Evri, the UK’s biggest dedicated parcel delivery company, which was previously known as Hermes UK, has announced it is trialling an extension of its safe place delivery photo concept that will include courier collections as well. With the aim to further improve its communications with those consumer customers using the service to send or return parcels, these photos will then be available to the customer alongside their tracking information.

“We are always looking at ways to improve our service and, if the trial is successful, sharing these photos with our customers will provide another layer of communication about the journey of their item. In addition, where there is a problem it will be easier to identify and resolve quickly,” commented on the trial initiative Joe Tarragano Chief Product Officer at Evri.

Involved in this trial are a sample of couriers nationwide that will be taking photos of parcels once they have been successfully collected from a ParcelShop and/or Locker location. Moreover, they will also action when an attempt has been unsuccessful in order to explain why and find a solution. There are various reasons to why an attempt could not be completed, such as access issues, problems with the size and/or suitability of the parcel, no response from the address, and problems finding the address. The initiative will also enable the courier to flag problems like road closures and any technical issues.

Evri began its journey in 1974 as Grattan Mail Order in Bradford, growing over the years and increasing its number of hubs and depots across the country. In 2009, the company launched its customer to customer business, offering a cheaper, easier, and faster way to send parcels. Since then, plenty of other services were added to its offering, including international delivery, Print In ParcelShop devices in its ParcelShops, safe place photos and renewable energy fuelled vehicles. Now, Evri is the biggest dedicated parcel delivery company in the UK, working alongside 80% of the UK’s top retail brands, such as Next, ASOS and John Lewis.