Sashank RavindranathWith heightened order volumes and tight shipping deadlines, it is natural for e-commerce businesses to expect high customer service inquiries and frustrations from delivery issues during the holiday season. But you can’t let these things slide as ensuring a seamless delivery experience is essential to keep customers happy and coming back.
While delays and other delivery issues cannot be prevented, you can definitely have a well-prepared customer service strategy to ensure a smooth post-purchase experience, no matter how busy the holiday season gets. To make things easier, we have come up with a “Customer Service Survival Kit” to help you handle post-purchase issues efficiently and preserve customer satisfaction.
Remember, 96.2% of customers will leave a business for poor customer service while 62% of customers will pay more for good customer service.
Holiday Survival Kit for E-Commerce Customer Service
Steps to Take When a Customer’s Delivery Goes Wrong
1. Protect Customer Confidence By Identifying And Tracking Issues Early
Imagine a customer eagerly awaiting their holiday purchase — only to discover their order has been delayed. Their excitement can quickly turn into frustration.
By tracking every order in real time, you can catch potential issues that deter customer satisfaction.
Here’s how it works: Real-time visibility allows you to stay in the know about your parcels and set up alerts when things go wrong. With delays identified early, you can address them even before your customers come to know of it.
2. Strengthen Customer Trust with Transparency by Notifying Customers Early and Often
As soon as an issue is detected, reach out with clear, real-time updates across email, SMS, or WhatsApp notifications rather than waiting for them to contact you. This way, you can proactively reach out to the customer and reassure them you’ll set things right. Remember, there’s no faster way to build trust than by keeping customers informed.
There’s also an additional benefit to notifying customers early: Not only does it reduce worry, but keeping customers in the loop about shipment issues also reduces frustration and eventual tarnishing of your brand’s reputation.
3. Make Help Hassle-Free with Easy Access to Support
Customers don’t just need assistance, they want it done fast and easy. Because no one wants to waste time searching for answers as they’re awaiting updates on their orders.
To counter these issues, you can set up multiple strategies like a 24/7 dedicated support team across channels, chatbots that handle basic queries backed by live chat, and a holiday-specific FAQ page addressing common issues — such as delays, returns, and replacement policies to ensure customers have all the information they need at their fingertips. This way, customers feel supported, less frustrated, and are more likely to return to your brand even if they encounter an issue.
Pro Tip: Place links to your FAQ or help center in your emails and order tracking pages to let. customers know exactly where to go for help without having to search.
4. Keep Customers Informed Effortlessly via Automated Shipping Notifications
Even when there’s no issue with your shipments, your customers can be prone to anxiety due to the lack of order updates. With automation in play, you can ensure that customers stay updated every step of the way without delay.
Here’s how it works: you can set up notifications for key stages (order shipped, in transit, delivered, or any issues such as suspected loss, in-transit with delay) to be sent automatically and proactively so that customers never have to wonder where their package is.
Why it Matters: Customers are reassured by timely updates. This proactive approach cuts down on WISMO inquiries and gives your customers peace of mind, no matter how busy the season gets.
5. Turn Setbacks into Opportunities for Loyalty by Promptly Offering Resolution
While handling delivery issues is a job almost done, you can make things even better by offering a fast and fair resolution, like a discount on their next purchase, refund, or replacement, you make customers feel prioritized and appreciated.
Even if you don’t have the budget to do this for all shipments, you can keep your focus on loyal customers or high-value orders.
Being proactive in your resolution approach shows customers that you value their experience and are committed to making things right. Small gestures, like discounts or a quick refund, can help you transform potential disappointments into positive brand experiences and thereby foster loyalty.
6. Continuously Improve the Customer Journey by Learning and Optimizing for Future Success
The best way to improve your customer service process is to get your hands on data. Compare the holiday season trends of previous years with this year’s regular period, take stock of what worked and what didn’t.
If you don’t know where to start, look for metrics like customer satisfaction scores and response times and recurring issues such as WISMO, unable to reach support, or particular carriers having more delays. These data give you valuable insights into how you can refine your customer service approach, address root problems, and prepare for a better experience for the holiday season.
With the what and the why sorted, here’s how you can do this — Implement a feedback loop after order delivery and returns to get satisfaction scores around the post-purchase and then make continuous operational improvements to enhance the experience and improve brand reputation.
How Lateshipment.com Can Help in Improving Your Post-Purchase Customer Support Efforts
1. Over-communicate and Reduce Customer Anxiety Post-Purchase
After customers place an order, anticipation and anxiety often kick in as they wait for their package to arrive. To alleviate this, you need to proactively communicate with them at every key stage of the delivery process via automated and personalized order status notifications via email or SMS. For customers facing critical delivery issues, such as significant delays or lost packages, proactive communication is key. Reaching out to affected customers before they have to inquire demonstrates empathy and commitment, turning what could be a negative experience into a positive one.
Even when things go right, you can still send shipping transactional notifications to keep customers informed throughout the delivery lifecycle. By keeping customers in the loop, especially during the holiday season, you reassure them that their purchase is on track or being handled with care, ultimately building trust and reducing WISMO (Where Is My Order?) inquiries.
2. Enable Order Tracking Self-Service for Your Customers
Customers appreciate the convenience of accessing information without waiting for assistance. Enable self-serve order tracking by adding a “Track My Order” widget directly on your website and emails. This allows them to quickly check their delivery’s progress whenever they want, without needing to contact customer support, which can reduce your team’s workload.
3. Keep Support Teams on Top of Order Deliveries, Particularly Those Facing Delivery Issues
Empowering your support team with the tools to manage delivery issues proactively is crucial for efficient service, especially during peak seasons. By auto-triggering tickets on your helpdesk for failed or delayed deliveries, you ensure that no critical issue falls through the cracks. This proactive approach enables support agents to address problems before customers even reach out, enhancing response times and customer satisfaction.
Equipping your agents with real-time tracking information within the helpdesk further speeds up resolution times. With immediate access to order statuses and delivery details, support teams can answer customer inquiries accurately and efficiently. This level of readiness enables them to manage delivery issues quickly, reduce handling times, and deliver a seamless post-purchase experience that keeps customers satisfied and confident in your brand.
Final Word
The holiday season brings both opportunity and pressure for e-commerce businesses.
In a time where delivery delays and other post-purchase issues can significantly strain customer relationships, having a well-equipped customer service survival kit is essential.
By identifying issues early, communicating proactively, and offering swift resolutions, you can not only handle delivery issues effectively but also build stronger relationships with customers.
With the right tools and strategies in place, a potential delivery issue becomes more than a service request; it’s an opportunity to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and build loyalty that lasts well beyond the holiday season.