Northamptonshire-based delivery firm Panther Logistics has further increased its presence within the home furnishing sector after securing a new contract with a leading national bed specialist.
The dedicated white-glove two-man delivery experts now deliver a full range of beds, mattresses and furniture by Sleep Design – which over the past ten years has become a leading brand name in the UK marketplace.
Panther was last month awarded the contract following a recent trial due to its strong commitment to customer care and its flexible service, which includes four-hour time slots and next day delivery to most of the UK.
And executives at the bed specialist say they are already reaping the rewards with reports of an increase in happy customers and a fall in returns and damaged goods.
Stuart Hubble, Managing Director of Sleep Design said: “Our business is and has to be customer and reputation focused, so it is important that our delivery partner is the same. We chose Panther due to its good communication with customers via text, email and tracking and because they are specialists in home delivery.
“The delivery function of our operation is very important as it is the last leg of the order and whole experience of dealing with us. If it goes badly then that is the bit remembered and what we will be judged on. It’s the part that sticks in the customer’s mind if it goes wrong.
“Panther has a strong focus on customer communication pre-delivery and they solve problems before they become a problem by talking and dealing with ‘our’ customer when required, which has proved incredibly beneficial to our business.”
The majority of deliveries for Sleep Design are through Panther’s new solo service – a one-man delivery service – with Panther currently handling between 600 and 800 orders per week.
The Solo service is aimed at deliveries of items which are too large to be handled by a mechanical sortation system and was launched earlier this year after Panther identified a gap in the market due to a lack of carrier choice against a backdrop of ever-increased customer demand.
Stuart Hubble added: “The fact that Panther was able to offer a range of one and two-man services was very important to us. We could not afford or justify the two-man service on its own for the large majority of our products but the new Solo service fits perfectly.
“In terms of price it is reasonable and we get the benefits of the two-man technology, handling, network and expertise. We are paying slightly more upfront for the Solo service but we are starting to see cost savings elsewhere with returns, damages and losses being more controlled. And we have more happy customers.
“Other benefits of working with Panther include their good communication, choice of day delivery and four-hour time slots. The pre-call before delivery is also a big factor as customers who are half an hour from home can be back in time to receive the delivery.
“The tracking provided by Panther also means that customers can see where their order is at any time and they have text and email alerts as well as phone calls. Many couriers don’t offer phone calls, they only offer an all day, 8am to 6pm delivery window, which isn’t a great experience as it can mean taking a full day off work or waiting in all day. No customer wants or expects this anymore.
“Moving forward, we aim to continue working closely with Panther. We see them as an extension to our business working in tandem and as we grow, so will our partnership grow with Panther.”