Press

Press – Dec 08, 2023

Five tips from a delivery driver to get Christmas parcels on time

A handful of parcels are being handed to a recipient at the door. Both the courier and recipient are clearly visible

6 December 2023: Delivery drivers get a bad rap sometimes, especially when it comes to the busy period between Black Friday and Christmas when they often have more than 150 parcels to deliver in one day. Evri has prepared itself to deliver up to 3.5 million parcels on its busiest day this year.

With Christmas just around the corner and consumers likely to be ordering many more parcels, Vince Carr, one of Evri’s 26,000 couriers, is offering his advice to all consumers ordering online and calling for customers to make some small changes to help couriers successfully deliver a parcel first time.

1.    Get to know your driver: “I think one of the best tips I can give is just getting to know your local courier, having a chat with them and letting them know a bit about you. If you’re someone who works from home, you might want your parcel left in your porch, if you’ve got a newborn and want us to knock quietly or if you’re out and about regularly but want your parcel left in a safe place it’s great to know what customer’s preferred safe place is. It makes everything so much simpler, and no amount of technology can replace that human connection.”

2.    Have visible house number: “This should be an easy one for most people, pop to a local DIY shop and pick up a cheap house number sticker, or better still, if you can get a personalised one which has your house number and street name it means delivery drivers know they’re at the right address” Vince went on to say, “We have such a complex network of roads in the UK and house types can vary so much from maisonettes to flat blocks and gated estates to estates with identical houses and no numbers, it’s just so helpful to know you’re at the right house so customers can get their parcel successfully first time. It’s even more important now it’s getting darker, earlier.”

3.    Choose your preferences: “Evri and other companies have invested in technology to help make sure you can still get your parcel even if you’re out. I love it when a customer has chosen a preferred neighbour or safe location and perhaps even chosen a neighbour to avoid, because that way, I know the neighbour they’ve chosen is probably someone that’s going to accept the parcel without any hassle meaning I can get on with my day and my customer can get their parcel and have a chat with their neighbour at the same time.”

 

4.    Check your address twice: “I know it might sound a bit silly but it’s so important to double check your address, including your postcode, when you’re ordering from a retailer. I’ve had so many parcels that have either gone to someone’s old address so I’m met with a ‘they don’t live here anymore’ or ‘they moved out last year’ but also, I’ve had countless parcels missing a house number or road name and although we do our best to work it out, it’s just so simple to take a few extra seconds to check it’s a correct and complete address – especially when it comes to getting presents delivered before the big day!”

 

5.    Use ParcelShops and Lockers: “This is especially handy if you’re working nights or if you’re going on holiday – most customers can divert to a ParcelShop so if you’re not going to be in, it saves us drivers a wasted journey and you can collect the parcel at a more convenient time. It also has the added benefit of being a greener way to get stuff you’ve ordered online.”

Vince concluded: “I hope these tips help, I just want to make sure no one is disappointed as I know it’s such an important time of the year for so many people. Let’s all be kind to each other and try to help each other out when we can!”

For more tips, visit Evri’s handy packaging guide.

Evri recently announced a £46m investment which includes the launch of a dedicated callback facility to boost its customer service and operations in preparation for its Christmas peak. Evri’s contact page is available here and the phone number is 0330 808 5456.