Now that the holiday season has passed, many people are taking it upon themselves to get what they really wanted to be gifted this year. Along with year-end indulgence comes year-end returns, with many customers acting now before they forget. Hitting “order” and checking your tracking number every day may come with some anticipation, but how would you feel if you knew your item was safely wrapped under someone else’s Christmas tree before it ever made it to your door?
Logistics pros know the ROI of a great customer experience. If it means customers become repeat buyers, they’ll do what it takes to guarantee that your last-minute buys will arrive right on time. Here’s how:
Having specific operating procedures and workers in place to handle your reverse logistics can ensure your operations continue to flow as seamlessly as possible. Without one, returns will come in and most likely stay piled up in a corner of your warehouse. Not only will this take up valuable space, but will also keep your business from recuperating dollars lost.
The last thing any customer wants is to open a brand new box with a product that has obviously been used before. When a returned product makes its way back to your warehouse, someone on your team needs to be dedicated to thoroughly inspecting the product’s quality and usability. This will include checking for packaging defects, obvious signs of use, wear and tear, and general damage.
Have specific places on your floor dedicated to holding specific categories of returns. This can be anywhere from “needs a new box” to “needs to be recycled”. Your customer can help you with this ahead of time by selecting a reason for return when they begin the return process.
Even though there are places for returns to sit on your shop floor, this shouldn’t be a final destination. Keep these items in circulation. Ship them back to the manufacturer for repairs, to an appropriate recycling facility, or just onto the next customer.
During your busiest seasons, higher return volumes are imminent. Don’t count on your current FTEs to be able to handle peak orders and peak returns all at once. If you’ve used on-demand labor in the past, now is a good time to tap into your labor pool. If you haven’t, use skilled on-demand workers to handle your returns. Properly arming your crew with extra hands will allow your team to move ahead without leaving new orders behind.
Need extra hands on deck? Tap into your on-demand labor pool with Veryable’s help. Sign in to the platform today to post a new op and get a handle on your returns.
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