Improving delivery operations with RTT and what3words

In sub-Saharan Africa, poor infrastructure, undefined roads and few street names make it difficult for delivery drivers to accurately navigate to drop-off points. Poor addressing in particular directly impacts logistics companies’ customer experience and increases failed deliveries and multiple return trips.

To overcome operational inefficiencies, local logistics expert, the RTT Group, has integrated what3words across its entire operations, becoming the first logistics company in sub-Saharan Africa to do so. With what3words, RTT’s e-commerce partners can collect customers’ 3 word addresses and pass them on to RTT’s delivery drivers, who will then be able to navigate to specific doors and entrances, increasing the likelihood of a successful delivery first time, every time.

“Delivery failures due to inadequate addressing systems are generally regarded as the norm within the logistics industry,” says Johan du Toit, Group Commercial executive at RTT. “By implementing what3words within our national operations, we aim to reduce this ratio significantly. International companies who have implemented what3words are already seeing significant reductions in failure to deliver rates.”

To demonstrate potential efficiency gains, Courierit, an RTT group courier company, conducted a delivery test in Johannesburg, South Africa. The driver using 3 word addresses completed deliveries 44% faster than the driver using traditional addresses, saved 35% on overall distance travelled, and could have completed an extra 19.35 deliveries before returning to the depot at the end of the day.

“Cost is just one factor though,” explains Nathaniel Ballakistein, Group Sales and Marketing executive at RTT. “Meeting client expectations is another important consideration… By improving our ability to deliver on time in full we improve our ability to help our clients meet their customers’ expectations.”