Major suppliers are being forced to buck up their ideas and change their attitudes to customer service. As supermarkets such as Ocado offer their customers one-hour delivery slots, Brits are asking ‘why are we waiting’ when it comes to other service providers.

That’s according to Trimble, an expert in telematics, which predicts that by 2011, a majority of major suppliers and services will be competing to offer the narrowest delivery slot.

“Currently the majority of suppliers still offer their customers half-day slots for deliveries,” says Andrew Yeoman, managing director of Trimble’s Mobile Resource Management (MRM) Europe. “For the average working person, taking half a day off work to get something fixed or delivered is not feasible.”

Recent research showed that the average Brit spends 366 hours – or 15 days- every year, waiting for deliveries or tradesmen.

“That’s 15 days a year completely wasted,” says Yeoman. “Minimising appointment times to within a one or two hour time frame should be the goal for a service delivery company and would reduce customer waiting time considerably, allowing people to get on with their normal day.”

Trimble technology allows businesses to schedule narrow appointment windows using the fewest vehicles, the lowest mileage and the least CO2.

“Tracking and scheduling technology to provide the planning of appointments is out there and available to businesses of all sizes,” says Yeoman. “Offering a customer their choice of appointment is the way forward and being able to stick to it is the key.

“It’s a win-win solution for businesses and customers. Increased efficiency at a lower cost coupled with better customer service.”

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