How Parcel (Package) Delivery Firms can Minimize the High Returns (send – agains) in the supply Chain Industry

Abstract

Much of the research in the field of supply chain management specifically the parcel delivery industry has been focused on the development of the LAST MILE of a parcel delivery process. Little or no effort has been invested to research about the cause(s) of the huge returns of packages (send – agains) daily by parcel delivery drivers in the supply chain management industry. Even leading courier firms in the industry has paid lipped service to this problem but continued to focus their attention and resources on the minimization of operational cost and increased profit maximization. This research study ventures to delve into the reasons and causes to the aforementioned problem of how do parcel (package) delivery firms deal or can curtail the increasing volume of high send – agains (returns) daily in their respective hubs.. Data collected in the field from 10 different service providers (drivers) resulted in findings like, most customers are not at home during a delivery; delivery drivers not having access codes to residential (apartment) buildings and not having work telephone among other factors that have been unearth that cause’s huge send –agains. The poor flow of communication (i.e. delivery date and time) between the courier companies and customers also have an adverse effect on parcel delivery. The causality of huge returns that affect and hinders a successful parcel delivery are discussed in-depth in this research. At the climax of the research, suggested remedies and recommendations are provided to ensure that customers receives their packages at the first delivery attempt and hence decreasing send –agains.