What it’s like working on the road as told by Ninja Van Philippines delivery riders

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They share the realities of the job and what motivates them to keep moving forward.

In the past two years, delivery riders have become a constant fixture in the daily lives of most Filipinos as e-commerce and online shopping gained popularity in the country. Everyday, they brave the roads to ensure that parcels are delivered on time and in best condition to its recipients, not minding the distance or the heat of the sun on their backs.

Tech-enabled logistics company Ninja Van Philippines recognizes and celebrates the invaluable role of its delivery riders in providing its Todo Hustle, No Hassle services to shippers and shoppers nationwide. Drivers and riders are among the many unsung heroes in the logistics sector and each of them embody the hard work, patience, and determination that goes into every story behind our parcels.

Working as a delivery rider for Ninja Van Philippines for three years, Joel Delfin has his fair share of experience handling irate customers, which are among the most common problems they face on duty, “It really requires a lot of patience but I always try to clarify the situation with the customer as best as I can. If it’s necessary, I connect them directly with the customer service team so their concern can be quickly resolved,” he said.

Delivery scams have also become rampant recently as more Filipinos prefer to shop online for their needs. Jory Acerro, a rider since 2018, said handling these cases can be really challenging. When he comes across a scam or modus, he makes sure to explain the protocols and policies of Ninja Van Philippines on scam deliveries to the customer and assure them that there is a refund process in place.

From left to right - Joey Delfin and Jory Acerro

“Delivering parcels is a very challenging job that could potentially drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally. But I really value the trust that customers give me so I try to do my best at work every day,” said Oscar Riveza, a Ninja Van Philippines rider since 2018. Many of his fellow riders share Oscar’s sentiments—while being a delivery rider is never easy, at the end of the day, knowing that your line of work enables you to be of help to others is always a fulfilling thing.

JC Galman who has been with the company for almost four years shared that seeing the happy faces of customers when they receive their parcels is one of the reasons why he finds joy in being a delivery rider. His dedication to his job has also led him to receive good standing in evaluations.

From left to right - Oscar Riveza and JC Galman

Similarly, fellow rider Jyrald Soria said he appreciated it the most when customers sincerely thank them for their hard work, sometimes even being generous enough to give small tokens of gratitude to them, which makes the job easier than it is. Because he’s saving up for his wedding next year, Jyrald continues to persevere everyday and make sure that all parcels assigned to him get delivered to their respective recipients without fail.

More than the parcel itself, riders bring happiness to the doorsteps of their customers by providing them fast and reliable delivery services. By building good relationships with their regular customers, they also become an important part of the communities they are serving.

Above all, these riders are motivated by the desire to support the needs of their families and reach their goals in life. For Percival Cesar, working at Ninja Van Philippines allowed him to maximize his earning potential since he was being paid more compared to his past jobs as a delivery man. The incentives provided by the company also helps him a lot when it comes to providing for his family, especially now that he has a new born daughter.

From left to right - Jyrald Soria and Percival Cesar

Ninja Van Philippines continues to celebrate the riders who are at the front and center of the company’s success by putting a spotlight on their contribution to ensuring service excellence and fast deliveries nationwide.

Ninja Van Philippines kicks off DIGeCONOMY Bootcamp Series

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Tech-enabled express logistics company, Ninja Van Philippines, continues to push its customer-first agenda to support micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in the country. With the launch of the DIGeCONOMY Bootcamp Series, business owners can learn valuable insights and first-hand knowledge from industry experts to help them overcome the challenges of transitioning towards digitalization and maximize opportunities in the digital space.

During the first learning session, speakers from the public and private sectors shared insights on how MSMEs can better build their brand online.

“The Philippines is the fastest-growing market in the region and this has been driven by strict lockdowns caused by the pandemic, which led to businesses having to adapt and shift their transactions online. Here at Ninja Van Philippines, it is our mission to supercharge MSME growth in the digital space. We believe that Filipino businesses can further reach their potential with the help of these advancements and technology,” said Sabina Lopez-Vergara, Chief Commercial Officer of Ninja Van Philippines.

Sabina Lopez-Vergara, Chief Commercial Officer of Ninja Van Philippines.

Through multiple legs, the DIGeCONOMY Bootcamp Series will follow the digital transformation journey of SMEs and MSMEs—from building and growing their brand online to maintaining brand affinity among customers. Last March 22, the first leg of the series already began with a learning session that centered on developing a customer-centric brand for MSMEs and its importance as well as the available tools and solutions they can utilize to stay competitive in the digital market. It featured Ms. Nelly Nita Dillera, CESO III, Executive Director of the Department of Trade and Industry - Philippine Trade Training Center (DTI-PTTC); Ms. Kim Sabala, Founder and Managing Owner of Cold Gold; and Mr. Edward Cruz, CEO of ATOZ as the speakers.

