Historically, a bad delivery experience for consumers – rife with delays, poor communication or mishandled products – has been met with one thing; an endless stream of abuse for customer support teams. Luckily there are ways of forgoing such an ordeal and easing the burden on your team, writes Agop Ashjian, CEO at Shipup.
In today’s environment it’s simply not enough to excel at the research and buying stages, the post-purchase journey is just as critical in building long-term relationships with your customers. One of the most significant steps retailers can take is to introduce proactive notifications that keep customers reassured and up-to-date about their order, at each stage of the delivery process.
The key to loyalty
The post-purchase stage presents retailers with a perfect opportunity to retain customers. We know that 80% of UK shoppers deem proactive communication about their orders to be “very important” and 76% say they wouldn’t shop again following poor delivery communication. This means retailers must go beyond the standard “your package is on its way” notifications and actually start engaging customers in ways that nip complaints in the bud.
One strategy for this is automating smart notifications to address delivery issues – like delays or missing products. Retailers should send alerts whenever a delivery deviates from its expected route, automatically notifying the customer that their package might be late or has been waiting at a pickup point for too long. These updates mean customers don’t get stressed out and provide peace of mind, reinforcing a sense of trust with a brand.
From our work with a large healthtech company that adopted this approach, they saw a 350% increase in ROI related to customer support efficiency. With automated notifications handling over 600 tickets, their customer support team was freed from answering repetitive queries, allowing them to focus on more complex issues like billing or technical support.
A hidden revenue opportunity
Notifications and customer support teams aside, order tracking pages are untapped resources for retailers. On average, shoppers check for delivery updates up to four times per order, particularly for high-value purchases like health or lifestyle products. This engagement provides a perfect opportunity for retailers to promote other products or services.
By customising these pages with product suggestions and direct links to a retailer’s website, brands can turn an often boring and routine customer interaction into an upselling opportunity – a small but highly effective move that integrates sales within the post-purchase experience.
Tracking page optimisation also allows for insightful analysis. Retailers can use data from tracking page visits to understand which products are being clicked on, how many repeat purchases are coming directly from these pages and how best to tailor future upselling efforts.
Granular insights
Feedback is essential for improving any part of the customer journey, and the post-purchase phase is no exception. By automating the collection of feedback through delivery notifications, retailers can gain valuable insights into customer satisfaction, while encouraging happy customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like Trustpilot.
In fact, all retailers should be sending tailored feedback forms automatically after delivery. This means satisfied customers can rate their likelihood to recommend the brand, and those who are dissatisfied are invited to provide more detailed feedback on why their experience fell short. This system gives customer support teams a clearer picture of overall satisfaction and allows them to act quickly when issues arise.
Feedback is gold as it improves the future delivery experience. What’s more, it can also be a cash cow for marketing purposes like customer testimonials or social media posts. By collecting these reviews in a centralised dashboard, brands can effectively monitor delivery satisfaction and adjust their processes as needed.
SMS and beyond
One of the latest developments that has really excited me has been the shift towards SMS notifications. While email has long been the go-to channel for order updates, SMS provides a more immediate and personal touch. It’s particularly effective in countries where doorstep delivery is common and parcels can be left unattended for long periods of time. A well-timed chime on your phone notifies customers the moment their package arrives, reducing the risk of theft and fewer WISMO inquiries for customer service.
Retailers today need to consider the post-purchase experience as an essential part of the customer journey. By leveraging proactive notifications, optimising tracking pages and using customer feedback intelligently, businesses can reduce the burden on customer support teams and simultaneously increase satisfaction and revenue. The evidence is clear – retailers who focus on post-purchase engagement will see both operational efficiencies and loyal, returning customers.
Agop Ashjian, CEO at Shipup
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You are in: Home » DeliveryX News » Logistics » GUEST COMMENT Retailers can ease burden on customer support teams with post-purchase notifications
GUEST COMMENT Retailers can ease burden on customer support teams with post-purchase notifications
Katie Searles
Historically, a bad delivery experience for consumers – rife with delays, poor communication or mishandled products – has been met with one thing; an endless stream of abuse for customer support teams. Luckily there are ways of forgoing such an ordeal and easing the burden on your team, writes Agop Ashjian, CEO at Shipup.
