Study: Parcel delivery companies disappointed customers during lockdown

Parcel delivery companies failed to keep customers satisfied during lockdown, with a "remarkable" decline in their service rating, according to new research.

Dr. Luisa Huatuco from the York Management School, University of York, and Mingyang Huang, from the University of Leeds, carried out an online survey of 121 people based in Leeds, London, Liverpool and Manchester who had sent parcels using the Royal Mail, Hermes, DPD and other companies before and during the first lockdown.

Their results showed that customer satisfaction with 13 measures of performance, such as parcels being delivered within the promised time, had fallen.

Considerable decreases

The largest falls in satisfaction related to parcels being delivered within the promised time, the time taken for delivery, parcels being delivered in the agreed time slot, and the convenience of parcel collection.

There were smaller falls in other aspects of service including satisfaction in relation to parcels damaged or lost, getting through to customer service, and the cost effectiveness of service.

Dr. Huatuco said; "Respondents' satisfaction on five factors—time, cost, reliability, responsiveness and convenience of service, and overall service—faced considerable decreases during the pandemic, and overall customers' satisfaction was found to have suffered a remarkable decline."

Demand-side shock

"There is an obvious decline in parcel delivery performance because of the pandemic due to a significant increase in delivery service demand for parcels containing masks, sanitisers and other essentials.

"Various parcel delivery companies were trying their best to handle the demand-side shock while considering the safety of employees and customers at the same time.

"As limited research has focused on parcel delivery companies in supply chain disruptions, this study fills the gap by investigating parcel delivery performance during COVID-19 pandemic."

The researchers shared the results of their study today (Thursday 2 September, 2021) at the British Academy of Management online annual conference.