Shawfield Timber uses logistics software to build customer service improvements
Overview
Based in Rutherglen on the outskirts of Glasgow, Shawfield Timber offers nationwide delivery from its extensive stock of timber and sheet materials, including construction and joinery timber, garden and landscaping products, and hardware, fixings, and tools. Serving both trade and private customers in Scotland, the business has experienced significant growth over the last two years and is consistently rated excellent on Trustpilot.
The company handles an active logistics network, making over 200 deliveries per week. By integrating new software workflows, the organisation has modernized its entire transport setup to align with contemporary delivery standards.
> 30 %
drop in customer calls
200
weekly deliveries
Nationwide
delivery service
Challenge
Prior to implementing the software solution, Shawfield Timber relied heavily on traditional, paper-dependent processes that restricted visibility over active delivery operations. This lack of automated communications placed a heavy operational burden on the internal team.
- Staff had to field a high volume of delivery status inquiries, which accounted for a conservative estimate of 30% of all incoming phone calls.
- The customer service and transport teams had to manually track and answer individual delivery questions due to a reliance on paper systems.
- Information regarding real-time transit and scheduling adjustments was not easily accessible or shareable with customers waiting for their orders.
Solution
Shawfield Timber implemented Podfather's logistics software to transition towards a paper-free delivery process and automate customer communications. The rollout focused heavily on integrating advanced routing and customer-facing tools.
The company initially launched automatic ETA notifications, allowing customers to opt in to receive a text or email at the start of every run detailing when their delivery is expected. Using the driver app, drivers provide real-time updates directly from the road to adjust for any schedule updates or unexpected delays. Furthermore, customers can now utilise a self-serve "follow my driver" tracking option to monitor progress independently.
Results
The deployment of the logistics system has significantly elevated Shawfield Timber's customer experience while introducing vital back-office efficiencies. Inbound customer inquiry calls regarding estimated arrival times have lowered significantly, saving valuable time and administrative resources.
Internal teams can now deal with remaining customer queries much faster because complete delivery data is instantly accessible, easy to retrieve, and easy to share. Drivers use the mobile app to capture time, date, and location-stamped photographs and signatures seamlessly, establishing immediate electronic proof of delivery (ePOD) and successfully scaling down the business's reliance on physical paper.
I joined the business about 18 months ago and one of the most striking things I noticed was the number of calls we received about deliveries – around 30% of all incoming calls at a conservative estimate! And I thought about this in the context of my personal life and my business interactions; I don't have to call Amazon to ask where my order is, and DPD will automatically share with me the day, time, and even the driver's name, when I am expecting a delivery. So why should our customers have to call us? Having undertaken some market research, we came across Podfather and to be honest we haven't looked back, The system does exactly what we wanted it to, and much, much more. It is competitively priced and the team behind it are super impressive, and I don't say that lightly.
Colin Peacock
Joint Managing Director, Shawfield Timber
