Twenty years ago, the founders of Smart Express saw gaps in the logistics industry that needed more focus on customer experience with can-do services. Now, as the company marks two decades in business, it’s proof that the results can be spectacular when like- minded people with a shared vision come together.

It all began with a simple delivery, some wine to No.1 Queen Street, recalls Smart Express director Susan Spelman as she and co-director Devan Devaroyan share the company’s journey.

“I was with DHL on the Global Forwarding side, and I recognised the importance of good communication, faster flexible deliveries, and a reliable service. Devan worked with my husband, Tony, at Roadstar Transport for about seven years. We were chatting one day about a possible company that was solutions-focused and operated in the fragile and time-definite space. From that the idea of Smart Express was born.”

Having come from a career at NZ Post/Courier Post, Devan also understood this need. So, with a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and an office in a room at Devan’s home, the business and vision was made a reality.

“From day one, we concentrated on quality of service, good communication, on-time delivery and damage-free. It was about making our customer’s lives easier and giving a damn,” Susan says.

“Transport models are often based on high volume and a commodity focus – a box is a box. But the way you create value is through relationships, and real value comes from understanding the customer’s needs and providing a service they can trust,” Devan says.

By focusing on the details and prioritising relationships over volume, Smart Express quickly found its space and rhythm. Within five years, the company expanded to four high-top Sprinters and one truck. Today, it operates with 26 owner-driver vehicles, including 50m3 box body furniture trucks, alongside a fleet of company vehicles.

The company has also expanded, with branches in Hamilton, Tauranga and Wellington, while working with smaller quality-focused operators in the rest of the country who align with its core values.

“We provide the infrastructure, systems and management tools; they add value in the last-mile delivery,” Devan says. “It’s all evolved over the two decades.” Now with 32 employed staff and approximately 100 people representing the company, it now operates in five business sectors – residential and retirement moves, office relocations, commercial and warehousing. Today, Smart Express operates a 1500m2 devanning facility in Auckland and has storage facilities across its main centers.

The company’s commercial services are vast, from fragile artwork and kitchen and shop installations to event moves, controlled drugs, and even the transportation of bull semen to the South Island and fertilised chicken eggs from airport to hatchery.

“We initially focused on commercial transport, but as demand grew, customers began asking us to help with their house moves, then their parents’ and even their children’s. We saw a real need for a quality, compassionate service in the retirement sector,” says Susan. “We now offer everything from downsizing and decluttering to full unpacking, setup, and even exit cleaning. It’s truly rewarding to know we’re making a difference in people’s lives.

“We quickly realised how important it was to offer the best service with that, and we’ve grown our business on our vision: ‘To be the most trusted and respected moving and delivery company in New Zealand by delivering an exceptional service that exceeds all expectations’,” she adds.

If the company’s recent track record is anything to go by, that’s not an unreasonable claim. Smart Express was recognised at the 2019 Westpac Business Awards. In 2020, it won Best of The Best for Excellence in Customer Service Delivery, and in 2024, the team took home People’s Choice in the 2degrees Central Business Awards.

It’s received 2000 Google reviews at 4.8 stars, and has held the No.1 spot in Trade Me’s services category with 100% feedback with over 1700 reviews – the first business to do so.

“To be a smaller logistics company winning awards and being benchmarked with much larger companies has been amazing for us,” Susan says. “And Trade Me invited us down to Wellington when we surpassed 1000 service reviews to find out how we’ve managed to achieve that, especially when 50% of our business is from the general public, each with unique needs and personalities.”

Devan adds, “If you do the job right, you earn the four Rs: reputation, repeat business, referrals and reviews. It’s our commitment to quality service that keeps customers coming back.”

Responding to market needs is part of the company’s success, explains general manager Hayley Heyes. “Most Saturday mornings, we’ll get calls from people who have been let down by their carrier. So, we now have customer service, sales and dispatch extended to Saturdays, and one of the managers overseeing the operations over the whole weekend.”

Hayley joined the team four years ago, bringing experience from Toll, PBT and Emmerson Transport. Most of the key management team comes from the transport sector.

Operations manager Kyle Ahmu was a driver for a company Smart Express acquired six years ago. He joined the team and journeyed through sales and customer service then management before his current role.

“Because he was an owner-driver, he gets it. He has a fair way of dealing with drivers and communicating from their side with us,” Hayley says.

Training manager David Baird owned that same company, and marketing manager Mark De Hoog worked for Mainfreight2Home and OnSend. And, as a feather in its cap, Smart Express employee No.1, Nick Sawers, is still with the company as a business development manager.

New team members are trained across different parts of the business, ensuring they find their ‘place’. There are multiple stories of staff – even those from owner-driver teams – finding new roles within the company and being retained. In recent years, the company has made great investments in health and safety as well as transport management, launching an all-new, bespoke TMS platform in May.

Smart Express has been a member of NRC since its earliest days and recognises the strength of association and support.

“The advice we get from NRC is great. We know we can ring them, and it’s good to be able to share their updates and benefits with our owner-drivers. As sole traders, they rely on us to keep them updated and supported,” says Hayley.

Adds Susan: “Without our owner-drivers, we wouldn’t have a business; it’s important we look after them. There’s no ‘them and us’. We are all one team.”

In celebrating two decades in business this year, Smart Express has returned to its original purpose statement, ‘When service really counts…’.

“We always say, ‘Make every job count because behind it is a person’,” says Devan. “Whether it’s a commercial customer calling us every day or a private customer calling once a year or decade, that level of service focus will not change.”