While the outbreak of COVID-19 worldwide has impacted retail, e-commerce stays strong meeting the needs of the people. Naqel Express, a full-fledged logistics business, remains fully committed to supporting the supply chain and in meeting all delivery requirements with timely shipments to all customers within the Kingdom, across all the Gulf countries and worldwide. In doing so, the company complies with all the guidelines provided by Ministry of Health.

AliExpress is one of the key partners of Naqel Express in the region, and it provides all the necessary products for homes and offices with strong demand for safety and protection products, home and garden, computer and office, and home improvement products. Ken Robertson, chief of express e-commerce & courier division at Naqel Express speaks. Here are the excerpts.

1. What is the partnership between Naqel and AliExpress?

A. Naqel Express supports AliExpress within the Middle East region. The main markets are Saudi Arabia and UAE. Naqel Express collaborated with AliExpress to introduce “cash on delivery” to AliExpress’s customers in the region. More over Naqel Express covers every city, town and village in the region enabling AliExpress customers access to AliExpress products.

2. How do you transit AliExpress order to consumers and do you have special approaches that provides to consumers?

A. Naqel Express is the only cross boarder e-commerce delivery company that has its own owned dedicated customs clearance facilities enabling speedy customs clearance 24 hours a day.

Naqel Express runs its own dedicated regional network with a fleet of vehicles in excess of 3500 vehicles enabling fast transit times across the region.

Due to the complexity of the address system in the region and the fact that the region has extreme heat there is high demand for home delivery services. Naqel Express has developed a number of tools enabling our couriers to communicate with consignees to identify delivery locations.

Often the barrier to delivery is related to the consignee not answering their phone. There are a number of individualized SMSs that go out to consignee to prompt them to receive their shipments.

Finally, every consignee is requested via a link that is sent to them to give feedback on the quality of service. Every Sunday the management team reviews all customer complaints so that corrective actions can be taken.

Due to the coronavirus, it has become apparent that consumers are carrying less cash on them. Naqel Express has equipped every courier with a mobile banking card machines enabling consumers to pay with debit cards.

Naqel Express is a vital supply line to consumers in the region and delivers to every city, town and village. Naqel Express has obtained special permission from the authorities to deliver in quarantined areas and also during curfew hours.

3. What did you do to protect the staff to ensure the safety during this special period?

A. Naqel Express takes health and safety of its employees and customers/ consumers very seriously. As soon as the news was reported that there was a coronavirus outbreak, Naqel Express implemented “UV scanning” which kills most germs and viruses for all international shipments coming into Saudi Arabia.

It is mandatory for all staff to wear masks and gloves. All our couriers are also equipped with sufficient hand sanitizers. Couriers are also encouraged to promote the use of bank card machines rather than accepting cash. All Bank card machines are sanitized after every transaction to limit risk of infection.

Robust health and safety procedures have been developed and implemented. Every employee has been trained on the requirements to ensure wherever possible his personal health and safety as well as the consumer. It is mandatory for every employee to have their temperature checked when entering Naqel Express facility.

Every facility is washed daily with disinfectants and professionally disinfected twice a week.

As a preventative measure, in all major cities separate stand-alone staff accommodation has been setup. In the event that an employee contracts the COVID 19 he will automatically be quarantined there until medical assistance is given. (Thankfully all our employees are safe).

4, What is the suggestion for the consumers you delivered?

A.Where possible use a bank card. This reduces the risk of spreading the virus vs. dealing in cash or consumers can do the online payment.