Why delivery experience is key in the age of social media

Over recent years the importance of investing in the online experience has become an increasingly high priority with retailers and service providers alike investing in mobile friendly websites, personalised content and social media campaigns. However, all that investment is in vain if the final step of the customer journey, the delivery experience, does not leave the customer happy and satisfied with your brand’s offering.

If things go wrong, it is all too easy for customers to take to social media in a moment of frustration. With many brands successfully growing large social media followings, negative reviews can quickly attract a lot of attention and effect long term brand confidence even if the issue was resolved quickly by your operational teams.

One way to reduce the risk of negative brand interactions on social media and even encourage positive reviews is to end the customer journey with a positive and satisfying delivery experience. With 68% of UK shoppers believing that a good delivery experience would encourage them to shop again with a given retailer*, focusing on providing an outstanding delivery offering can differentiate your brand and keep customers coming back for more.

So, what can you do to improve your delivery experience?

Attention to detail can enhance your delivery experience. Removing packaging, encouraging drivers to be friendly and going the extra mile to protect your customer’s home when delivering large items or making deliveries in bad weather with wet outdoor clothing can all help. Here are a couple of things that we know customers look for in a great delivery experience:

Clear communication: Keeping your customer informed of their delivery time slot increases customer confidence and can improve first time success rates. 76% of respondents to IMRG’s Home Delivery Report* believe an ‘in transit’ SMS or email to advise when delivery can be expected would make deliveries more convenient.

On-site experience: Using the correct technology allows you to offer a paperless service, but also provide your drivers with all of the delivery data and any special instructions necessary to personalise the delivery experience and even capture customer feedback whilst on-site. Making sure that the final encounter of the customer journey is consistent, personal and efficient will instil confidence in your customer and leave them feeling positive about your brand.

The rise of social media has allowed consumers to interact directly with the brands they use, generating the potential for positive brand conversations with a large or even global audience. The downside is the risk of immediate and very visible negative feedback if things go wrong. Building a positive delivery experience for every customer is essential.

Using a proof of delivery solution like fleXipod allows you to improve on-site customer service by driving consistent procedures, enhance real-time job data visibility so central teams can proactively manage daily operations and support clear communication using automated customer notifications.

For more information about how the fleXipod proof of delivery software can improve your delivery experience contact one of our team today.

*IMRG UK Consumer Home Delivery Report 2016