HOW TO IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE IN YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN BUSINESS

4 minute read

Are you wondering what you can do to improve customer satisfaction? Interested in making everyone’s jobs a little bit easier? Is your company dedicated to giving people the best service possible? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, then the phrase “improve customer experience” should be at the top of your list of goals.  […]

Published on: Apr 04, 2022

Datapel is a leading inventory management system trusted by thousands of businesses for critical functions & processes.

Are you wondering what you can do to improve customer satisfaction? Interested in making everyone’s jobs a little bit easier? Is your company dedicated to giving people the best service possible?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of those questions, then the phrase “improve customer experience” should be at the top of your list of goals. 

Most people think about retail or other industries when they think about customer service. In reality, customer service is equally critical in logistics and warehousing sectors. Every interaction your customer service rep has reflects on your brand. 

If you’re ready to improve your customer experience strategy, then we have some must-follow tips.

1. COMMUNICATE WITH SUPPLIERS

2020 and 2021 were genuinely unprecedented years for people who work in the supply chain. Disruptions and shortages are still causing problems for people, so t’s more important than ever for everyone involved to be in the know. 

People in logistics and warehousing can’t rely on standard shipping times. Get into the habit of over-communicating with suppliers if you’re serious about improving customer experience. 

Go the extra mile…

If you want to go the extra mile, then establish a communication cadence with your largest suppliers. This keeps you in the loop about any delays or changes before they happen. The more aware you are of potential problems, the easier it is to answer customer questions.

Finally, be prepared to adjust and reallocate assets and drivers to meet shifting demands. Partner with other companies to provide delivery or shipping services.

2. USE THE RIGHT TOOLS

The people who work the most directly with customers will have plenty of problems to solve throughout their day. Despite how different each issue can seem, most boil down to one question: where is my order?

At times, warehousing and logistics work can feel like a complicated game of hide-and-seek. Make things much easier for your staff by using exemplary software to keep track of everything. The right software can give you (and your valued customers) up-to-the-minute updates on the location of goods your company is handling. 

Take your time…

And don’t just go for something basic; find software that focuses on advanced inventory management workflow. For example, a program that offers serial and batch number tracking and advanced stock lookup can make work much more efficient.

3. MEASURE SUCCESS

How can you know if your customers consistently have an excellent experience whenever they do business with your company? Don’t just assume that things are fine if you don’t hear any complaints. Instead, get serious about measuring customer experience by tying your work to a few crucial metrics. 

One of the easiest ways to measure customer satisfaction is to use a good old-fashioned customer satisfaction survey. The trick to getting the most out of these surveys is to capture feedback from customers quickly. For example, ask people to stay online for a brief survey when they call in for help or set up an email trigger that sends out a survey after an online interaction.

Figure out your customer churn rates and retention rates. This can give your company important insight into how many loyal customers you have and how many people are leaving your business.

4. RETHINK YOUR SCRIPT

Voice and tone are essential in every customer interaction you have. It establishes the mood of the conversation, and responding cheerfully and helpfully can sometimes be enough to calm an agitated customer.

If you’re serious about creating customer experiences that are helpful and pleasant, do more than just tell your customer service reps to be polite and friendly on the phone. Your customer experience strategy should revolve around investing in training employees on the right way to speak with customers.

Go over things like proper greetings, detailed conversation trees to help customers troubleshoot problems, and the right time to bring in higher-ups. Don’t just do this when employees first join the company. Make an effort to constantly train people on the right way to interact with others. 

5. SIMPLIFY AND STREAMLINE PROCESSES

How many people have to touch or handle an order for it to get from Point A to Point B? Remember, the fewer literal touchpoints you have fulfilled an order, the less time and money it’ll take to get things done. Focus on finding ways to reduce handling and touchpoints in your fulfilment process to get items to customers faster.

If you’re unsure where to start making process changes, start with picking and packing. Picking and packing can take plenty of time and money for businesses when they aren’t handled the right way. 

See if your packing and shipping area is set up to foster productivity. Make cartons easier to reach and adjust the height for packing tables. You may be surprised by the results.

6. BE CONSTANTLY IMPROVING

The motivations and needs of your customers are constantly changing. What works to keep people satisfied today may not be effective tomorrow. Be open to making iterative updates to your process to keep customers satisfied. 

Run quarterly or yearly surveys to gauge how people feel about your service. Take time to check in with big clients to ensure they’re getting everything they need. This helps you get important feedback and build a relationship with customers. 

IMPROVE CUSTOMER SERVICE THE RIGHT WAY

Logistics and warehousing departments are in a unique position if they’re interested in improving the outlook for their entire business. The sky’s the limit when you focus on how to improve the customer experience. 

If you’re serious about finding a way to improve your customer experience, we’re here to help. Reach out to us today, so we can improve the way you handle warehousing and fulfilment at your company.

 

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

We’ll never send you any spam or share your email with anyone. One-click unsubscribe any time.

Share This