Our Experience with Yodel Mobile
Yodel is a leading UK logistics company, which serves over 600K users monthly through its mobile app. It allows users to track parcels, create return labels, and customize delivery preferences.
The previous app had limited functionality, outdated code, and poor user reviews. Our goal was to add new features, improve performance and integrate user accounts, while collaborating closely with Yodel's internal teams.
Solution
We have upgraded the codebase, implementing Single Sign-On (SSO), adding biometric authentication, and enhancing the user experience with features like store locators, safe place pictures, live chat, push notifications, and app review prompts.
Implementation
This project started at the end of the first quarter of 2021 and was released in November 2021. Scrum methodology was followed according to Yodel's practices, encouraging continuous communication between teams to coordinate the two-week sprints. The app was built with the cross-platform framework React Native, which allowed us to have one single code base catering for both iOS and Android while allowing us to make use of their native capabilities.
As part of it, we've developed the following core functionalities:
Single Sign On (SSO):which allows users to register their account with the click of a button via Facebook, Google or Apple, hence streamlining the account creation process.
Biometric Authentication:once a user has created an account, the app encourages them to set up biometrics to ensure logging in back to the app immediately without needing to write credentials.
Store locator:making use of geolocation libraries, the users are able to find stores nearby where they can pick up and drop off their parcels while being able to see what additional services they provide as well as working hours and storefront pictures to be able to spot them in the street.
Safe Place Picturesthis allows users to upload a picture of their preferred safe place so that the courier can leave parcels safely, hence giving users peace of mind when their parcels arrive at home, and there is no one to receive them.
Live Chatmaking use of Sprinklr as a third-party solution, we make use of their embedded web chat to allow users to communicate with Yodel's contact centres quickly.
Storyblok CDN for Messages:a backend implementation was created using the Storyblok CDN to provide Yodel's marketing team with a way to communicate specifically with Yodel App users. This allows them to post announcements in the app which the user will be prompted to see. To achieve this, we made use of our open-source gem, Rubyblok.
Push Notificationsthis gives users live updates on the states of their parcels, allowing them to navigate to the app to the main point of interest to see more details of it, as well as allowing the marketing team to communicate with users proactively.
Universal Linksthis encourages users to Aengage with the app's prime experience when clicking on Yodel email updates as well as allowing users creating their accounts to immediately verify without the need to copy/paste an authentication code sent to their emails, hence improving the overall experience.
App Review Prompts:using an interaction-based strategy, users are presented with native App Review prompts which encourage satisfied users to give a review of the app, hence increasing the chances to improve app store ratings. At the same time it also encourages not satisfied users to provide feedback on their experience, hence allowing the business to get a front-line view of what things can be improved in the future.
Forced Upgrade:sometimes the business may want to release a new feature or key fixes to the app, which require users to update to the latest version of the app. Making use of the same backend implementation for the Storyblok CDN, we provide the marketing team with means to trigger an upgrade screen which prevents users in old versions of the app from using it, while encouraging them to update it to the latest version by sending them directly to the Yodel app store listing.