Uncomplicating residential package deliveries
Receiving packages at home has, for many, become part of daily life. According to Statista, the number of parcels delivered each day in the U.S. alone has increased by over 40% since 2019, with a projected 6% continued growth in 2022. But while direct-to-door orders boom, residential last mile delivery remains a conundrum.
Each type of residence presents its own delivery challenges. Houses, townhouses and duplexes might be easy to locate, but a package left untended at a front door is vulnerable to theft or damage. Apartment complexes, on the other hand, often involve various entry points, gates, elevators and mailbox systems a package must navigate to reach its final destination. Oftentimes, building staff or neighbors end up getting roped into the delivery process, creating further confusion over where a package has ended up and to whom it belongs.
With all these potential pitfalls, it’s no wonder that failed or untimely deliveries, delays, or even total package losses have become commonplace.
Founded in 2016, Fetch eliminates the chaos in package delivery, prioritizing convenience and regenerating excitement for package recipients across the United States. Serving over 1,000 communities and saving over 35 staff hours on average per customer per week, Fetch provides recipients with simple custom scheduling options to ensure smooth, timely deliveries.
Using notifications to improve customers’ order tracking and receiving experience
Notification, scheduling, and confirmation are essential components of Fetch’s customer journey. By communicating directly with package recipients, Fetch removes middlemen, enhances flexibility, and reduces confusion and stress. Fetch achieves these communications quickly and accurately, via SMS.
With the Telnyx SMS API, Fetch programmatically texts end users at critical points of the delivery process. First, recipients are notified when their package arrives at a Fetch facility. This message includes a URL where the customer can schedule the delivery. Then, successful and failed deliveries alike trigger an SMS, with a URL for rescheduling included when necessary.
Fetch communicates with customers through a short code number for better recognition and transparency. Not only do recipients find a short code “more recognizable,” it also provides better insights. Through handset receipts, Fetch receives confirmation messages are received by—not just sent to—an end user’s device.
Reducing costs while maintaining strong performance and improving reporting accuracy
Having had trouble with delivery report accuracy in the past from other providers-specifically that messages were being incorrectly reported as delivered, Fetch CTO Boone Putney knew he needed a platform and team he could trust.
“The communication with the Telnyx support team was much faster and more transparent than we’d seen with other providers.” he says. “And we didn’t have to pay extra for this, either.”
SMS messaging made up a significant percentage of Fetch’s spend on technology infrastructure. Switching to Telnyx changed that. The Fetch team estimates a 20% reduction on SMS costs since migrating to the Telnyx SMS API. All of this happened without any decrease in their deliverability or performance.
With continued expansion on the horizon, Fetch expects to make more use of the Telnyx Messaging API. “Our business is growing, so we need to be able to scale to meet that demand,” says Putney. Furthermore, “The industry is moving more and more toward real-time notifications. With Telnyx, we have the flexibility to build toward that.”
If you're looking for reliable Messaging solutions to support your Last Mile Delivery and Order Status needs, check out our developer docs or reach out to a member of our team today.
