Unlocking Customer Experiences in Logistics

Flawless and Flexible — two words that we believe will define customer expectations in the decade to come.

According to a survey conducted by Walker, 86% of buyers will pay more for a better customer experience and it will overtake price and product as the a brand differentiator.

Customer Experience — The Final Frontier

As companies across industries look to move up the value chain, a crucial question keeps popping up — “what makes customer experience so important?”

The answer has to do with the deluge of global products that today’s buyer is exposed to. Consumers no longer buy a product or service — they buy an experience even if they don’t recognise it as such.

Today’s customer wants to do business with companies that know him intimately and have a clear understanding of his preferences. He wishes to associate with services that provide a consistent, informed and superior experience successfully capture his imagination.

Customers are starting to look beyond numbers and no longer base their loyalty on price or product.

Using Customer Experience To Your Advantage

Less than a decade ago, receiving a delivery package within a few days of ordering was unthinkable. It is now the new normal. The entrance of e-commerce giants such as Amazon have changed the rules of the game in terms of customer experience. It has changed the way that customers think about choice, convenience, and price.

A few ways that global leaders approach superior logistics experiences are –

1. Visibility and real time tracking
2. Constant proactive communication
3. Consistent Data driven decision making

Amazon, Flipkart, Uber and other technology leaders have succeeded in creating real barriers to entry by crafting beautiful customer experiences. This has translated to the entire industry.

Whether it is the rescheduling of a delivery, access to real time visibility, same-day delivery, or a seamless return process, logistics companies now have a fundamentally higher standard to meet. The impatient customer expects fast service, and hence, the company that proactively caters to his requirements asap has a clear competitive advantage.

Last mile is what the customer remembers

How an organisation delivers must be as important as what is delivered. An efficient execution of the initial stages doesn’t necessarily ensure a smooth flow of the overall process, as a bad delivery experience can truly create a negative perception in the eyes of a customer.

Some instances of a negative last mile experience include-

1. Cases of false deliveries where a consignment is marked as delivered but hasn’t actually reached the customer.
2. The attempt of a delivery when the receiver isn’t present and no communication of it afterwards.

Delivery inefficiencies such as fake updates, false delivery acknowledgements, multiple delivery attempts due to a lack of communication will not only put off a customer but also create unnecessary costs.

Last mile logistic processes also must adopt a Voice of Customer strategy that leverages feedback through collection and analysis of responses. Furthermore, these insights can enable shippers and companies to understand their audience which leads to better performance, updated strategies, and better service.

Ensuring a positive post delivery experience

A customer’s journey is not over once his consignment has been delivered successfully. With limited opportunities for costumers to interact with companies afterwards, it is crucial for brands to look for innovative ways to improve the post delivery experience in order to maintain customer loyalty.

Focusing on the last mile does not indicate that other stages and points of contact should be completely ignored, as the last mile also depends on the effectiveness of the processes that precede it. A robust one-stop, all mile solution capable of tracking, monitoring, analysing and forecasting various elements of the supply chain is essential for optimising end — end processes.