By Phil Audley, VP of Customer Solutions at Quantanite.
It’s only natural for most logistics companies to focus on the logistics. That’s your core competence and where you need to excel but delivering a great customer experience (CX) is also important for any business. Enhancing CX for logistics brands helps to keep customers using your services and can even attract new customers. Competition is fierce so it pays to stand out.
There are various steps to building a solid CX improvement strategy, but I’ve noted a few of the key ones here.
Transparency and Real-Time Tracking. Provide customers with real-time tracking information for their shipments. Utilise advanced tracking technologies and communication channels to keep customers informed about the status, location, and estimated delivery time of their goods. But make it simple and clear – a one-click option from the customer’s phone to track their package in real-time is ideal.
Responsive Customer Support. Offer responsive and accessible customer support channels. Provide multiple options such as phone, email, and live chat to address customer inquiries, concerns, or issues promptly. Train customer support representatives to handle logistics-specific queries effectively. Determine the most frequent questions and create a chatbot or self-service option to handle these issues so help for the most common problems is instantly available 24/7.
Customisation and Personalisation. Tailor logistics solutions to meet individual customer needs. Offer flexible delivery options, such as expedited shipping or specific time slots, to accommodate diverse customer preferences. Leverage customer data to provide personalised recommendations and services. Know your customer and remember their preferences.
Flexible Collaboration and Partnerships. Collaborate with reliable and reputable partners in the logistics ecosystem to leverage their expertise and enhance service quality. This could include partnering with last-mile delivery providers or integrating with e-commerce platforms for a smoother customer experience. This can also extend to partnerships with convenience stores or locker providers to ensure that packages can be received safely when customers are not at home.
Proactive Communication. Keep customers informed proactively about any potential disruptions or delays. Send proactive notifications, such as weather alerts or shipment updates, to manage expectations and enable customers to plan accordingly. Promptly communicate any issues and provide alternative solutions. Communication apps such as WhatsApp are popular and have an open API that allows businesses to send messages easily.
Continuous Improvement and Feedback. Regularly collect customer feedback to identify areas for improvement. Conduct surveys, monitor social media channels, and analyse customer reviews to gain insights into pain points and areas of customer dissatisfaction. Actively address feedback and make necessary improvements. This can also become a two-way dialogue where exchanges develop on social media – demonstrating literally that the brand is listening and adopting ideas.
Proactive Problem Resolution. Anticipate potential problems and resolve them proactively. Monitor key performance indicators and implement proactive measures to prevent issues such as delays, damaged goods, or lost shipments. Develop contingency plans and efficient escalation processes to handle unforeseen circumstances. This can largely be automated – send messages when you know that problems are developing and keep the customer informed before they have a need to chase you. A lot of customer calls for help can be avoided this way.
It is possible to run many of these improvement plans in parallel so you could start with a single one or jump in with a complete overhaul of your customer experience strategy. I cannot stress how important this is for logistics brands though. It builds trust, a good reputation, and allows you to differentiate yourself in a very competitive market.
