It seems like there is an app for everything these days. However, there is one app that is taking the world by storm, making our day-to-day lives safer and easier — what3words. 

what3words is a geocoding app that makes it easy to talk about location. It has divided the world up into 3 metre squares and given each square a unique combination of 3 random words: a what3words address. For example, the what3words address ///later.foam.valley will take you to the bottom of the iconic Big Ben in London.  

As it allows users to simply identify and communicate their exact location, what3words is already being used in a variety of sectors. Here’s how it can be useful for your business too.

Deliveries 

Delivery companies like Hermes use what3words to deliver products to the exact 3 metre location that has been specifically requested by the user, making for more efficient deliveries and an improved customer experience. It’s perfect for contact free deliveries, or specifying the best entrance to drop off a parcel. Having a barbeque in the summer but forgot condiments on your trip to the supermarket? Delivery partners such as Weezy are already using the technology to deliver groceries exactly where they are needed.

Navigation Services

Big name car manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Tata Motors have already partnered with what3words so drivers can navigate directly to a what3words address by entering the address into their car via text or voice. It’s the easiest way to get to a precise location without getting lost.

Emergency Services

what3words continues to be an extremely useful tool for emergency services, providing an easy way for callers to describe the exact location when help is needed. It is used by 85% of emergency service teams in the UK, as well as globally in countries such as the USA, Canada, Germany, South Africa and Australia. It helps fire departments, ambulance teams and police officers every day to save precious time when it matters most. Emergency services use what3words via the free app, the online map at what3words.com or by integrating the technology into their computer aided dispatch (CAD) systems. 

The app also works offline with GPS signals, making it perfect for use in remote areas such as woodlands or beaches where callers can struggle to describe where they are.

eCommerce and Address Capture

Did you know that what3words can help you improve your web conversion rates?

Many businesses are now already turning to what3words to help improve their checkout experience. By enabling a what3words plug-in on their site, site owners will be able to vastly improve their customer user journey. Customers will be able to enter a what3words address at checkout then select their street address from an autosuggest list. This makes the checkout journey as simple as possible and decreases the chance of late or failed deliveries due to incorrect address entry, leading to a better customer experience and a more efficient delivery process.

Looking towards the future

Automated vehicles are quickly finding a way into our everyday lives. Some regions are already receiving their deliveries by drone or even small robotic cars. Some taxi firms are also utilising automated vehicles using Aurora’s self-driving AI. 

what3words can play a key role here by allowing a passenger to request an exact drop-off point to an automated taxi or courier. In other words, instead of having to name a building number or street name, the user may simply share the what3words address of where they need to be. 

This advancement in science may seem like something from a Philip K. Dick novel or a movie about a time travelling DeLorean, but it is happening right now and the technology is only getting smarter with every passing day.

Where can you get hold of what3words?

Wondering how you can utilise what3words on your website, CRM and webforms? Trialling what3words has never been easier to implement on your website through Data8 PredictiveAddress™. Through our address validation tool, you can trial and implement what3words’ services with the click of a button! 

Simply start a free trial of our address validation services to get started.