Customers expect more than just track & trace
How are your customers informed about the status of their delivery? Just a track & trace is really no longer enough today. Consumers experience the pressure at carriers firsthand and no longer rely on the promised delivery date. The time is right to make new agreements with senders about the communication to your customers. There are many possibilities and it will bring you a lot.
Ordered today, delivered tomorrow: what was completely self-evident a year ago, is certainly not the case in COVID times. This promise is often not fulfilled due to busy parcel services. A delivery date is no longer something consumers simply rely on. And so many of them call your customer service to ask for text and explanation about the delivery.
Double min
Every minute your service reps spend on questions about packages is one too many. For example, because they could also have advised a new customer on the right product choice at the same time. Those new customers now have to wait unnecessarily long for their turn. Far from ideal. Moreover, such a question about the status of a delivery is a signal of dissatisfaction among your current customers. Apparently they feel insufficiently informed, so that they reach for the telephone with some anxiety or even completely indignant. Feelings with which you as a web store do not want to be associated at all.
Spoiled
We ended up in this situation because Dutch consumers and entrepreneurs have been spoiled for years with lightning-fast and reliable parcel service at home. This excellent delivery gave web shops a pleasant boost. Shippers often also provided track & trace, more as a service, because the package was often already delivered before customers viewed it. There were other options for informing customers about the journey their package is taking - such as when the order has been passed to the warehouse or when the shipment has been packed - but these quickly became too much. After all, you don't want to bother customers unnecessarily with e-mails or texts. For many online stores this is still the status quo today.
Need for information
Now that the excellent service of parcel deliverers is somewhat faltering, the customer's information needs are changing. More time passes between order and home delivery, and sentiment has changed. The time is right to inform recipients more frequently, in fact, they will experience that as a service. This is precisely how you demonstrate that your brand is up to date, understands the wishes of customers and offers a high level of service. Words that you would like to be associated with.
Simply arranged
How do you do that? Well, not with your carrier. In the event of a delay, a carrier will not draw your recipient's attention to this. All updates of the shipment can be found via the track & trace. The recipient will only be notified again when the package is still on its way. That could take hours or days, who knows? Meanwhile, the recipient is in the dark and does not feel well informed.
Partners
For better service and more intensive communication, you need to find a new partner who keeps an eye on every shipment for you. We do that at Wuunder. As soon as a shipment is delayed even slightly, we proactively initiate communication with the customer. You can agree on multiple escalation levels if a shipment is delayed by one, two, three or even several days. You can personalize the communication to your recipients, for example e-mails in your own house style. In some situations, personal contact may be desirable. Together with you we devise all scenarios and we make clear agreements.
Count out your winnings
What else does this exercise yield?
- Your customers experience good service. And should they still have a question about the status of a package, they will not bother you or your carrier.
- Chances are that your customers will leave positive reviews about the good service. Where in the old situation there was a good chance that they spoke negatively.
- You save time. That you can spend on more important matters and improvements to your webshop.
- Your customer service can do what you got them for: advise potential customers. That gives energy!
Do you want to know how Wuunder can help you better inform your customers? Then contact us! Our experts will help you.
