Have you ever wondered what exactly goes on in the background up to your order being delivered?
We intend to explain this journey to you in this blog post, based on the example of an ordinary delivery.
A lot of specialist jargon is used in the parcel industry, some of which we will pick up on and explain here too. For the sake of easy comprehension, in the following example the end consumer is referred to as the recipient and the vendor as the sender.
With every order placed, the order data is logged internally within the system and the order is prepared for dispatch.
Once the order information has been processed, the order data (recipient’s and sender’s details) and the collection order data are sent to us electronically by the sender via the shipping tool. Depending on the sender’s parcel volume, there is either a regular collection (e.g. at 5 p.m. every day) or the sender requests one ad hoc. There are many different options here and we cater to the customers’ needs, considering the options in each case in consultation with the senders.
The submitted collection orders are then processed by the relevant depot and are forward to the driver’s scanner for collection. In the case of regular collections, this is a fixed collection stop in the course of the driver’s day.
Having received the data on their handheld scanner, the driver then collects the parcel. When the driver takes receipt of the parcel from the sender, they scan the parcel directly under ‘Abholung’. Within parcel tracking, the fact that the parcel has been handed over to DPD is then shown as ‘Paket übergeben an DPD’. This means the parcel is now in the vehicle and on its way to the DPD depot.
As soon as the parcel arrives at our depot, it is scanned again, this time under ‘Einrollung’. This means the parcel has made it to the depot and is being prepared for the next processing step.
A different depot may be responsible for delivery depending on the town/city of collection and the delivery address. Accordingly, the parcel is taken to the relevant depot following sorting. This is scanned under ‘Konsolidierung’ and appears in parcel tracking as ‘Im Transport’.
When your parcel arrives at the relevant depot, it is ‘scanned in’. From then on, it is displayed as being ‘Im Zustellzentrum’ within parcel tracking. This means the parcel has arrived at the relevant parcel delivery centre and is being processed for last-mile delivery to the recipient. In other words, the parcel has been passed on to the driver for delivery.
Before the driver embarks on their delivery trip, they load up their delivery vehicle based on the sequence in which the parcels are to be delivered. The parcels to be delivered last based on the delivery trip plan are loaded first. Once this has been done, the driver manually optimises their delivery journey based on their experience. In other words, the driver can rearrange certain building numbers in the sequence based on their location. Having completed this and with all the parcels loaded, the driver embarks on their delivery trip. A parcel being released for delivery in this way is reported in parcel tracking as ‘Paket zur Auslieferung freigegeben’.
Delivery is performed as soon as the driver arrives at the delivery address. The service specifications depend on the service selected by the sender. This may be signature on delivery, letterbox delivery or delivery to a safe place. If the driver is able to deliver the parcel properly in accordance with the conditions, the parcel is considered delivered and its status within parcel tracking changes to ‘Ausgeliefert’.
Occasionally, a parcel cannot be delivered. There can be various reasons for this. For example, a signature is required upon delivery but the recipient was not there or there was no safe place in which to deposit the parcel. In this case, the driver has instructions to leave a notification card and take the parcel back to the depot.
What you can do if your parcel has not been delivered:
Using the notification card, online or over the phone, give signature release authorisation (this authorises the driver to simply deposit the parcel upon making a second attempt to deliver and the recipient not being home)
Stipulate an alternative delivery address online (in the case of the Predict service)
Request rerouting to a nearby Pickup parcelshop (in the case of the Predict service)
For even greater advantages and benefits regarding your parcels, simply register with myDPD. With myDPD, you can easily track your parcel’s progress, modify the delivery instructions using various options or select your preferred DPD Pickup parcelshop.
We hope we have succeeded in giving you an insight into your parcel’s journey and we look forward to continuing to deliver your parcels reliably and transparently.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions regarding DPD parcel delivery. You can call us on 0848 373 373 (Mon-Fri 8.15 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., max. CHF 0.08/min. depending on your service provider) or contact us via our social media channels or using our contact form: https://www.dpd.com/ch/en/support/contact/
The DPD Switzerland team
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