Perfecting the perfect order.

 

Meet Alice. She’s part of the team that’s making sure our customers get their biscuits (or whatever’s in their basket) delivered as swiftly as possible. Learn about her journey so far and the people who make her job even more fulfilling.

 

“I’ve been at Tesco for about 10 months now. I’m the Third-Party Logistics (3PL) Product Manager in the Transport team optimising the delivery services for our Whoosh customers. Basically, we deal with anything on wheels that’s not owned by Tesco. Think vans, lorries, bikes. We’re the bridge between Tesco systems and external third-party systems.

Working with Whoosh – Tesco’s superfast home delivery service – is really cool because it has the potential and excitement of a start-up but with the massive backing of a huge organisation and an even bigger customer base. We’re always looking for ways to offer better options to our customers, whether that’s increasing customers’ basket size or speeding up delivery time, ­thanks to integration with third-party suppliers. And the exciting thing is: the possibilities are endless. There’s so much room for growth.

My day to day is jam-packed with variety. I’d say more than anything, my role is to talk to people and support the collaboration between teams. Whether it’s aligning the engineering team, communicating with stakeholders, or focusing on the bigger picture with vision and strategy, it’s all about removing any blockers so that everyone can do their roles to the best of their ability.

Our work impacts the business too. To hire and train delivery drivers takes time and investment, and with a huge increase in demand for services like Whoosh, we need to be able to respond quicky. That’s why we’re using technology to integrate with third parties that are already set up, so we can then choose when we want to use them. In a nutshell, we’re bolstering Tesco’s resources with external suppliers. Because everything we do is to ensure our customers get what they want, when they want it.

My team is lucky to work with really modern technology. It’s a continuous path of discovery to understand how we can benefit the business the most. And we work with great systems while we do it. The complexity behind the tech at Tesco would blow your mind. The website is optimised to give customers the best online experience, but once you click ‘check out’ - that’s when the magic happens. From products moving across-country, picking optimisation, and delivery to your door, every step of your order’s journey is thought through thoroughly.

Our long-term vision is to enable operational efficiency to serve customers with ‘the perfect order’, every time. By that I mean everything’s gone to plan: customers get what they want, on time, without the need to contact us. We did some work at the end of last year looking at ways to optimise delivery times; customers can now receive their Whoosh order in under 30 minutes! Bearing in mind Whoosh is in over 1000 stores and serves over 50% of the UK population, that’s quite a big achievement.

It keeps me busy, but I really enjoy it. And, as cheesy as it sounds, it’s the people who make my job worthwhile. They’re super friendly, professional, collaborative and focused on giving the best experience to our customers. I love being part of a team that’s constantly finding innovative solutions. That’s where the excitement lies.

I’ve got nothing but great things to say about the culture here: it’s so supportive. And, as a woman in a very male dominated industry, who’s experienced women being second-guessed in the tech space, it was a breath of fresh air to find that’s not something I have to worry about here. I’ve never felt like my voice doesn’t matter or I’m being held back. I’m encouraged to challenge and my opinion is valued.

I knew I wanted a role that focused on technology, product and product-led thinking, in an organisation that was trying to better itself. That’s what I’ve found here. Tesco is a place where customers and colleagues are a priority. It’s about how we can give the best to our customers and how our colleagues can get the best out of their career. There’s so much opportunity and the collaboration is unmatched.

You’ll never be pigeon-holed here either. People can move around into different roles, which means you’ll build a wider personal network and further your skills. Technology is an ever-growing, ever-changing industry and Tesco continues to adapt and grow with it. If you’re looking for somewhere you can be creative, think outside the box and push the boundaries – in a place where there’s no limit to how you learn and thrive – you’ll find it at Tesco.”

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