what3words helps businesses improve their customer service
Summary
Describing locations precisely in rural, remote areas or busy cities can be challenging.
A groundbreaking addressing system, called what3words was developed to find locations easily, anywhere in the world.
what3words can help businesses improve their customer service by offering exact locations with a unique combination of three words.
what3words makes it possible to describe locations efficiently
The idea behind the what3words system is so simple; you could write it on the back of a postcard. Yet, the applications are endless – from delivering pizzas to saving lives.
Co-founder Chris Sheldrick came up with the idea for what3words when he was working in the music industry. Frustrated at bands getting lost and equipment going missing, he saw the need for a more precise and efficient addressing system. He enlisted the help of two friends, Jack Waley-Cohen and Mohan Ganesalingam and, between them, they devised and built a startlingly simple but effective solution.
“Our mission is connecting people for a better future. The what3words system shows how a simple idea can become a real game changer – and is a fantastic example of how a connected world can help everyone.”
Describing locations precisely can be crucial for businesses
In rural places postcodes cover large areas, making it difficult to indicate precise locations – like the entrance of a campsite, or a specific spot in a field. In cities, duplicate street names can cause confusion, for example the 14 different Church Roads in London. Digital pins don’t point to specific entrances, new builds take time to appear on maps, and many places have no address at all. All these issues disappear with what3words.
Imagine that you have a stand at an exhibition or a stall at a festival. You can use a simple three-word address to let your customers know exactly where to find you. If you have a fast-food delivery service, you can deliver to any location your customer chooses – even to a designated spot in the park. What’s more, it’s already been shown to work better than traditional street addresses for couriers.
A simple, three-word address for any location on the planet
To provide a solution, the team divided the world into three-metre squares and assigned each one a three-word address. Every front door, entrance or location can be identified with just three words. For example, bunks.turkey.workbench is the three-word address for the entrance of Forest Fields Campsite in Wales and stardom.flow.rent is the entrance to Borola Cafe in Mexico
How to use what3words
If you’d like people to find your business more easily, you can discover your three-word address on the what3words map or using the free app.
Enter a postcode, street name or area in the search bar – zoom in so you can see the grid, then move the map to select the exact square of the location you’d like to share. The three-word address for that location is displayed at the bottom of the screen. You can add it anywhere you list your contact details, and you can even order a custom sign from the what3words website.
Adding a what3words address to your website is easy
If your trade requires you to meet customers on site, ask them to send you the three-word address for their front door or entrance using the steps listed above. You can also share this video to show them how to find a three-word address.
When you receive a three-word address from a customer or client, simply type it into the app or map search bar, then tap ‘Get directions’ to navigate there.
what3words facts
42% Improved delivery time
Last-mile delivery time has been cut by 42% for businesses using what3words.¹
Thousands of businesses can benefit
Businesses can save time and increase the number of house calls or deliveries made per day.²
193 countries use what3words globally
Whether it’s a picnic in a park or a festival in the desert, companies can reach customers easily – anywhere in the planet.³
Reach your customers easily, anywhere in the world
what3words helps businesses improve their customer service via a simple three-word addressing system that finds locations easily, anywhere in the world. Offering precise locations means that businesses can reach their customers even if they live in rural, remote areas or busy cities. Delivery times have also shortened for couriers, as the addresses can now be described more precisely compared to traditional maps. Businesses, such as food vendors can also benefit from using what3words by letting their customers know where to find them exactly – no more confusion, no more revenue losses.
Connecting people for a better future
The what3words system has some hugely positive social benefits, too. Emergency services already use three-word addresses to help them respond to incidents more quickly.
In many places in the world, people live in large communities with no addresses at all – this leaves them outside the political and welfare system. The what3words system can help with this issue and many more.