Helping courier companies double the size of their business

Go Green Case Study with CEO Alan Connell

AFS Group is committed to helping businesses grow with a range of support services especially for couriers – specialist software, a large vehicle repair workshop, and a dedicated leasing service.

Alan Connell, CEO of Go Green Deliveries Ltd, tells us how using all 3 of our support services has enabled him to double the size of his business in just a short period of time.

The story of Go Green Deliveries

Go Green Deliveries, owned by Alan Connell, started trading in March 2021. Today they operate with almost 50 vehicles in and around the West of Scotland. Their current contracts include Amazon, DHL, DPD Group and Yodel, with a further 2 other contracts in negotiation.

Prior to founding Go Green Deliveries, Alan worked for DPD Group for 2 and a half years in their Glasgow Distribution Centre. It was here he first came across AFS. Speaking of AFS, he says “AFS stood out of the crowd. The guys were both brilliant and professional.” The relationship between Alan and AFS continued to flourish following his departure from DPD Group and setting up Go Green Deliveries.

Adopting the UniQore software

Before adopting the UniQore system, Alan mainly used spreadsheets to manage his business. As an Amazon DSP, he was also tied to using their recommended suppliers for onboarding drivers, payroll, and drivers’ tax management. A little frustrated by the level of service offered by these suppliers, Alan began looking for another solution. “We were looking for a way to move away and do something a bit different, and UniQore allowed us to do that.” Further, he adds “Our business could not operate without UniQore now, it is the bedrock in terms of how we manage our staff.”

“Without AFS we would probably be half the size of what we are now.”

Perhaps, more importantly, both the time and financial savings for Alan have enabled him to grow his business to the size it is now, in a relatively short period of time. “By switching to UniQore, we are now saving £500 a week! In terms of soft savings, it’s probably saved us a full-time job.”

When it comes to running a last mile delivery business, at AFS we know that everyone does things slightly differently. On that basis, we actively encourage our customers to feed back to us regularly. This enables us to make improvements to our software, making our customers’ lives a bit easier. Alan is one such customer that we receive great feedback from “If we need an adjustment to UniQore to help suit our requirements, Klavs and the guys are very quick to make that change.”

Turning vans around quickly in the AFS Repair Centre

With almost 50 vans on the road, Alan, like most last mile delivery business owners, is well accustomed to using auto repair workshops to maintain his fleet.

For the last 6 months, Alan has been using the AFS Repair centre in Cumbernauld to keep his vans roadworthy. He says, “The good thing is that the mechanics know the industry, and are very knowledgeable in the damages the vehicles get, and they’re great at turnaround and getting vehicles back on the road”. Speaking of other, well-known dealership garages, he says “We’ve had situations where we put a van into a dealership garage, and it’ll take 6 weeks to get back. With AFS, we’ve been at 2 days at most.”

“I was amazed at how quickly the guys turned the vans around. We now just put all our vehicles into the AFS Repair Centre.”

Anyone in the last mile delivery industry knows that keeping vehicles on the road is vital, as it still costs the business when they’re not available for use. The AFS Repair Centre was built with this in mind – spanning 15,000 sq feet and kitted out with all the machinery needed to repair vehicles as quickly as possible.

Vehicles ready to lease when they needed it most

Alan tells us that approximately one third of Go Greens vehicles are leased from AFS. When speaking broadly about how difficult it is to lease vans in our industry, he says “A lot of leasing companies do not hire vans to couriers, because of the risk associated from couriers due to damage claims”. Speaking of AFS Leasing, he thinks we have a competitive advantage over other leasing companies due to our industry know-how and other support services. He says, “It’s all about the quality of the fleet, quality of the telematics in the fleet, and ease of repairing vehicles that sets them apart”.

“When we heard that AFS offered a vehicle leasing service, we were very quick to jump on it.”

In the run up to peak this year, it’s crucial that you have a reliable leasing partner that won’t let you down. Speaking from experience, Alan tells us “We encountered an issue last Christmas whereby our previous vehicle supplier increased their prices. AFS were very responsive in helping replace those vans in order to keep the wheels turning.”

In summary, it’s all about growth!

When thinking about the overall impact AFS has had on Go Green Delivery, Alan tells us that it all boils down to one thing, “Growth! Business growth. Through AFS, growth to 48 vans would not have been possible. Without AFS, we would probably be half the size of what we are now. We are very grateful.” Going further, he credits AFS Co-founders Scott and Jamie with helping his business get to where it is today “The best thing about AFS is the responsiveness of the brand and the approachability of both Scott and Jamie – they always want to share their own experiences with you.”.

To talk to AFS about how we can help your business grow and get it to the next level, contact us today.