By Contributing Author
Most people now shop from the convenience of their couch, which means that a company’s shipping service can make or break a customer’s experience. Reliable shipping is incredibly important in creating a repeat customer. After the high of the purchase has worn off, customers can turn on a company quickly if their shipping experience is sub-par. If a package is damaged, arrives late, or is lost, a customer will be unlikely to purchase from a company again—especially if the company deals with the issue in an inadequate or dismissive way.
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To avoid this, we have 5 tips to improve your company’s shipping service and avoid any customer service snafus in the future.
- Improve communication with your warehouse
Keep technology in place that will have your website and your warehouse in contact at all times. If a customer purchases an item only to be told later on that it’s unavailable because your warehouse and your website weren’t updating seamlessly, you risk losing a customer.
- Provide multiple shipping options
Your company will be relying on these shipping services to deliver a good product—on time, so make sure that they are reliable and offer multiple options for your customers. If possible, offer a deeply discounted or free (if you can manage it) basic shipping option, followed by a moderate shipping option, and finally an accelerated shipping option. This will permit your customers to choose what option fits them best. You can also choose to offer free shipping when a certain purchase limit is met. This encourages more shopping from customers.
- Prepare for customs clearance
Customs clearance can be a long and frustrating process. Your customers are relying on you to understand the best ways to limit customs interruptions and to get them their package on time. To avoid customs issues, declare your goods online before they hit the border so that customs knows exactly what they should be expecting. This helps prevent your packages from being held up with thousands of other parcels attempting to get through.
- Ship to as many countries as you can
If you want to expand brand awareness and grow your company, you’ll want to offer shipping to as many international destinations as you can. Make connections with international shipping suppliers to make sure you can provide the most accurate delivery and shipping estimates to your customers. If there is a country you cannot ship to, have a small section explaining why the country is excluded and work to have it added to the list at a future point.
- Keep your customer informed
The most important tip of all is to make sure that your customer is informed on their package every step of the way. From the moment your customer makes a purchase, to the moment their package is in their hands, they should know exactly what is happening. Generate an email on purchase, on successful shipping, with shipping updates, and on delivery to keep your customer up-to-date on where their item is.
