Running an online business is no easy feat. The customer experience doesn’t just include ease of ordering but stretches all the way to delivery and returns. Every step in the customer experience can either help to increase customer retention or can push customers away to fulfill their shopping needs elsewhere. Today we are tackling the four shipping questions every e-commerce business owner is bound to face at some point.
Can I return my product?
Not every product shipped will meet the expectations of the receiver. Maybe the dress wasn’t true to size, the color of the vase differed from the advertised image or that impulse buy lost its luster. Emails, social media messages, and calls about returning the product end up finding there way to you. It’s important to clearly communicate your return policy from the start. Customers are more confident in making a purchase when they know a stress-free return policy is in place.
- As e-commerce shopping continues to gain traction, efficient reverse logistics and understandable return policies are required to retain customers. Optimum Parcel ensures all shipments are audited with absolute accuracy and that you never overpay for shipping,
- even when it comes to returns
- . Optimum Parcel saves you time, money and hassle.
Why is my shipment late?
Logistics consists of multiple moving parts, and some of those are out of your control. You can promise your customer a specific delivery time frame, but ultimately it’s the carrier’s job to deliver on time. Unfortunately, carriers aren’t 100% accurate when it comes to on-time delivery and your brand name is the one that suffers from their failure.
- It’s important to keep your carrier accountable for their missteps. For a business relationship to truly prosper,
- both parties truly need to be held accountable
- for the agreed services. Optimum Parcel performs a comprehensive audit of each refund eligible shipment to ensure you aren’t paying for something you shouldn’t be. Think of us as contract adherence. There’s a chance you can recover both the relationship with your frustrated customer and your refunds.
How did my order arrive damaged?
- Disappointment strikes any customer who opens a package only to find the valuable contents damaged. It can be an extremely distressing experience when important products arrive damaged. The dimensional weight charge and dim factor are reasons why shippers have slimmed down their packages as much as possible, but limiting box size can increase damages. To make matters worse, the process of filing a damaged item claim and receiving repayment is not simple. Optimum Parcel
- files and tracks all damaged claims automatically
- , freeing you to focus on satisfying your customer.
Is my order lost?
- Customers need communication throughout the purchase and delivery process. Brick-and-mortar businesses might be able to get away with no follow-up after a purchase, but as an online merchant consistent communication creates trust with your customers. Tell them in real-time when the order has shipped and any delays in the delivery process. Of course, lost shipments happen. In these situations, it’s important to diffuse the situation. UPS will say the package has been delivered, but one glance at the porch and the package is nowhere to be found. At times, UPS losing a package can be disastrous like when
- it lost this man’s inheritance.
