Thanks to the internet, your customers can choose to shop wherever they want, wherever they want. If you keep disappointing your customers, there’s a good chance they’ll shop somewhere else. For this reason, It’s essential that your business starts improving its delivery experience.
5 Ways to Improve Your Customer's Delivery Experience
Companies spend millions of dollars to maximize their customer's delivery experience, but you don't have to pay a fortune to do the same. Here are five ways to increase satisfaction rates.
1. Hire and Train Your Delivery Drivers
Unless you partner with a local, minor, or trusted courier service, the possibility of late deliveries is higher than if you trained your staff. That's because you'll have complete control over the delivery process, from customer service to handling the packages safely.
If a third-party courier throws your package in the back of the truck and it gets crushed, you'll receive a poor review, even if you had nothing to do with it. If you want your couriers to reflect a positive image of your business, hire a group of experienced professionals and train them well.
2. Keep Your Customers Informed With Technology
What's more important than ensuring your customers' deliveries are always on time? Notifying your customers when a package is about to arrive! With web applications like Circuit, you can send automatic SMS or email delivery updates and ETAs directly to your customer's devices.
Your customers are fond of watching their deliveries with a package tracking app because it helps them anticipate the courier's arrival. If your ETAs are precise and your couriers follow instructions, your customers won't have to revolve their day around waiting for a package.
3. Plan Well-Optimize Routes With Software
Startups typically plan their routes manually because they think it saves money, but this is a common misconception. Your route may be optimized at the start of the day, but it can't account for roadblocks, weather conditions, and traffic, so it'll eventually fall apart as the day goes on.
With route optimization software, all your driver has to do is input a list of addresses and follow the designated route. If anything changes, the software will recalculate the way in real-time. With this software, you can deliver more packages to more people in less time.
4. Keep a Close Eye on Vehicle Maintenance
Your vehicles help get your packages from point A to point B, so your drivers must take good care of their trucks. Whether the driver is using their trucks or borrowing them as a company employee, all drivers must always keep their trucks clean.
Drivers also need to follow the rules of the road and drive safely. If customers see aggressive driving maneuvers, they may worry about the condition of their package. Once again, you can use tech to track whether your drivers are speeding because they're making late deliveries.
5. Request Feedback From Your Customers
Your customers can help you understand what's missing from your delivery service and what aspect of said service you can improve. Putting a driver rating feature at the end of each delivery confirmation email or text will give your customers the space to voice their opinion.
We recommend using a star-rating system and prescriptive questions like “what did you like or dislike about the service?” to help your customers leave informative critiques. Don't ignore negative ratings, as they can offer critical insight into improving your customer experience.
Conclusion
If you want to keep up in the world of eCommerce and compete with other retailers, you need to ensure your customer's delivery experience is top-notch.
You can do this by paying attention to your customers' words and making improvements. For example, Amazon has been experimenting with drone delivery for some time now and has even released a video about what it would look like for customers. Additionally, if you see less traffic on your website, see if there have been any changes in how people shop online.
