by Suman Gupta
- Blue Dart platforms have been integrated with the global innovative location technology what3words for accurate deliveries
- What3words is revolutionising the way the world communicates location. It has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three random words: a what3words address
- The partnership will improve address accuracy, delivery efficiency, and customer experience across the country
Mumbai, 28th April’23 — Blue Dart Express Limited, South Asia’s premier express air-integrated transportation and distribution express logistics company, announced that it has equipped its platforms with what3words location technology. Now, Blue Dart stakeholders can add their what3words address in the address section of the ‘My Blue Dart’ App, Blue Dart website and On the Move (OTM) platform for enabling them to specify a very precise delivery location—be it the front door of their home/ office, a specific apartment complex entrance, or a tucked-away side passage.
In India, addresses are as practice slotted under pin codes, which are associated with delivery post offices. These cover very broad areas with the chances of street names being duplicated or incorrect. This makes it difficult for customers to specify precisely where a delivery needs to be made, thus leading to a time- consuming exercise for delivery agents. The technology that aids what3words has been designed to solve this. It has divided the world into a grid of 3m x 3m squares and given each square a unique combination of three words: a what3words address.
For example, ///swimmer.kindness.habitsis the what3words location for Blue Dart Head Office in Andheri, Mumbai. By typing these three words on the what3words portal or website, one can easily find, share and navigate to the location from anywhere in the world. The technology is also available offline and in 54 languages including 12 South Asian languages: Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Kannada, Nepali, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, and Odia.
Of the initiative, Ketan Kulkarni, Chief Commercial Officer, Blue Dart says, ” Given the customer centricity values that Blue Dart carries, we partnered with what3words to stand true to our brand commitment of Customer Convenience and Delight. The three-word addressing will not only provide a seamless last mile delivery but will also increase delivery efficacy by reaching the precise location (within 3m of space) as specified by the customer. We believe that as the use of what3words grows, it will provide a unique way for us to deliver to specific locations, particularly in areas with informal addresses.”
On the partnership, Chris Sheldrick, what3words CEO and Co-Founder adds “What3words is the ideal technology for deliveries in a market like India where addressing is complex and often inaccurate. Our partnership with Blue Dart means that anyone, no matter how hard their home might be to find, can ensure their deliveries will go to the right place.”
The latest version of what3words will be available on all the Blue Dart platforms. Stakeholders will be able to download the what3words application for free via iOS and Android platforms. The easy adoption is what has made what3words a popular tool for businesses around the world and has helped them improve their customer experience and enhance efficiency, while reducing expenses and environmental impact.
Blue Dart customers can find their unique what3words address via the free what3words app – available for iOS and Android – or the online map at what3words.com. They can then save their what3words address in the My Blue Dart App, website or OTM, under the address section. Blue Dart’s customer and delivery platforms give customers power and flexibility over their deliveries, and the addition of what3words will provide further precision in the delivery address.
About Blue Dart Express Ltd: Blue Dart Express Ltd., South Asia’s premier express air and integrated transportation & distribution company, offers secure and reliable delivery of consignments to over 55,000+ locations in India. Blue Dart is a provider of choice for its stakeholders due to its customer centric approach and aims to further strengthen this partnership. As part of Deutsche Post DHL Group’s DHL eCommerce Solutions division, Blue Dart accesses the largest and most comprehensive express and logistics network worldwide, covering over 220 countries and territories, and offers an entire spectrum of distribution services including air express, freight forwarding, supply chain solutions, customs clearance etc.
The Blue Dart team drives market leadership through its motivated people, dedicated air and ground capacity, cutting-edge technology, wide range of innovative, vertical specific products and value-added services to deliver unmatched standards of service quality to its customers. Blue Dart’s market leadership is further validated by its position as the nation’s most innovative and awarded express logistics company for exhibiting reliability, superior brand experience and sustainability which include recognition as one of ‘India’s Best Companies to Work For’ by The Great Place to Work® Institute, India, ranked amongst ‘Best Multinational Workplaces in Asia’ by The Great Place to Work® Institute, Asia, voted a ‘Superbrand’ and ‘Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand’, listed as one of Fortune 500’s ‘India’s Largest Corporations’ and Forbes ‘India’s Super 50 Companies’ to name a few. Blue Dart’s Diversity and Inclusion initiatives have also led to it being recognized as one of India’s ‘Best Workplaces for Women’ in 2021 and ‘Best Organisations for Women’ in 2022 by the Economic Times.
Blue Dart fulfils its social responsibility of climate protection (GoGreen), disaster management (GoHelp) and education (GoTeach) through its GoPrograms.
About what3words: Co-founded in London in 2013 by Chris Sheldrick, what3words is a simple way to talk about precise locations. A what3words address is a human-friendly way to share very precise locations with other people, or to input them into platforms and machines such as ride-hailing apps or e-commerce checkouts. It is optimised for voice input and contains built-in error prevention to immediately identify and correct input mistakes.
The free what3words app, available for iOS and Android, and the online map enables people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in 54 languages to date. Millions of what3words addresses are in use around the world, with thousands of businesses using them to save money, be more efficient and provide a better customer experience. what3words is integrated into apps, platforms and websites, with just a few lines of code. Products are available for free or for a nominal fee for qualifying NGOs. Its partners include Mercedes-Benz, Triumph Motorcycles, Premier Inn, the AA and many emergency services across the world.
what3words has a team of over 150 people, across offices in the UK, USA, Germany, India, South Korea and Mongolia. The company has raised over £100 million in capital from investors such as Intel, Ingka (Ikea), Mercedes-Benz, Aramex, Deutsche Bahn, Subaru and Sony Innovation Fund.
