Do you own a business that delivers goods right up to your customer’s door? If the answer’s yes, you will want to make sure that the service you are giving is the best it can be. Are you doing all you can to provide your customers with an efficient and friendly delivery? Or do you think that there is maybe more that you could do?
If you encounter problems with your delivery service, this will not only reflect badly on your business, but you will most likely lose customers too, which also means money. That’s why you should always want to go that extra mile to keep your customers loyal.
Here are some of the best ways to improve your service.
Implement systems for delivery
It’s no good just leaving your delivery service ‘do its thing.’ It’s always a dangerous move when your idea of planning is just to assume that everything is going to run smoothly – this isn’t realistic at all. You should be planning every little detail of what’s to come, from products, to packaging, to shipment and then the delivery itself. Creating a checklist is a good way to make sure everything is being done the way it should be, easily and efficiently. Don’t forget to look at the little things like the transition points. This is where the responsibility of the item changes from one person onto the next.
Communicate clearly and often
Customers like to be included in the delivery of their items, so keep them informed on where their package is, along with an estimated time of delivery. You can do this by emailing or texting the customer with various little updates throughout the journey.
If you get to the location but no one is home, you’ll be able to let them know and ask them what the best thing to do is. That may be leaving the package with your next door neighbour until they get home, or they may agree to pick it up from the local post office if they’re not able to make it back home instead. You should also send them a follow-up email making sure everything is okay, and whether they are happy with their purchase.
Multiple storage locations
You all know that you will need to have storage space to put away all your goods safely. Not just to protect them but to be sure that you always have enough supplies stocked, in case you start having an unexpected high demand for them. You can look for a local storage spot on www.safestore.co.uk — but don’t just settle with one. The more your business grows, the more deliveries you’ll have to do. If you don’t want to have to waste time driving to and from the base, only to go in the complete opposite direction again — invest in more than one storage and scatter them around the city.
Send extra perks with each delivery
Doing this, of course, is no obligation, but it’s the little things that go a long way, and the fact that you’re willing to make an extra effort for your customers will show them that you appreciate and care about their business. Remember that not a lot of businesses (especially large commercial chains) will bother with the little things because they will assume they don’t have to. So if you include little thank you gift cards in each parcel, or even a little pack of sweets, or a discount code for their next purchase, this will make you stand out from the crowd and give you the edge amongst other businesses.
Solicit feedback
Sometimes it can be hard to listen to feedback because it’s not always what you wanted to hear, but without it, you’ll never know whether you’re getting things right or wrong. It’s essential you have an idea of what your customers think about you. They may be full of praise and won’t be able to fault you at all. Or they may have some ideas on how you can improve certain areas in your technique. Now, of course, not everyone wants to hear the negative comments, but it has to be made clear so you can evaluate what has been said and see what you can do to prevent certain issues from arising again. Look on coachingleaders.co.uk for more tips.
Now that you have an idea, assess your current systems and see if you need to learn a new technique or two. This can greatly help you succeed in the future.