Government support

Venturing into e-commerce is more than just presenting and selling products online. DTI-PTTC Executive Director Nelly Dillera ran through the end-to-end e-commerce management services that MSMEs have to know. From marketing management to data analytics and customer service, all of which are important for their businesses to be successful.

“The PTTC-GMEA (Global MSME Academy) has programs that can assist you on the different processes that I’ve mentioned. Our coverage includes business development, accounting and finance, and other business functions that support MSMEs,” Dillera said. “You can also visit PTTC’s website for self help training programs and further assistance on how you can progress more in your business.”

DTI has also compiled a list of TechTools that MSMEs can use to boost their businesses including e-commerce platforms/resources, e-payment channels, digital marketing solutions, and logistics providers like Ninja Van Philippines.

Branding essentials

Once you have all the tools and training to effectively run your business online, the next thing you have to do is focus on your branding. Founder and Owner of Cold Gold, Kim Sabala, shared how she grew her businesses to what they are today by maintaining consistent branding across all channels using three essentials: brand guide, social media strategy, and content calendar.

A brand guide helps you define the essence of what makes you stand out from your competitors. It involves identifying your target audience, mission and vision statements, unique selling proposition, core values and brand stylistics. On the other hand, having a social media strategy is important in knowing what works for your business goals and what doesn’t through social listening and setting key performance indicators (KPIs).

“From there, we can test, refine and evolve our practices to better work for our goals. Not having a strategy is like shooting in the dark. When you aim for nothing, you hit nothing,” she said.

Finally, your content calendar must include the type of content you want to deliver to your consumers, your preferred platform/s, a timeline, and some key events to make your content more relevant. Once you’ve done all these, you can begin implementing your plan and growing your brand.

Customer journey

According to the CEO of ATOZ and long-time Ninja Van shipper Edward Cruz, one of the most neglected processes when it comes to e-commerce is mapping the customer journey. “For us in ATOZ, we make sure that every data that is coming in the platform has an engagement whether it’s pre-purchase or after purchase.”

Customer journey begins with awareness of the product, which is a customer’s first engagement with your brand. From there, you can deepen the customer’s understanding of who you are and what you offer through influencer marketing and more advertisements that will drive consideration and finally, turn customers to buyers.

After purchase comes retention. “After the customer purchases from you, you have to re-engage them because at the end of the day, the first purchase they make on your platform will not really result in big profits. But if you have good retention, it’s very easy to re-engage those customers through email, SMS and social media content,” said Cruz.

The customer journey ends with loyalty where businesses get to deepen their relationship with their customers and really drive home the message, they want to instill to their customer base. Mapping out the customer journey can help MSMEs deliver better customer service and maximize every customer interaction, which can be advantageous for their brand.

Watch out for the next DIGeCONOMY Bootcamp Series learning session for this leg happening in May! Visit facebook.com/ninjavanph for updates and more information.

This International Women’s Month, Ninja Van Philippines champions female leadership and resilience

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The company puts the spotlight on the women who make its Todo Hustle, No Hassle services and deliveries possible.

 Every year, a special day is dedicated to honor women around the world, their empowering stories, and achievements while also highlighting important concerns and issues surrounding gender equality in society. In line with this, tech-enabled express logistics company, Ninja Van Philippines, celebrates International Women’s Month by acknowledging the many women in its workforce who, in one way  or another, are responsible for providing hassle-free deliveries and excellent customer service to shippers and shoppers nationwide.

Five women shared how they hustle hard everyday, on or off the road, to achieve success in their current roles in the company and demonstrate leadership and resilience despite the challenges that come their way whether it’s at work or in life.

Mothering for success in the industry: Working moms make it work!

Ivy Bautista describes herself as a natural born leader. She has been working as a Sort Training Officer for Ninja Van Philippines since November 2020 where she is tasked to develop training materials for the Sort Team as well as prepare guidelines and incident reports. As a working mom, she has to balance her schedule between work and family duties, which can get challenging sometimes since her job requires her to travel frequently to train Sort Officers in various locations.

Thanks to the support of her husband and colleagues, Ivy is able to stay on top of her responsibilities as a mom and employee, earning the trust of her superiors and teammates and impacting positive changes in her department including standardizing the orientation journey for new personnel.

Account Manager Karla Dasig is also a working mom who has been with Ninja Van Philippines since 2016. She currently handles clients in the finance and retail industries. Being a single mom, she is grateful that the company allows her to work on a flexible schedule, which gives her the chance to spend more time with her son.

