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A study conducted by Convey, Inc. found that out of 1,500 shoppers, 98% said that delivery impacts brand loyalty, and 84% stated they wouldn’t shop with a business again after one bad experience. A great delivery experience is vital to customers, but how do you offer it?
What’s the Difference Between Great and Average Delivery?
Any company that delivers products within the week or does the bare minimum to ship their products on time could be considered an “average” delivery company. For delivery service to be considered “great,” the company has to go above and beyond for the customer by offering:
On-Time Delivery
Whether you’re working with a same-day delivery courier or shipping products internationally, you need to keep your promises to the customer. Your customers are more than willing to wait for products if that’s the expectation you set, but they’ll feel lied to if you don’t come through.
Shipping delays make your customers lose trust in your employees/couriers, your brand, and your products. When this happens, your customers are less likely to buy from you again and more likely to leave a negative review online, which damages your reputation further.
Proactive Transparency
Your customers want to know when their products will be arriving, but you can’t suddenly leave them in the dark once your products leave the warehouse. Proactive transparency starts when the order is placed and finishes when the order is completed. Anything less isn’t acceptable.
Although transparency requires a lot of technology and upfront costs, your customers will appreciate that you care about their free time. If a package is urgent, they won’t want to wait around all day for it to arrive, but if they know the time of delivery, they can do other things.
Undamaged Product
Sometimes it’s out of your control whether or not your products reach their destination in one piece, but damaged products still reflect poorly on your brand. That’s why it’s vital to vet your couriers before partnering with them to make sure the product isn’t damaged during shipment.
Remember that damaged products will be returned, costing you in the short term. However, your reputation will also take a hit, which will hurt your profits in the long term. Investing in trusted employees, safe packaging, and quality trucks will save your business a lot of money.
How to Give Customers the Best Delivery Experience
We know what distinguishes outstanding delivery, but how can you provide on-time delivery, transparency, undamaged items, and a superior overall experience?
1. Deliver yourself or hire a reputable third-party courier
Self-delivery is the greatest approach to guarantee that your customers have a positive delivery experience. If you can’t afford to accomplish it right soon, use a dependable third-party courier. Larger carriers, such as UPS or FedEx, should be avoided since you have less control over the delivery process.
To compete, smaller businesses tend to provide a better customer experience, so look at local couriers like DropOff, who provide same-day delivery, HIPAA compliance, and more.
2. Provide same-day and contactless delivery options.
Same-day delivery and contactless delivery are significant revenue generators for your company. In fact, following the epidemic, 82 percent of consumers want contactless delivery to continue. Contactless delivery is also beneficial to your company since it eliminates waiting for a consumer to answer the door.
3. Use temperature-controlled trucks and pack smartly.
Thanks to careful handling, secure packing, and storage, your purchases will arrive in perfect condition. When packaging items, thoroughly fill the box or wrap your merchandise to avoid damage. Then, figure out how to secure the box, so it doesn’t move about the car.
Use temperature-controlled vehicles to transport perishable commodities, and aim to deliver these things only locally. These things must be delivered swiftly and securely since they are time-sensitive
4. Use software to optimize your route.
Route optimization software calculates delivery routes based on the number of things in your vehicle and the distance between addresses. Route optimization software may help you deliver your items faster, minimize driver stress, and provide flexibility if a present route is unreachable.
5. Monitor Packages and Receive Offer Updates
Proactive transparency is critical, but you won’t be able to give it without real-time order monitoring software. You may link this program to your customers’ email addresses and phone numbers to notify them when their orders have been dispatched and when they are about to arrive.
Because the consumer knows precisely when the goods are delivered, real-time order tracking software may help decrease theft. They may even utilize this program to postpone delivery if required.
6. Provide a delivery proof (POD)
A missing shipment is problematic for your client, but if you give evidence of delivery, you and your customer will know if the product is late, stolen, or delivered. Your clients will never have to worry about what happened to their things, no matter what occurs.
