Parcelforce
THE TIMES 100
Edition 13
Parcelforce Worldwide : Customer service as a strategy Answer sheet
1. Parcelforce Worldwide is a subsidiary of the Royal Mail Group limited. What is a subsidiary? A subsidiary is a business that is owned by the Royal Mail Group Limited. In effect it is a brand and specific product that The Royal Mail Group Limited offer. Maths moment! 2. Parcelforce handles 200,000 parcels a day, how many is that over a year? 200 000 X 365 days = 73 000 000 parcels a year. 3. If Parcelforce has a turnover of £382 million, how much does that equate to per parcel handled as an average value over the year? 383m / 73m = £5.25 per parcel 4. Parcelforce competes in an unregulated market, what does this effectively mean? That there should be a lot of competition and the customer has a choice of who they send their parcels with, hence there are many courier companies in the UK. 5. Parcelforce was once a loss making business, what strategy did they use to make it into a profitable making business? Changed the service that was offered from unguaranteed to guaranteed time and day delivery of parcels and therefore was able to charge a premium for the service. 6. Parcelforce uses a more decentralised approach to management, what does this mean? Decisions are made more regionally so that the decision making process is made quickly and more relevantly to each area. It also motivated employees and hence more productivity and efficiency. 7. Parcelforce Worldwide has developed a USP, how has this helped Parcelforce Worldwide gain a competitive advantage? This has allowed Parcelforce to be recognised and offer something extra compared to its competitors. The customer will know exactly when the parcel will arrive at its destination. Thereby enhancing the brand name of Parcelforce around the world. 8. Parcelforce Worldwide carried out a SWOT analysis, what is a SWOT analysis and why would a business do this? A SWOT analysis assesses the company both internally and
Edition 13
Parcelforce Worldwide : Customer service as a strategy Answer sheet
1. Parcelforce Worldwide is a subsidiary of the Royal Mail Group limited. What is a subsidiary? A subsidiary is a business that is owned by the Royal Mail Group Limited. In effect it is a brand and specific product that The Royal Mail Group Limited offer. Maths moment! 2. Parcelforce handles 200,000 parcels a day, how many is that over a year? 200 000 X 365 days = 73 000 000 parcels a year. 3. If Parcelforce has a turnover of £382 million, how much does that equate to per parcel handled as an average value over the year? 383m / 73m = £5.25 per parcel 4. Parcelforce competes in an unregulated market, what does this effectively mean? That there should be a lot of competition and the customer has a choice of who they send their parcels with, hence there are many courier companies in the UK. 5. Parcelforce was once a loss making business, what strategy did they use to make it into a profitable making business? Changed the service that was offered from unguaranteed to guaranteed time and day delivery of parcels and therefore was able to charge a premium for the service. 6. Parcelforce uses a more decentralised approach to management, what does this mean? Decisions are made more regionally so that the decision making process is made quickly and more relevantly to each area. It also motivated employees and hence more productivity and efficiency. 7. Parcelforce Worldwide has developed a USP, how has this helped Parcelforce Worldwide gain a competitive advantage? This has allowed Parcelforce to be recognised and offer something extra compared to its competitors. The customer will know exactly when the parcel will arrive at its destination. Thereby enhancing the brand name of Parcelforce around the world. 8. Parcelforce Worldwide carried out a SWOT analysis, what is a SWOT analysis and why would a business do this? A SWOT analysis assesses the company both internally and