We’ve all been there.
That all-important delivery was supposed to arrive between 6 a.m. and 12 noon.
You’ve rearranged plans and waited at home all morning for it to arrive.
Now it’s three in the afternoon, there’s been no sign of your delivery and you’ve been on hold with the delivery company’s customer services department for so long that you know you’ll wake up singing their hold music tomorrow morning.
And the morning after.
It’s incredibly frustrating.
Issues come up, traffic happens and occasional delays are inevitable.
But you know what’s not inevitable? Ghosting your customers when those issues come up.
While this is an extreme example, any delay or ambiguity in customer communications can lead to friction and irritation — not to mention the cost of missed deliveries and re-deliveries.
So, what can you do about it?
Keeping your customers informed about the status of their deliveries is essential.
This is not only good customer service, but it can also help to prevent delays and cancellations, build customer satisfaction and, ultimately, help build a positive brand identity.
Real-time email and text notifications are two of the most effective ways to keep your customers updated on their deliveries.
The Benefits of Email and Text Notifications for Deliveries
There are many benefits to using email and text notifications to keep customers informed about their deliveries.
Some of the most important benefits include:
Improve customer satisfaction
Customers love to know where their orders are and when they can expect them to arrive.
They are more likely to be satisfied with their deliveries if they’re armed with all the information they might need.
Email and text notifications can provide customers with real-time updates on the status of their orders, which can give them peace of mind and help them feel like they’re in control.
Increase sales
The end result of having satisfied customers, of course, is the potential for increased sales.
Customers who feel like they’re being treated well are more likely to become loyal customers. Email and text notifications can help you improve customer loyalty by showing your customers that you care about their experience.
When customers have a positive experience with your company, they’re also more likely to recommend you to their friends and family. Email and text notifications can help you boost your brand reputation by making sure your customers have a positive experience from start to finish.
Reduce costs
The easiest way to cut the costs associated with missed deliveries (from the wasted resources to the re-delivery) is to reduce the risk of them happening in the first place by proactively communicating with your customers throughout the order-to-delivery process.
As well as staying top-of-mind and reminding them of their expected delivery time, if you can identify potential issues early, and communicate those with customers, you can mitigate a lot of the frustration associated with delivery issues.
By keeping customers informed about the status of their deliveries, you can also reduce the number of customer support calls you receive. This can save you money in the long run.
It is so much easier to manage your delivery operation by exception, rather than have to keep tabs on every single event – and keep your customers informed manually.
How to Use Email and Text Notifications for Deliveries
There are a few things to keep in mind when using email and text notifications for deliveries:
Be clear and concise
Your notifications should be clear and concise so that customers can easily understand the status of their orders.
With Stream, you can customise the text of your notifications, so you can give your customers the exact information they need at every stage of the order to delivery process.
Be timely
To keep customers informed and reduce ambiguity, your notifications should be sent in real-time, as soon as the order status is updated.
Be personalised
In Stream, you can add personalisation to notifications by including things like the customer’s name and order number. This helps to make the notifications more relevant and engaging.
Use different channels
Not all customers prefer to receive all notifications. In Stream, you can offer your customers the option to choose their preferred notification channel. You can also send some notifications via email and others via SMS. All notifications come with a unique tracking link so customers can track their orders online.
The Importance of Choosing the Right Logistics Software Solution
Email and text notifications are essential tools for logistics managers to keep their customers informed about the status of their deliveries.
When choosing a logistics software solution, it is important to consider whether or not it offers email and text notifications for deliveries.
This is an essential feature that can help you to improve customer satisfaction and increase sales while reducing costs.
Discover Stream’s SMS and email notifications with a free trial.