Parcelhero has introduced AI-based customer support features on its courier comparison platform, aiming to provide round-the-clock help with customer queries.

The update includes an AI chatbot, access to live agents within the same chat window, and changes to the ticketed support system. The tools are intended to handle support needs ranging from general questions and packaging advice to shipment issues and potential customs delays.

The chatbot serves as the first point of contact for customer enquiries and is designed to answer common questions quickly. If an issue cannot be resolved through automation, users can switch to a live support agent in the same window, allowing the conversation to continue without changing channels.

Parcelhero has also revised its ticketed support process to give customers a single record of their interactions, including automated guidance, email exchanges, and follow-up messages from support staff.

Support access has been expanded across the platform. Guest users and registered customers can contact support without re-entering the same information, while logged-in users can raise queries directly from their dashboard with tracking details attached automatically.

A new support button has been added across the site so users can seek help while booking deliveries or reviewing packaging information. The features follow the launch of a new web platform that also includes AI-based tracking and other tools for senders.

Roger Sumner-Rivers, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Parcelhero, said: “Parcelhero was founded on the principle of offering a ‘hero’ service to customers at every level, from individuals who send a parcel once a year to large enterprise businesses. Our new web platform, launched earlier this month, features AI-powered tracking, the industry’s fastest booking interface, and a range of smart tools designed to put senders in control. That technology has enabled us to introduce new features that support customers at every stage of their shipment, from packaging advice to resolving potential customs delays.”

“A new AI-powered chatbot acts as the first point of contact for customer enquiries. We’ve dubbed it ‘AI hero’, and it provides instant responses to common queries, helping customers resolve most issues within seconds.”

“As advanced as the chatbot is, there are times when customers need to speak to a real person. For questions that require a personal touch, users can move directly from the chatbot to a live agent within the same chat window, keeping the conversation simple and uninterrupted. This ensures real-time help and faster issue resolution.”

“We have also strengthened our ticketed support system to improve continuity and communication for ongoing issues. Customers can view their entire interaction history in one place, from the initial automated guidance and emails to follow-up messages from a support agent.”

“Both guest users and regular customers can access help easily without repeating information. Logged-in users can contact support directly from their dashboard, with tracking details automatically linked to their query. The new ‘Get Support’ button makes help available from any page, whether booking a delivery or checking packaging advice.”

“We’ve always believed great service comes from combining smart technology with real human care. These new customer service features are about removing delays and giving senders quick, reliable support at every stage of their shipment.”

Parcelhero says it serves millions of users each year through its parcel comparison and shipping platform. It operates in a market where support speed and visibility can affect both one-off consumer shipments and higher-volume business deliveries, particularly when bookings, tracking, and customs-related queries are handled through a single online service.

The latest changes reflect a wider shift among digital logistics and eCommerce service providers towards using automation for first-line support while retaining human agents for more complex cases. For parcel platforms, common customer issues include delivery status checks, documentation questions, packaging requirements, and claims follow-up, all of which can increase pressure on contact teams during peak demand periods.

By linking tracking information to queries from logged-in customers, Parcelhero is seeking to reduce the manual information gathering needed before a case can be reviewed. Presenting automated and human interactions in one thread also addresses a common complaint in online support systems, where customers must move across multiple channels to follow a case.

The support update comes alongside broader changes to Parcelhero’s website and booking journey, suggesting the company is trying to make customer service a more integrated part of the shipping process rather than a separate, reactive function.

Multiple Oxfordshire petrol stations have said the Government should reduce VAT on petrol and diesel as their profit margins collapse.

Fuel prices across the UK have seen a sharp increase since the US and Israel launched their initial strikes at Iran on February 28.

This is largely due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, an important shipping route to the south of Iran.

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Nick Allen, managing director at Sportif Suzuki in Long Hanborough said the week after the war began, they were told last minute that their diesel supply – usually between 34,000 and 38,000 litres – would be halved.

Although the business’ fuel levels have since returned to normal there have been other reports around Oxfordshire and the UK of fuel shortages.

Milton Service Station in Oxfordshire (Image: Google Maps)

A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s, which manages a number of forecourts, said: “We are actively monitoring stock levels in all locations and continuing to resupply sites where needed.”

