We all know the formula: great customer experience = happy customers = repeat service + recommendations. However, what are the little things that help to please your customers?
Excellent customer service during the ordering process is crucial – Business Insider says that 60% of consumers will abandon a cart due directly to poor customer service, and that pre-sale customer service elements like live chat have the power to triple order size. But, with returning and repeat customers generating an average of three times as much revenue as first time buyers and delivery one of the most important elements to consider in improving customer retention not to mention the increased importance we place on personal recommendation in the buying decision, it is becoming more and more essential to get that literal last-mile of the order-to-delivery process right.
So, how can your delivery management system help you to give your customers a great experience, make them happy and ultimately bring repeat orders and powerful personal recommendations? Read on:
How to improve customer service with your delivery management system:
Offer customers more options
Research from MetaPack, reported here, found that around two-thirds of adults have switched to a different retailer in order to get a more convenient delivery option and almost 50% are willing to pay more for a more convenient option. STREAM offers 2-hour delivery windows, for customers to accept or request an alternative via the Customer Gateway, giving customers control over their delivery time.
Faster delivery
Now, more than ever, customers value next-day delivery, and, for the first time, next-day delivery overtook economy options for UK online shoppers in 2016. STREAM lets you prioritise deliveries so that customers opting for next-day are scheduled first, then other deliveries on-route are added to the run. Load planning, map-based route optimisation and electronic proof-of-delivery speed up the entire delivery process too, so drivers can deliver more orders in less time.
Keeping the delivery promise
Even more essential than next-day delivery, though, is accurate delivery, according to MetaPack. With STREAM’s in-flight driver tracking, estimated delivery times are constantly refined and narrowed in real-time on the day of delivery. The likelihood of delays is vastly reduced, thanks to the optimised routes offered in STREAM, and where they do occur, customers are notified in plenty of time.
Proactive updates
Not only are customers kept constantly informed throughout the delivery process, they are informed in the way most convenient for them: proactive email and SMS updates mean that customers always know the status of their delivery, even when they’re out and about. According to an article published on CIO.com, email and SMS notifications are one of the most important elements for ecommerce businesses to improve their customer service.
Quickly resolve complaints and disputes
A well-managed complaint is actually better for retailers than a completely smooth, hiccup-free transaction: according to this customer service report from Help Scout, “Resolve a complaint in the customer’s favor and they will do business with you again 70% of the time”. With STREAM, all information is updated in real-time, empowering customer service staff to find information, like the location of a late driver, the signed and photographed proof of delivery, or previous interactions with that particular customer, to quickly resolve disputes and complaints as soon as they happen.
