How can the digital pen help courier companies save money?

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More and more delivery companies are now discarding PDA’s in favour of the digital pen. Handheld data capture devices or personal digital assistants were, for some time, regarded as a technical revolution and many courier companies embraced it as a new and ‘modern’ way of recording signatures for goods received.

However, not only did the drivers find the devices to be unreliable to use but also the customers found it difficult and unfamiliar to write on a tiny LCD screen and were left feeling unsure about what they had signed for. Moreover, because signatures were very often of such a poor quality, delivery companies began to see rising costs in claims for undelivered goods. Customers would deny receiving and signing for goods and because the signature was almost unrecognisable, there was insufficient proof of delivery and compensation had to be paid. In some cases, this would amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds a year.

For these reasons, courier companies are now opting to use the digital pen as a replacement for PDA’s. The pen is synchronised to the driver’s mobile phone and a traditional paper copy of the proof of delivery note is presented to the customer to sign. The signatures are now high quality, undisputable and tamperproof.  The form can be left with the customer if requested as a copy has already been captured electronically and uploaded via Bluetooth to an I.T. system at the delivery company’s offices.

Conclusion:
Digital pens are easy to use with minimal training required. Drivers and customers feel more comfortable and confident and the delivery company can now produce ‘hard evidence’ for any delivery disputes.

For further information on digital pen technology, please contact The IPC Group on 08081 45 46 47.

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