How To Reduce The Average Time Of Dropping Off?
SUMMARY
I led a case study addressing challenges faced by Ganje couriers during shipment loading onto lockers, causing delays in drop-off. By identifying issues with QR code scanning and multi-parcel shipments, we developed new designs and integrated with third-party companies. The result was a 10% decrease in CRM calls and a 60% decrease in loading times, improving the overall customer experience and streamlining operations.
OVERVIEW
Ganje lockers are secure storage and distribution systems with integrated computers and sensor networks that provide users with self-pick up delivery.
Through a web application, couriers can connect to lockers and pick up returned parcels and drop off their shipments.
Problem Statement
Through a web application, couriers can connect to lockers and pick up returned parcels and drop off their shipments. Every day, couriers must go to assigned stations and load shipments on lockers before 10 o'clock in the morning. It had been told to users that they can pick up their parcels from 10 A.M to 10 P.M. But through CRM calls, we noticed that sometimes the couriers hadn’t arrived even at 12 a.m! So we investigated and found out that couriers spent more time at every station than we thought and therefore their loading process takes too long. We wanted to know the barriers of their journey.
Getting to know the problem
At the beginning, we had to find out why their loading process takes so long? We were looking for barriers.
How did the product work?
In order to analyze various parts of the problem, it was crucial to understand how courier worked through the product and what their journey was.
Checking lockers Data
By checking out our lockers data, we find out that sometimes it the delivery time has a 2-3 hour delay.
Meeting with CRM
We reached out to the CRM team several times and they claimed that one of the most common reason they got called by the couriers were on the shipment rides having multiple parcels.
Qualitative research
According to our web application data, dropping off a parcel for a courier took about 2 minutes.
That means 30 minutes for 15 shipments!
Quantitative research
We began by interviewing 20 couriers to understand their Ganje locker workflow. Two main issues emerged:
- Scanning troubles: QR codes were often unreadable, requiring manual code entry for pick-up and drop-off.
- Multi-parcel challenge: Coordinating multi-parcel shipments through the CRM team proved time-consuming, with 10% of daily shipments comprising multiple parcels.
Chopping the problem into smaller pieces
Following the initial investigation, I opted to break down the issue into smaller segments for individual exploration.
1st issue: Scan QR code or enter digit code instead
To enhance scanning, we explored integrating parcel information directly into couriers' app. By allowing them to choose shipments for drop-off from a ride list, locker doors would open. Convincing the third-party tech team was vital. We conducted a test, where finding codes from a list was 30% faster than manual entry. Upon sharing results, full integration was approved. Now, couriers select and drop off parcels through the app, even determining size automatically, streamlining the process.
2nd issue: We didn’t handle multi parcel in our web app
In the prior version, couriers struggled with multi-parcel shipments and locker placement. We aimed to address this by integrating all shipment parcels in our web app, reducing CRM calls and drop-off time. Our redesigned approach allows couriers to independently handle various shipments, distinguishing between single and multiple parcels. We also added a warning for multi-parcel packages to prevent errors.
Meet the new user journey for couriers!
Prototype
Results
At first, we ran an A/B test and activated the new design for 20% of the couriers to observe their behavior and fix possible bugs or issues. After 2 weeks, we noticed that the average time for dropping off by the couriers that use this beta version of our web application reduced around 55%. After that, we launched our new version to all the couriers and noticed that the average time for dropping off reduced by 60%. It means dropping off a shipment takes about 50 seconds. (it was 2 minutes before!)
One notable improvement that we have observed after implementing changes to the courier workflow is that the courier typically finishes the process of dropping off packages before 10 a.m. This is a significant improvement compared to our previous situation, where there were times when couriers were not arriving at the drop-off stations until after 12 a.m.
Outcomes
So the outcomes of this project was:
- Fully integrated with third-party company
- Reduced CRM calls from couriers by ~10% (resolved multi parcel issues)
- Improved web app, 60% decrease in average time of dropping off
- Couriers complete drop-offs before 10am more than before