Posted:13-January-2021
Interview with Wayne and Kerry Lucas of XDP, Dudley
Franchisees: Wayne and Kerry Lucas
Territory: Dudley
Franchise: XDP
Why did you go down the franchise route? And why did you choose the XDP franchise?
We were approached by an XDP area manager who was scouting the area for a new Dudley depot and asked if we would be willing to help out for a couple weeks, one thing lead to another and 13/14 years down the road, we are still here!!
What did you do before taking up a franchise?
Before we became XDP franchisees we were a same day courier service.
How did you raise the finance?
As we were already in business we didn’t need to raise any finance we had everything needed to become a depot.
What training and support did you receive initially and ongoing?
The area manager visited us to help us get set up and he showed me the computer system and stayed with us for a few days to make sure we had everything we needed. It was very easy to understand, especially as we were already in the transport industry. You do your deliveries; you make sure all the collections get collected – job done.
The ongoing support from XDP is there if you need it, it is a real team effort and this is one of the biggest advantages of being a part of a network. You are not on your own. Tim, the National Franchise Support Manager is great and very helpful indeed.
The XDP Head Office also has dedicated customer support, sales and IT teams to help us grow our business and make sure we have all the tools and systems we need to provide a really good service. There is also a manual sortation system at the Hub which in my opinion gives a more reliable service to our customers.
What is a typical day for you as a XDP franchisee?
We normally arrive at the depot between 6am to 8am and the driver usually calls us when he is on route from the Hub which is very helpful. The team then unloads the truck using the forklift and we start scanning the labels and placing goods in postcode areas so that the drivers know which parcels they are taking out.
The drivers start arriving and we normally help to load their vans just to make sure everything goes to plan. I print all their run sheets and collection sheets out and make them aware of any extra jobs that may be needed on that day or provide with them with any special instructions.
Once the drivers leave the depot, it is then down to checking any outstanding deliveries or dealing with any present queries and answering phone calls.
I then keep drivers up to date with any extra collections that get booked during the day. Once the drivers start to come back I oversee the scanning in of parcels and make sure if any jobs aren’t fully scanned then I go out and locate that parcel to make sure the job is complete. Once the parcels are in the dedicated postcode areas, the team start palletising and loading the Arctic. This is done as quickly as possible to get it back to XDP for the night time sort. Then it starts all over again the next morning.
What challenges have you faced?
Staff shortages due to sickness, we have to be prepared to jump in and cover!!
Van breakdowns and sourcing replacements.
Has becoming a XDP franchisee changed your life, if so how?
Yes, it definitely has, there is a lot of responsibility and you can end up working your lifestyle around your work life. Holidays can be limited and so is time off but it has been worth it. We now race Jet Skis all over the UK and the rewards of running your own business are worth all the hard work that is needed.
What marketing/promotional tools do you use to grow your franchise?
We rely on the tools that Head Office give us (sales team, promotional material etc.) and word of mouth is a very powerful tool for us and we often get new customers calling us to say that we were recommended to them. Our delivery vans are important as well as they are on the road all day and act as a really good advert for us.
What differentiates your XDP franchise from the competition?
We try to help all of our customers as much as possible and I would say that I would class them as friends now rather than just customers. My customers know if they do experience a problem, then we will work as hard as possible to try and rectify it for them. They really appreciate the fact that we will always go the extra mile for them.
In your opinion, what makes a successful franchisee?
You need to be highly motivated and willing to work very hard. If you are prepared to do this and not give up, then the rewards are there.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of buying their first franchise?
I would recommend that they spend time with someone who already runs a franchise to get an idea of the business and what it involves. You need to make sure you are doing the right thing as you might be doing it for a very long time. The only way the business will succeed is if you put the effort it.
But at the end of the day it is very rewarding knowing that you are doing a really good job and that you are part of a team of depots that keep a successful company running.
What are your plans for the future?
To expand the business and keep my customers happy at the same time.
Would you do it again?
Yes, we don’t know any different to be honest as we’ve always worked within the transport industry. We have been working with XDP for 14 years so this says it all really. This job is hard work and it can be very demanding but overall it is very rewarding and has given us a good lifestyle.