Working at Ninja Van Philippines enabled Karla to step out of her comfort zone that resulted in tremendous improvement and growth in her professional career. Now, her goal is to enhance her leadership and managerial skills to help her entire team thrive. She also wishes to share her knowledge and expertise to new hires who will be under her supervision so they can better manage and address the problems that may arise on the job.

Female Ninjas on the road, driving out the stereotypes

Delivery riders play an important role in making sure that parcels get delivered to customers on time and in the best possible condition. And while we have grown accustomed to seeing male riders on the road, it’s great to also acknowledge the efforts of women who take on this difficult job, rain or shine.

Sheina, Michelle, and Mercie are just three of Ninja Van Philippines’ female delivery riders who embody the company’s promise of Todo Hustle, No Hassle deliveries and services.

Four years into being a delivery rider, Sheina Janalul prides herself for consistently receiving good standing for her performance. While she admitted that there can be a handful of difficult customers who tend to lash out on delivery riders like her, she tries her best not to take things personally and as much as possible, not to absorb the negativity from the situation. Of course, not all customers are the same as she has also encountered those who are kind and understanding, even becoming friends with some of them.

Michelle Ynigo is another female delivery rider who has been with Ninja Van Philippines since 2018. Given her years of experience on the job, she has encountered her fair share of bumps in the road such as rude customers and lost or damaged parcels that she deals with by keeping a calm disposition when communicating with those involved. All in all, Michelle finds fulfillment in knowing that what she does as a delivery rider contributes value to the lives of Ninja Van’s customers.

From a Ninja Van rider in 2018, Mercie Abundo has been promoted to Assistant Station Head of her hub in Mindoro and is now training to be the Station Head soon. According to her, dealing with problematic consignees and riders has been one of the most challenging aspects of her job. However, she has always shown willingness to help with the resolution of any delivery-related issues and ensures effective communication with customers. Because of this, her outstanding performance has been recognized by Ninja Van Philippines, specifically for managing a hub with no parcel backlog – a feat she considers to be one of her proudest career achievements to date.

Time and time again, women are proven to thrive and succeed in industries that are traditionally seen as male-dominated, including logistics. For Ninja Van Philippines, the hard work that its female employees are dedicating to the commitment of putting customers’ needs and operational excellence first will always be recognized and celebrated every day as part of its efforts to push for more inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.

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About Ninja Van Philippines

Ninja Van is a tech-enabled express logistics company providing hassle-free delivery solutions for businesses of all sizes across Southeast Asia with strong presence in six countries: Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Launched in the Philippines in 2016, Ninja Van Philippines now covers almost 100% of the Philippine population, and is among the fastest growing tech logistics companies in the country. Today, Ninja Van continues empowering businesses with fast deliveries, excellent service, and innovative logistics solutions.

For more information, visit www.ninjavan.co/en-ph.

 

Shop to your heart’s content with DJ Chacha at the first ever Ninja Van Philippines Live Online Bazaar!

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Beat the Christmas rush and find the best deals for your holiday gifts at Ninja Van Philippines’ Online Bazaar to be hosted on the Kumu app

MANILA, Philippines — Scoring the best bargain during the yuletide season is surely something that has been ingrained in the Philippines’ Christmas culture. Ninja Van Philippines, a tech-enabled express logistics company, together with Kumu, a Pinoy live streaming platform, launches a three-day live online bazaar where everyone in The Philippines can safely tick off their holiday gift-giving list from the comforts of their homes.

This special online bazaar organized by the two tech giants is set to happen from 1:00pm to 2:30pm on November 16, 18 and 20.

The online bazaar will be hosted by award-winning radio personality DJ Chacha and will be staged on Kumu, the Philippines’ largest live streaming app. Featuring homegrown brands such as Lana PH, BOP Leather Goods, Cyleina Organics, Nth Aesthetic, VxG Leather Co., with select sellers offering up to big discounts, shoppers are sure to find the perfect gifts to make the upcoming holiday season memorable.

This special event brought to you by Ninja Van Philippines and Kumu is definitely for everyone, for serial shopaholics and even those who get a thrill out of browsing through enticing deals during those quick mid-day work breaks.

“We’re excited to launch our very first online bazaar event,” said Sabina Lopez-Vergara, Chief Commercial Officer of Ninja Van Philippines. “It’s an opportunity to provide shoppers with a safe alternative to doing their Christmas shopping, while supporting our local businesses through elevating their businesses on a brand new platform.

Ninja Van Philippines’ online bazaar will be held on November 16, 18, and 20 from 1:00pm to 2:30pm. Excited to kick start your holiday shopping? 

Simply download the Kumu app, and follow Karlito’s Korner on Shop Kumu to join Ninja Van Philippines’ first ever online bazaar.