5 Must Have Strategies to Improve Customer Satisfaction for Shippers

“Customer Service shouldn’t just be a department,
it should be the entire company”

The above mentioned quote by Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh holds true for every business & industry. Irrespective of domain, the end-goal of every business is to improve experience for its clients & customers. In any organization from product to sales, every individual works to refine the user experience to boost upselling. Like any other industry, customer experience is of great importance in the logistics and supply chain industry. In Fact every aspect of the shipping process is planned in a way that correlates with customer satisfaction. A minor dissatisfaction in customers will turn up most of your prospective customers. 

Importance of customer experience in logistics

Customer experience is an essential aspect of logistics & supply chain business. In a typical b2b market customer attrition rate highly impacts the annual revenue and turnover of an organization. Customer attrition also known as customer turnover or defection is nothing but a failure to address customer’s growing needs & expectations. But in the logistics industry most of the businesses do not pay attention to make note of existing customer experience & engagement and the customer simply shifts his partner elsewhere. 

A minor disruption in a shipper’s business processes can turnover the customer. Even the way the carrier’s space is utilized. But what’s more important is to understand customer issues before the escalation or turnover stage. 

How to enhance customer experience 

Customer service is not just a support to a customer but a complete base on which businesses stand. Do you know, 84% of companies working on customer-centric models report an increase in revenue. Not only does customer satisfaction bring new prospective customers but also works to spread a word about a company’s goodwill. Two-thirds of marketers plan marketing campaigns mostly on the basis of customer service. 

With so much focus on customer service, here are top 5 strategies to ace as a shipper; 

Focus on Retention

Customer acquisition is an ultimate goal for shippers but the most back-breaking task is to retain your existing customers because a minor dissatisfaction can impact your overall revenue. In a typical b2b setup like shipping, an increase in customer retention of 5% can increase your revenue by 25-95%. With this in mind, let’s figure out what shippers can do to improve their customer retention rate; 

• Keep your customers informed – One of the best ways for shippers to improve customer experience & retention is to communicate till the last mile delivery. Keep your customers informed about every stage of their shipments. For end-to-end shipment tracking and keeping customers informed is by automating your operations. From tracking to route planning, Fretron’s solution can help you improve your shipments and in keeping your customers happy. 

Be Transparent 

B2B companies can’t sustain in the market without building their own trust & credibility. To succeed as a shipping manager, it’s crucial to be transparent with your customers. By involving customers in the operations makes you stand out from the crowd. Be open to customers about everything, whether your organization got into some trouble while processing the load or in reaching the final destination. Let’s understand how shippers can add vulnerability in their working style; 

• Add your oomph factor – No one can deny this fact that customers do not buy from a specific company but from people. As a shipping manager, it’s essential for you to add your personal touch in your every order and customer. Take out time to connect with your customers and recognize their dilemmas. Seek out their feedback and understand how your company is able to solve their problems or is there anything that needs your attention. Break the wall of formality and connect with your customers. Before prioritizing your strategies, prioritize your customers! With Fretron’s high tech solutions you can manage your vendors and customers effortlessly. 

Use Data to Enhance the customer experience

The success of B2B companies relies completely on data. In Fact the acquisition of new customers are also dependent on targeting the right data set. In this era of technology, it is way too easy to access your organization’s internal data metrics. Post 2020 pandemic, logistics & supply chain businesses are more open to automation & digitisation of logistics operations. In fact, 57% of supply chain professionals have fully integrated cloud computing & storage technologies into their company operations.  

With adoption of SaaS technologies, shippers can easily evaluate “shipping data”  to enhance the customers’ experience. Before understanding how shippers can use this data. Let’s know the meaning of ‘shipping data.’ 

Shipping data consists of different aspects of an organization’s delivery system. The type of shipment, route taken, no. of pallets, arrival & estimated delivery time, freight charges, loading/unloading time, vendors are all part of shipping data. 

Here are few ways to use shipping data to improve customer’s experience; 

• Delivery Time – With the help of shipping data shippers can evaluate the time spent in the warehouse to delivery. With this metric, shippers can set a target for themselves to improve on the delivery time and also quote an accurate delivery time to customers which will make your company trustable for your customers. 

• Real-time Tracking – Providing real-time tracking information to customers is nothing less than giving a power in their hands. Before making this data available to customers, you need to understand the theory behind the barcode scanning system. You may set up a tracking landing page on your official website & make it accessible to customers. 

Training 

With the change in logistics & supply chain trends, staying up-to-date of recent changes & advancements and providing the same to your employees is fundamental for your business. A well-trained employee not just maintains the company’s authority  while pitching to new customers but also helps in retaining existing customers. 

Know how training can help your shipping business! 

• Stay informed – Before leveraging your expertise to your customers, make sure you are keeping yourself informed about what’s happening in the shipping ecosystem. In the world of shipping, half of the shippers have already implemented technical solutions that have drastically improved their revenue & customer experience. Fretron’s solutions have changed the way shippers work today and are adopted by leading Indian players in the market. From route optimisation to final invoice & claim, Fretron is a one-stop solution for all your shipping needs. 

Ship Quickly and Smoothly 

Undoubtedly the best way out to improve customer experience is to enhance your workflow & shipping process. Take up every shipping order in a way that helps improve your company’s reputation in the market. Quickly handle exceptions and increase your on-time deliveries and keep notifying your customers at every phase of shipment. 

How can you improve your overall workflow; 

• Automate your logistics operations – There are a lot of solutions available in the market that automate your logistics operations and empower shippers with ‘shipping data’. Take up a solution that aligns with your business goals and help solve your complicated problems. Fretron has helped improve the operations of top-notch Indian players including VMart, CJ Darcl and so on. 

Conclusion 

As a logistics manager, it is paramount to rock every area of business. From improving the shipping process to enhancing customer experience. A successful business is an outcome of combined efforts that are taken to streamline the complicated processes. Ideate and implement strategies that take your customer experience to the next level.