Mr Allen’s business has also been hit by the dramatic increase in prices, which according to the RAC has been on average 25.5 per cent per litre for diesel and 13.7 per cent per litre for unleaded petrol between February 26 and March 27.

He explained that their station’s pricing is dependent on the terminal and is fixed weekly.

“We try our best to match the lowest prices in our area, but everyone’s pricing is dependent on different systems,” he said.

Normally they would look to around 4p or 5p per litre as a profit margin, but he said they were “very close to cost price at the moment”.

Martin Prew, owner of Milton Service Station, also said they were making little money on fuel, with their margins approximately halved.

President Donald Trump (Image: AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

“The margins are a lot thinner” he said, adding on overall prices: “Over the last six weeks the wholesale price is about 40p a litre more for diesel and a 20p rise for petrol.”

Both were critical of the government’s current refusal to reduce VAT, which is set at 20 per cent.

Mr Allen said: “There should be a temporary reduction on VAT and fuel duty. 

“At the moment, it is not right. Rachel Reeves talks about profiteering, but she should look at herself.”

Mr Prew said: “They are collecting more taxes than two months ago, and VAT is a big part of that. 

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“If they could do a short-term subsidy on the duty that would make a vast difference.”

However, the government has rejected this view, suggesting that as energy prices rise, people cut back on other spending that would usually be subject to VAT.

As such, they said there is no ‘windfall’ in terms of revenue.

A government spokesperson said: “Millions of motorists filled up their cars and travelled over the Easter weekend.

“Our fuel system is robust and continues to work well.”

Bridewell has published analysis showing that data privacy complaints to the Information Commissioner’s Office rose across several major UK sectors, with finance, insurance and credit recording the highest total.

The data covers complaints logged with the regulator over two 12-month periods and points to continued pressure on organisations handling large volumes of personal information. Finance, health, and online technology and telecoms generated the most complaints in both years.

In finance, insurance and credit, complaints rose 5 per cent to 4,630 in the later period from 4,422 a year earlier, keeping the sector at the top of the rankings.

Health ranked second, with complaints increasing to 4,082 from 3,903, a rise of 179 cases over the year.

Retail and manufacturing recorded the fastest annual increase among the sectors highlighted in the research. Complaints rose 12 percent to 2,714 from 2,421, though the total remained below finance and health.

Regulatory outcomes

The research also tracked how complaint cases were resolved. Cases resulting in informal action responses fell 22 per cent between the two reporting periods.

At the same time, cases concluding with “No Further Action” rose 14 per cent. This may reflect a higher bar for intervention, with regulators focusing resources on complaints with clearer evidence of risk, harm, or repeated non-compliance.

The analysis also noted that one common reason for taking no further action was insufficient information. That underlines the importance of evidence and documentation in complaints about the handling of personal information.

Sector pressure

The figures come as businesses in heavily regulated and data-intensive industries face closer scrutiny over their treatment of customer and user data. Financial services firms, healthcare providers, retailers and digital platforms all handle sensitive personal information at scale, making them more exposed to complaints and enforcement action.

Separate Bridewell research in financial services found that 39 per cent of organisations viewed data privacy and protection as one of their biggest cyber security challenges. The latest complaint analysis adds to that picture by showing where members of the public are directing concerns to the regulator.

Recent enforcement activity has also kept data privacy high on corporate risk agendas. Reddit was fined more than GBP £14 million for failing to carry out a data protection impact assessment and for not checking the age of users accessing its platform.

The case reflects wider regulatory attention on children’s privacy and on whether organisations have put safeguards in place around the use of personal data. For companies operating in consumer-facing markets, such decisions can create both financial and reputational risks.

Chris Linnell, Associate Director of Data Privacy at Bridewell, said: “Rising complaint volumes in sectors like financial services and healthcare show that public expectations around data protection continue to grow. Organisations can’t treat privacy as a compliance box-ticking exercise; it must be central to business operations.”

He also pointed to the consequences of weak controls as regulators sharpen their focus on data governance. “Cases like this highlight the escalating reputational, financial, and operational costs of inadequate privacy controls.”