Dear Customer,
Recently we provided an update on the operating conditions at Border Express under the current COVID restrictions. Today I am writing to provide further information about our management of the situation and to provide some guidance on the things you can do as a customer to get the best transport outcomes under challenging circumstances.
COVID CASES & RAPID ANTIGEN TESTING (RAT)
In recent weeks we have experienced multiple positive cases in our Sydney facility. It is important to note that we have been able to minimise any subsequent exposure both internally and externally, and have avoided any health authority directions for shutdowns thus far. This can be attributed to a thorough COVID Safe Plan that incorporates stringent measures and protocols whilst onsite and whilst moving throughout our network.
The COVID steering committee at Border Express made a snap decision two weeks ago to introduce Rapid Antigen Testing at our Sydney facility in an effort to manage the risk associated with an outbreak. The service provided by some of our competitors has been severely disrupted by confirmed cases in their facilities. Our investment in RAT is aimed at doing our utmost to maintain reasonable levels of service through this period. The tests are expensive and time consuming but we consider it a reasonable investment in our service offering to you.
Some of the other controls that we have in place include;
- Employee, shift, role, and site segregation whilst operating
- Multiple QR code usage
- Following customer site plans and all COVID safe directions
- The use of rapid antigen testing for network critical sites where community transmission is not under control, and
- Specific site business contingency planning
LABOUR SHORTAGES
Many of the tasks completed in our Sydney facility each day are done so by casual employees who work only during the peak periods of our operation. The government stimulus payment of $750 per week is making it difficult to find new casual staff to cover absences and increasing volumes. Labour shortages are creating processing delays in and out of our Sydney facility. With that said, we are completing most of our deliveries within 24 hours of them being due, but there are delays.
HARD BORDER CLOSURE
The hard border closure between NSW and QLD has resulted in our line haul service providers being delayed anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours each day. The consequence of this is that fewer consignments addressed to QLD are being delivered to our advertised transit schedule. We are making every effort to ensure that those deliveries delayed by the border issues are completed on the next working day.
There are some things that you can do to help get the best service and customer service outcomes as we continue to work through this environment. They are;
- Make tracking enquiries via our website – Our response times by phone are some of the best in the industry right now but the most efficient way for us to record your enquiry and to distribute it to the right location for enquiry is to visit www.borderexpress.com.au and click on the TRACK IT link.
- Provide accurate updates in relation to your pick up requirement – If you think you will have much more or much less freight than you would usually have please contact us as soon as practically possible to share with us the details. Accurate information from customers in this regard is really helpful in enabling us to get the volume collected and distributed to its intended destination
- Reconsider your collection time – Our reporting suggests that the customers who have their freight collected the earliest get the best service outcomes from us.
https://www.borderexpress.com.au/announcements/
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