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XPO has revealed it has turned to AI to improve customer experience in last-mile deliveries. The company says it has developed a chatbot that makes an automated phone call to the final recipient to inform them of the exact time and point of delivery of their order.
The chatbot is in addition to XPO’s current offer, which includes a customer communication solution via WhatsApp. Via the popular instant messaging app, customers can check in real-time the location of their order, as well as the information about the vehicle making the delivery.
The chatbot will now automatically call the recipient when the delivery driver begins the route to the final delivery point. The robot, which receives the notification, traces the route through Google Maps, calculates how long the carrier will take, and then makes the call informing the consumer of the exact time at the agreed delivery point.
Moreover, XPO says its system allows the final consumer to repeat the message left by the robot and even cancel the delivery. In the latter case, the carrier receives notification that the customer will not be at home, thus avoiding unnecessary travel and increasing the efficiency of the entire supply chain. XPO notes that this has an environmental benefit by minimizing failed deliveries and, with it, the corresponding polluting emissions.
Commenting on the launch of the service, Sergio Gellida, Director of Technology and Process Improvement, Southern Europe and Morocco, XPO, said:
“This application, which covers all last-mile routes in Spain and Portugal, is already making hundreds of calls every day. Our customers and final consumers are the basis of our business, so we are constantly working to analyze and study new solutions that provide a superior delivery experience.”