In today’s world, it is becoming increasingly common for businesses to approach their operations from a consumer perspective. This trend remains true for delivery operations. Final mile delivery, also called last mile delivery, is the final link in the shipping process before the customer receives the item. Two of the most important aspects of sustaining good customer service are improving communication and shortening shipping times. No matter the scale of your business, these two dynamics are a must to be able to compete with the major delivery players.
Improving Customer Service
Businesses must consider their final mile delivery process when working to improve customer satisfaction, for this is often the step with the most hands-on customer interaction. For many businesses, improvement starts with approaching the final mile delivery from a consumer perspective. They must consider which aspects of the customer experience are most vital and which areas commonly lead to customer frustration. Many customers find value with order tracking features. This allows the customer to independently follow the transportation of their order throughout the fulfillment process. Without tracking, customers may become frustrated with their time-sensitive orders. Lacking the necessary tracking software also hurts the business directly because employees will spend more time answering simple customer questions regarding the status of their delivery.
Messaging
Customers also can benefit from getting ETA alerts regarding the status of their orders. This often comes in the form of email updates or SMS messaging. It is beneficial to include contact information within the ETA alert so customer service issues can easily be addressed in a timely manner.
Businesses will send out notifications to their customers when the product is out for delivery. Some of your products may require the customer to be present to receive the order, so being notified in advance is beneficial for both the business and the customer. If the customer is not present to receive the order, it lags down your shipping process and can decrease customer satisfaction. To remind the customer, an email or SMS message can be sent to the customer’s phone in advance of the delivery time, allowing them time to plan accordingly. By implementing these notifications to the existing final mile delivery tracking software, businesses will decrease the number of calls to the customer service department and improve their customer performance ratings.
Faster/Cheaper shipping
Having late or slow orders will not only lower overall customer satisfaction but will push customers to choose other companies in the future. The challenge that businesses often face is that they need to balance between shortening the shipping time and lowering the shipping costs. The right balance depends on the market availability and the customer demand for each specific product. Speaking broadly, the best option for businesses is to explore investments in lowering shipping times without passing those costs onto the customer.
One way to speed up final mile delivery is through zone skipping. Zone skipping is essentially batching together orders that are going to similar regions, or zones. Even though this may add an extra layer to the delivery process, it can decrease overall shipping time and costs.
By implementing better communication and faster shipping, your business should see an improvement in overall customer satisfaction regardless of the industry you are in. Elite EXTRA offers customizable software that you use to help improve your customer experience and final mile deliveries. Consider partnering with us to help your business to achieve the growth you are looking for.
