Yantra aims to let retailers better schedule services to ensure on-time delivery
Tewksbury, MA — January 27, 2004 — Software provider Yantra has released an update of the company's flagship retail fulfillment solution, introducing new capabilities designed to enable real-time promising of products and services delivery and giving retailers the ability to offer automated and expanded services to help improve customer satisfaction and streamline costs.
Yantra said that version 5.5 of its 5x solution, featuring the new delivery and service scheduling module, will allow retailers to offer differentiated delivery and service scheduling options across all channels.
The new module takes several conditions into consideration when determining a delivery date, including delivery needs associated with the requested products, the availability of inventory, the availability of delivery providers and the capacity of an organization to perform the related services.
As a result, companies can better assure their customers that orders will be delivered or serviced at the time specified. Additionally, because Yantra's capabilities can be leveraged across different channels, retailers are able to offer assisted delivery and service scheduling in the store with the help of a store associate or permit self-service scheduling via a Web site or kiosk.
Chris Hounsell, head of business systems at Yantra customer Screwfix Direct, a leading U.K. direct retailer, said that Yantra 5.5, in conjunction with the company's order fulfillment systems, is enabling Screwfix to offer differentiated delivery and services scheduling capabilities that are automated and that provide the customer with a more complete shopping experience.
"Previously, because the process was done manually, deliveries were often scheduled well after the order was taken," Hounsell said. "This presented problems with accuracy and the ability to properly set customers' expectations. Now we can automatically lock in and schedule delivery at the time the order is captured, meaning there is no guesswork and the customer's expectations are set from the beginning because they make the choice."
"With Yantra's delivery and service scheduling capabilities comes the ability to make a single promise to the customer," said Michael Grandinetti, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at Yantra. "Retailers now have the ability to offer delivery or service options at the time that the order is placed, committing in real-time to delivering product and service exactly when the customer wants it."
Yantra 5x version 5.5 is available immediately. Currently a number of Yantra's retail customer sites are testing and piloting the solution.
