When understanding the general public sentiment related to your company, almost nothing compares to your average customer’s experience from discovery to purchase to support. There will be specific factors that may lead to churn, such as a negative experience when calling customer support or receiving a product that just doesn’t meet expectations.
However, many problems can be solved with proper automated messaging built right into the fulfillment process. Keeping customers informed and updated on their order status will help them build trust in your operations, so they keep coming back again and again instead of seeking out competition. Keep reading to learn about the key factors that can help keep your company in the black all year.
Is your Warehouse Management System (WMS) up to date? Make sure that if a customer is browsing your site and expects something by a certain date, you can deliver– literally. When selling online, there’s the option of selling out or simply moving back the publicly facing ship-by date. Decide which will create a better experience for your customer, and be ready to fulfill your promise if you go with the latter.
Especially during peak seasons, no one wants to be let down when their package is late to arrive. To avoid this, consider first what might be causing the discrepancy. If it’s a lack of inventory, consider creating visibility into your inventory on your website. A simple statement like “Just A Few Left” next to the “Add To Cart” button could be just what you need. If you’re having to push ship-by dates because your community is purchasing your product faster than you can ship them, first of all– congratulations. Second of all– consider implementing on-demand labor to keep up with the demand.
Nothing is more frustrating than an incorrect tracking number. What’s even worse is getting a tracking number when the order hasn’t even been picked and packed yet. If your customer journey allows customers to receive tracking information as soon as they’ve checked out, consider if this is consistent with when their order will be shipped. The last thing any business owner wants to have to handle is an influx of phone calls complaining about something with such an easy fix.
When your team is processing returns, there’s a chance that a used or damaged product can be sorted into the wrong bin. While this can be a simple error now and then, if it continues to be a looming customer service inquiry, there might be a larger problem at hand. Is your warehouse team being spread too thin between tasks, resulting in simple errors? Do you have a dedicated squad for processing returns, or does this responsibility also fall on your pickers and packers?
Streamlining processes around returns, quality assurance, and shipping can be the key to minimizing problems before they happen. You just need to make sure you have the right people in the right places first. If your team is being stretched too thin, consider filling out your on-demand labor pool with operators who are familiar with your space and can be there whenever the need arises.
While you’re making sure your WMS is communicating with your website, make sure it’s also communicating with your customer support team’s software. How many customers do you know that want to sit through long hold times on the phone or tweet a company 10 times before they’re noticed? Optimize your processes by having chatbots available to help on social media, and automated menu options by phone. Then, anything logistics-related can be handled immediately, and customers who need further help can reach your support staff even faster since they won’t be bogged down by operations issues.
Whether it’s in your warehouse, online, or on the phone, the same can be said– simplify your customer experience to keep them coming back for years to come.
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 make your customer experience one to remember.
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