DPD Enables Contactless Tips for Delivery Drivers

From now on, the parcel service provider DPD allows its customers to give delivery drivers a contactless tip via PayPal. This way, the extra efforts of these employees can be appreciated from a safe distance. Additionally, DPD is further expanding its digital services such as delivery authorizations, live tracking, and the chatbot.

(Aschaffenburg, April 15, 2020) The digitalization of work and life has received a significant boost due to Corona and ‘social distancing.’ This also applies to parcel shipping, which is more important to many people than ever before in the current situation. Recipients, customers, and delivery drivers benefit enormously from digital innovations in parcel shipping. A current example: At DPD, recipients can give the delivery driver a contactless tip via PayPal. This way, they acknowledge special services during a special time while maintaining the necessary distance.

“Especially in such difficult times, it becomes clear how much the digitalization of parcel shipping makes people’s lives easier,” explains Michael Knaupe, Chief Customer Experience & Communications Officer at DPD Germany. “A digital, contactless tip appropriately shows respect and recognition to the delivery driver even during ‘social distancing.’ We are pleased that the great commitment of our delivery drivers during the Corona pandemic is being recognized much more than usual.”

The contactless tip is available in the DPD app and on the online portal mydpd.de and is linked to a simple online rating: After receiving a package, the recipient is digitally asked to rate the shipping experience on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. Annually, one million users utilize this feature. Currently, recipients give an average rating of around 4.5 out of 5 stars – a slightly better value than before the outbreak of the pandemic. This shows that the parcel service continues to operate with high quality despite Corona – and recipients appreciate this service more than ever before. With a particularly good rating (4 or 5 stars), the recipient can easily and directly reward the service of the delivery driver – conveniently and contactlessly via PayPal. The tip then goes directly to the delivery driver’s PayPal account. The prerequisite is that the delivery driver has registered for the tipping function with their own account. Whether they want to take advantage of this option is decided individually by each delivery driver.

Number of Digital Delivery Authorizations More Than Doubled
With the DPD app and the online portal mydpd.de, recipients can choose from various flexible delivery options. For example, a new delivery day or a preferred parcel shop can be selected. Currently, however, the delivery authorization is particularly popular. This allows the recipient to permit the delivery driver to simply leave the package in a safe place – such as in the garage, in the garden shed, or in front of the covered front door. The delivery authorization enables a completely contactless receipt of packages and meets the current requirement to avoid contact in a special way: Currently, more than twice as many delivery authorizations are being recorded in the app and myDPD as usual – the increase is currently 130 percent compared to the previous month, with a clearly rising trend. In March alone, the delivery options were used 1.3 million times – 80 percent of which were delivery authorizations. Recipients need not worry even when a package is delivered to their front door: For the time being, recipients no longer need to sign on the delivery driver’s handheld scanner upon receiving packages. Additionally, there is no hand-to-hand package transfer. The delivery driver still rings the doorbell but always keeps a distance of two meters. The delivery driver places the package near the front door and confirms the delivery with their own signature.

Stay at Home – At Just the Right Time: Package Delivery Accurate to 30 Minutes
Due to the restrictions on public life and increased work from home, significantly more people are at home during the day than usual. However, despite ‘stay at home,’ many recipients fear missing their delivery driver – for example, while running errands or walking the dog. Therefore, it is particularly helpful to know the exact time of package delivery. DPD provides a delivery forecast accurate to 60 minutes for each package. During the delivery, the predicted delivery time is even specified to 30 minutes. Additionally, before delivery, the recipient can see in the live tracking on a detailed map where their package is currently located. A health-promoting Corona notice is also reflected in the live tracking: The house symbol, which marks the destination address on the map, is prominently labeled with the request “Stay at home.” Even in non-Corona times, DPD displays seasonal icons in live tracking – for example, for Easter and Christmas. Numerous positive comments on social media show that DPD’s gamification approach resonates with online shoppers.

DPD Expands Chatbot Offer
Already last autumn, DPD integrated an additional service channel to connect with the digital innovation leader: An AI-driven chatbot named “Red” reliably provides information on delivery times and package status. The chatbot is available on the DPD website and will also be available in the DPD app in the coming days. “Red” is constantly learning and gradually offers additional functionalities. For example, a delivery authorization can also be granted directly via the chatbot. Choosing a different delivery date is also possible directly in the chat. “Red” also assists users who want to select a preferred parcel shop for their delivery. And for questions regarding package delivery during the Corona pandemic, DPD’s chatbot provides useful information. It primarily refers to the central landing page at dpd.de/coronavirus, where all information on parcel shipping and Corona is bundled.

Overall, DPD’s digital services and information offerings have seen significantly growing user numbers since the outbreak of the pandemic in Germany: Page views of DPD’s websites increased by more than 30 percent to 47 million in March. The DPD app and myDPD recorded 5.4 million active users in March – also nearly 30 percent more than in the previous month.

For digital services such as the DPD app, delivery forecast, and digital tipping, DPD has received numerous awards, including 13 times in the last four years alone. DPD was among the winners, for example, at the Digital Leader Award, the German Design Award, or the German Prize for Online Communication.

Photo: DPD

https://www.dpd.com/de/de