For today’s shoppers, convenience is key. They want what they want, when they want it. So when an article highlighted that Malaysia had the longest ecommerce delivery time in all of South-East Asia, MrSpeedy Malaysia’s Country Manager Chun Hean Goh saw opportunity.
“Products were taking almost six days to reach customers and 43% of online shoppers were unhappy with their ecommerce delivery experience,” he recalls. “I knew there was an opportunity to close the gap with shorter delivery times and a far better customer experience for online commerce.”
A serial entrepreneur who played the high-risk, high-reward game with startups like Lazada Group, Uber Eats Malaysia and Grab Food Malaysia prior, Chun took a leap of faith and launched MrSpeedy Malaysia in November 2018.
Part of the Dostavista Group, one of the biggest and most technologically advanced players in the global, same-day delivery market, MrSpeedy offers users on-demand, same-day deliveries, connecting businesses to motorcycle, car and one-tonne lorry courier partners via its platform.
“Our crowdsourced delivery system relies heavily on complex algorithms to match users with a large pool of drivers while optimising route and costs,” Chun explains. “And for users, the entire process is made really simple with our interface. They just request a delivery on our website or mobile app and a trusted driver will pick up and deliver the requested item in 60 minutes or less.”
No matter the transport option, route, weight or size of the item, MrSpeedy will ensure swift delivery. It has even made payments a cinch, accepting cash on delivery or payment via the web or app. With this level of convenience, MrSpeedy has been a knockout success, telling Chun it’s time to grow further.
Customer care
MrSpeedy proudly delivers exceptional customer service – one of its key competitive advantages – thanks to these three things:
1 Tracking internal key metrics for customer experience very closely.
2 Working with artificial intelligence and chatbots to ensure response time is within target.
3 Dedicating account managers to main corporate clients.
“Over the next year or so, we plan to expand to other cities, larger vehicle types and also to expand our product options,” he reveals.
“The cities that we choose will be based on both population density and distribution of SMEs. Those that meet these criteria will be considered fertile grounds, where we can optimise the logistics ecosystems of local businesses with MrSpeedy’s delivery services. And we want to grow our large vehicle segment, since here, this segment is still in its infancy.”
MrSpeedy is also looking to customise its solutions beyond its current one-size-fits-all offering. “We’ve started to learn that there are different segments of SMEs with different delivery needs,” Chun admits.
“And we can’t fulfil all of these segments with one blank solution so we need to create additional product options. We are looking at a 60-minute delivery option, then a four-hour delivery option with cheaper pricing and a premium delivery service option with additional charges.”
While many businesses have ended up closing down due to the devastating effects of COVID-19, MrSpeedy has fortunately experienced quite the opposite. It’s something Chun credits to the recent shift in consumer behaviour.
“Society at large has embraced the stay-at-home mindset and physicaldistancing measures since the onset of lockdown due to the pandemic,” he says. “This rapid shift in lifestyle has fuelled the consumer behaviour that puts more value in delivery services. And the SMEs that are in tune with this trend have much better odds at both survival and profitability.
“Our business grew 10 times since the very first Movement Control Order. Inbound chats and calls went from hundreds to thousands basically overnight. We faced the challenge of coping with this increased demand while we focused on the essential categories like food and beverage that helped keep people’s lives going during lockdown.”
It was clear MrSpeedy wasn’t going to be able to meet all of these new demands on its own. To make it through this trying time, the company needed to rely on external partnerships.
“We began working with companies that were underutilised during the COVID-19 period like car rental companies and car-sharing platforms to get more supply to help cope with the demand,” Chun explains.
Our crowdsourced delivery system relies on complex algorithms to match users with a large pool of drivers while optimising route and costs.
“We also began working with business partners to utilise technology in order to further automate our business processes to increase efficiency. And by working with Infobip, our customer service team was able to handle live chat and phone calls remotely during the pandemic.”
COVID-19 also changed the internal workings of MrSpeedy. Driven by a “work hard, play hard” culture replete with a games room featuring a PlayStation and happy-hour Fridays, Chun made sure that, even during this uncertain time, his employees felt safe, seen and heard.
“Culture is very important to us, and during the pandemic that has been no different,” he says. “During the pandemic, we decided to increase communication frequency with daily virtual stand-ups within each team. Our team leads had daily catch-up calls with their team members. We held weekly town halls meetings instead of monthly. And we even sent corporate gifts to employees during peak season.”
For Chun, even though it’s been challenging, it has also been one of the most rewarding times of his career. “MrSpeedy has helped add value to businesses and society during the pandemic,” he says proudly.
“We have helped businesses to continue operating at affordable rates during lockdown. And we’ve also helped drivers to gain income. This has inspired us to expand our services beyond Klang Valley and beyond motorbikes and cars.”
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