In today’s environment it’s simply not enough to excel at the research and buying stages, the post-purchase journey is just as critical in building long-term relationships with your customers. One of the most significant steps retailers can take is to introduce proactive notifications that keep customers reassured and up-to-date about their order, at each stage of the delivery process.
The key to loyalty
The post-purchase stage presents retailers with a perfect opportunity to retain customers. We know that 80% of UK shoppers deem proactive communication about their orders to be “very important” and 76% say they wouldn’t shop again following poor delivery communication. This means retailers must go beyond the standard “your package is on its way” notifications and actually start engaging customers in ways that nip complaints in the bud.
One strategy for this is automating smart notifications to address delivery issues – like delays or missing products. Retailers should send alerts whenever a delivery deviates from its expected route, automatically notifying the customer that their package might be late or has been waiting at a pickup point for too long. These updates mean customers don’t get stressed out and provide peace of mind, reinforcing a sense of trust with a brand.
From our work with a large healthtech company that adopted this approach, they saw a 350% increase in ROI related to customer support efficiency. With automated notifications handling over 600 tickets, their customer support team was freed from answering repetitive queries, allowing them to focus on more complex issues like billing or technical support.
A hidden revenue opportunity
Notifications and customer support teams aside, order tracking pages are untapped resources for retailers. On average, shoppers check for delivery updates up to four times per order, particularly for high-value purchases like health or lifestyle products. This engagement provides a perfect opportunity for retailers to promote other products or services.
By customising these pages with product suggestions and direct links to a retailer’s website, brands can turn an often boring and routine customer interaction into an upselling opportunity – a small but highly effective move that integrates sales within the post-purchase experience.
Tracking page optimisation also allows for insightful analysis. Retailers can use data from tracking page visits to understand which products are being clicked on, how many repeat purchases are coming directly from these pages and how best to tailor future upselling efforts.
Granular insights
Feedback is essential for improving any part of the customer journey, and the post-purchase phase is no exception. By automating the collection of feedback through delivery notifications, retailers can gain valuable insights into customer satisfaction, while encouraging happy customers to leave positive reviews on platforms like Trustpilot.
In fact, all retailers should be sending tailored feedback forms automatically after delivery. This means satisfied customers can rate their likelihood to recommend the brand, and those who are dissatisfied are invited to provide more detailed feedback on why their experience fell short. This system gives customer support teams a clearer picture of overall satisfaction and allows them to act quickly when issues arise.
Feedback is gold as it improves the future delivery experience. What’s more, it can also be a cash cow for marketing purposes like customer testimonials or social media posts. By collecting these reviews in a centralised dashboard, brands can effectively monitor delivery satisfaction and adjust their processes as needed.
SMS and beyond
One of the latest developments that has really excited me has been the shift towards SMS notifications. While email has long been the go-to channel for order updates, SMS provides a more immediate and personal touch. It’s particularly effective in countries where doorstep delivery is common and parcels can be left unattended for long periods of time. A well-timed chime on your phone notifies customers the moment their package arrives, reducing the risk of theft and fewer WISMO inquiries for customer service.
Retailers today need to consider the post-purchase experience as an essential part of the customer journey. By leveraging proactive notifications, optimising tracking pages and using customer feedback intelligently, businesses can reduce the burden on customer support teams and simultaneously increase satisfaction and revenue. The evidence is clear – retailers who focus on post-purchase engagement will see both operational efficiencies and loyal, returning customers.
Agop Ashjian, CEO at Shipup
We deliver!
Our editor picks some choice pieces from the analysis flow and sends them to your inbox every Wednesday. Dedicated research report previews will also come direct to you. Subscribe for the emails.
Why not join us on Linkedin and you’ll get the best updates on our research and analysis – UK, Europe and Global – in your feed.
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