Smart phone bar code scanning technology enhances customer service

Hermes UK is one of the biggest consumer couriers in the United Kingdom, delivering more than 335 million parcels each year for 80% of the UK’s top 100 retailers. The company is currently undertaking a digital transformation project with the goal of delivering better and more personalized services for its customers. As part of this initiative, the company has begun phasing out more than 15,000 dedicated bar code scanners and replacing them with smart phones loaded with an Android app over the next three years.

The new mobile bar code scanning and augmented reality (AR) technology (Scandit) offers high-performance bar code scanning on smart phones for verification and proof of delivery. Couriers will be able to scan items, record an electronic signature, verify an ID and take a picture of where a package has been left. The new technology saves time and money, streamlines the entire delivery process, and provides a mobile platform for rapid roll-out of future service improvements that further enhance operations and customer experience.

During the migration period, couriers will also begin using additional software features including AR overlays. This means couriers can scan multiple bar codes at once to search for and find a specific item quickly and view parcel/customer information overlaid on the device screen. The company is already using AR overlays for code identification, delivering efficiency and productivity gains.

“A key component of our digital transformation strategy, known as Digital Futures, is to replace dedicated bar code scanners with smart phones that provide couriers with real-time data to improve the customer experience,” says Chris Ashworth, CIO for Hermes UK. “Enabling couriers to carry a smart phone not only helps us to improve operational efficiency, but also improves the working lives of couriers who can now use their own phone, or a Hermes-provided phone, rather than having to carry a bar code scanner.”

The project has gone “incredibly smoothly” so far, Ashworth says. The gradual retirement of scanners and roll-out of smart phones has ensured there is no disruption to operations. Because third-party couriers are an extension of brands, the new technology prevents delivery problems that can compromise the retailers’ customer relationships.