In today’s competitive Ecommerce world, small businesses in particular can sometimes feel tempted to cut corners when it comes to fulfilment. One of the key ways many company leaders try to do this is on delivery, and especially choosing carriers who offer services that aren’t trackable.
This is a mistake though and here’s why:
Customers who order online expect to be able to have a fully online service and get frustrated when they don’t receive it. After all, if you’ve browsed for the product you want via a website, chosen it online and then paid for it online – why should you then have to sit around wondering when your item will arrive?
While a few customers might be happy to accept second-guessing when their delivery will arrive, the vast majority are unhappy with that solution. This unhappiness will be compounded if the customer has actually forked out more money for faster delivery by choosing services such as Next Day.
If you’ve ever taken a morning off work to wait for a parcel that doesn’t arrive or been given an estimated delivery time, only for the parcel to be missing in action, you’ll appreciate how important it is for the internet-savvy customers of today to be able to track their package online.
Offering delivery options to your customers that allow them to track their package online is a core way to offer excellent customer service – and the great news is it doesn’t have to cost the earth.
Many couriers now offer tracked options as standard, whether the customer has paid to have the item delivered more quickly or not. These tracking systems can provide a range of details from delivery day, all the way through to detailed information about what stage the package is in the fulfilment process.
Customers can check if their parcel has left the depot, is in transit, and for some couriers are even sent a text message giving them a delivery slot. This can be invaluable to help give you the edge over competitors – after all, it’s much easier to be home to take a delivery during a one hour delivery slot than ‘anytime up till 8pm.’
Offering a trackable delivery service will offer extra value and improve customer loyalty by creating a more streamlined, modern service that customers feel they can trust. This is vital to gaining those all-important repeat customers who keep coming back to your business for the excellent service they receive. It can also cut down on the time you spend on dealing with queries, complaints and customer service because your customers can use their reference number to track their parcel for themselves.
At Meteor Space we’ve spent years building great relationships with partner couriers, so we know who offers the best service – at the best price. We can give you advice on the most cost-effective tracked options, and our IT solutions mean you can also fully integrate your website with ordering and delivery so you can keep tabs on the status of all your orders.
Get in touch with our friendly team today to find out more about how we can help you offer this vital part of your core service needs.