Toll driver would also attempt to
deliver later in the day or the following
day unless given specific instruction
by the customer. Aside from being an
untimely and inconvenient process
for our customers, the futile delivery
would require the driver to return at a
later time.
To improve our customers’
experiences, Supply Chain
implemented a number of changes:
1. When the driver is unable to deliver
an order, they call the CFC team
prior to departing the customer’s
premises
2. A dedicated team member at
each CFC now call our customers
directly to seek further instructions
to relay back to the driver.
Customers can opt to:
• Give an ‘authority to leave’
the goods in a safe spot where
What is a futile
delivery?
If the customer is not available
to sign for their package and
no authority has been given
to leave it on the premises
(authority to leave), the driver
is unable to complete the
delivery.
previously not available for
that delivery
• For the driver to await the
customer to return, if practical
• For the driver to deliver to an
alternative location such as the
nearest Officeworks store,
if practical
• For the driver to come back
another time.
The new process has been in place
for just over a year and is now part of
our drivers’ culture. There are many
benefits to both customers and
Officeworks, including:
• Customers are happier as they
have been proactively engaged by
Officeworks
• Officeworks’ futile delivery rate
has halved overtime, resulting in
improved efficiency and a reduced
cost of doing business
• The call volume to our CSC
has reduced.
The effort by the entire Supply Chain
team to reduce futile deliveries has
payed off, reducing them by more
than 50 per cent, and is enabling
Officeworks to deliver great service
to every customer, everywhere,
every time.
• Customers have more delivery
choices
Stakeholder feedback
‘I wasn’t home during delivery. Desiree gave me a call and was able to
pass along a message to the delivery driver to leave the package at my
address. Thanks for going that extra mile Officeworks!’
— Queensland customer who gave a GSS score of 10
‘The CSC is thrilled with the progress on reducing futile deliveries.
So far, ‘carded delivery’ calls has dropped by 19.3% compared to last
year. Previously, one of the most frequent complaints was ‘I waited
all day and no one came’. Now most calls relate to customers not
available at time of delivery. This is a definite win.’
— Marnie Campbell (Customer Service Centre Operations Manager)
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