Speedier Deliveries Using What 3 Words

At Arbour Landscape Solutions, we’re forever trying to improve our services to make life easier for you.  Take deliveries for example.  Late deliveries are a pain in the proverbial and sometimes they can’t be avoided…..roadworks, slower than usual traffic etc.  But one delivery glitch that IS avoidable, is inaccurate addresses. And that’s where What 3 Words comes into play.

What Is What 3 Words?

What 3 Words is an app that contains incredibly accurate location information for everywhere - and I mean everywhere - in the world.

How it works is that the entire globe has been divided up into 3m x 3m squares.  Each square has been designated a 3 word code.  When you relay that code to a courier, they will know exactly where to bring your landscaping materials.  For example, if I plug the code ///limit:broom:flip into the app, it hones in on an address in Camden, London.  I then have the option to navigate to that address using Google Maps or Apple Maps. Or I can summon an Uber to meet me there. I can even open an aerial picture of the area. Handy eh?

I first came across the app when Arbour Landscape Solutions copywriter, Angela Lambert, decided she was going to climb Ingleborough in Yorkshire all by herself.  Now Angela is an ex-guider and she likes to be prepared for any emergency. So before she left on her epic adventure she told me how she had downloaded the What 3 Words to her phone. That way, if she took a tumble or fell ill, she would be able to contact Mountain Rescue and tell them exactly where to find her. Fortunately, the app remained unused. But it sowed a seed in my brain.

Using What 3 Words To Deliver Landscaping Materials

Angela’s adventure was called to mind when I saw a TV advert for What 3 Words and realised that the app could be used for so much more than locating ladies with broken limbs. It could save a courier a lot of time and hassle when hunting for an address.

I’m going to use our Mrs Lambert for another example.  Mrs Lambert lives at the end of a street in a village with a one way system.  The whole of the street has the same postcode.  All but two of the houses (Mrs L’s included) are reached by turning left along the one way system.  To get to Angela’s you need to turn right.  

Nearly every Sat Nav sends couriers and supermarket delivery vans in the wrong direction. Which means that they need to stop somewhere and phone for directions.  Frustrating for them and very costly in terms of time.  If the poor souls happen to be in an artic lorry delivering fertiliser (or whatever) to the Lambert’s farm - its a real pain in their backside to manoeuvre through the village high street to get back to where they were.  With What 3 Words, all of that palaver is nicely avoided.

So, if you are working on a landscaping site in the middle of nowhere. Or on a building site where postcodes are yet to be designated, or even on a busy street in a town where parking and manoeuvring are a major challenge. The What 3 Words app could potentially make your day run a lot smoother.

The What 3 Words address for Arbour Landscape Solutions' yard in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4DD

How Do I Find the What 3 Words Address For A Site?

It couldn’t be simpler to find your What 3 Words address.  Go the the app, or to the website and start typing the street address for your delivery.  In no time at all, you’ll see your three word address.

For even more accuracy, open the app on your phone and click on the arrow icon.  Your precise location will appear on the screen along with the What 3 Words address - of course this is only helpful to a delivery driver if you are on site when you work out the address. So why not ask your client to download the app and supply the information?

What 3 Words And Arbour Landscape Solutions

Those clever website developers at Upshot Media have very kindly integrated What 3 Words with the ordering facility on the Arbour Landscape Solutions website.  Which means that you can use your app to discover the three word code that describes your site, and then you can let us know exactly where to delivery your goods.

It’s a small detail but it could make an enormous difference to your day.

Learn more about What 3 Words and download the app to your phone. 

Got a question about delivery lead times at Arbour Landscape Solutions?  Click here to ask us anything.