Bianca BarathWithout much effort from your end, it’s easy to get shipping data of every package you send out. If you run an online store, you are most probably liaised with a shipping carrier. And shipping carriers today, have state of the art tracking tools that help them monitor shipping situations from remote locations. And you are privy to this information which can keep you informed on the whereabouts of your package. Now, this real time data and post mortem data over time can help you gain brownie points with the customer.
Know More About Real Time Tracking
Keep the customer informed on shipping progress:
You can alert the customer to stay at home and make sure that he is home to collect the parcel. This is the simplest customer support task you can perform with shipping data in hand. The shipper also sends prior information about the parcel that is out for delivery. But it helps if the customer understands that you are in the loop.
Alert customer about delays, if any:
Stay on top of shipping delays and call up the customer, offer due apologies and do tell them that the shipment is being delayed at the carrier’s end. It is not a good idea to let the customer wait without news for his product to arrive when you know that it is going to be late. After all, you have the data and real time alerts to know if there is going to be a delay. Meanwhile, you can also ask the shipper to expedite processes at your end.
Be prepared in case of shipping emergencies:
The customer should never suffer because of the carrier’s mistake. Today, with advanced technology, shipping losses are very rare. But in case there is a loss of package, you can get real time alerts and make sure you send out a replacement to the customer as soon as possible to make up for the lost package. You can then follow up with the carrier and get your money back from him.
Predict patterns:
With shipping data from the past years, you can predict several trends. After all, history repeats. Order history almost always repeats. Shipping data over the years tells you when people buy what. More importantly, you know how seasonal changes in shipping occur. Rains, snow and other conditions affect shipping routines and there is a definite pattern you can learn from.
Isolate customer problems:
Unfortunately, shipping related problems are not in your hands to resolve. You can change your carrier if the problems are exceptionally high. But when you gauge customer dissatisfaction, you can let go of problems related to shipping delays and such and focus on other problems that you can resolve.
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