Top 4 Ways Your Delivery Business Should Be Communicating With Customers

Today’s customers have higher demands than ever before when it comes to their online orders, and satisfying your customers is one of your top priorities as a last-mile delivery company. When your customers are satisfied, they’re more likely to continue utilizing your services and, in turn, provide your business with an ongoing revenue stream.

Impressing your customers is about more than just getting their goods from point A to point B, though. As online ordering has become a go-to option for everything from household goods to groceries, customers have come to expect a more comprehensive sense of ongoing communication. Whether you run into unexpected delays or everything is running right on schedule, keeping your customers informed is among the top ways to ensure that they feel taken care of from start to finish.

So when should you be communicating with your customers, how should you reach out, and how can you ensure their satisfaction? The WorkWave Route Manager team is here to help you determine exactly that.

Shoot Them a Text

Smartphones are everywhere and just like your team relies on their devices to get the job done, most of your customers are constantly connected to their phones, too. Sending a simple SMS text is one of the easiest and quickest ways to update them about their order. Using a one-way SMS text service, you can instantly update customers on their delivery’s progress or changes to their order status.

By equipping your last-mile delivery company with a software program that allows for sending texts so that your customers can opt in for this method of communication, you’re immediately setting yourself apart from your competition. Texting allows you to reach your customers where they prefer to be reached, helping to ensure their satisfaction.

Consider texting updates when an ETA is established or changes, when a parcel is out for delivery, and when an order has been marked as delivered.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Whether you’re communicating through text or email, sending a delivery confirmation message has become standard operating procedure for many modern delivery services. Providing this basic message gives you a headstart on putting your customers’ minds at ease.

Increasing demand for contactless delivery has made email and text updates essential, but customers still crave more thorough communication. By taking advantage of your team’s smartphones to include a confirmation photo with this message, you not only ease your customers’ worries but also help to reduce your company’s liability if a customer does have a problem with their order. Route Manager’s Driver Mobile App enables you to provide proof of delivery with ease, even in contactless delivery scenarios.

Provide Updates in Real-Time

Whether it’s for their package itself or for the next delivery update, no one likes to be kept waiting. Consider automating texts or emails to go out to the recipient whenever their parcel begins the next phase of its journey. With barcode scanning, you not only gain the ability to validate orders but also to ensure that the order status is updated in real-time. Syncing these updates with the dispatcher’s view in the back office keeps your whole team on the same page, while sharing the updates with customers ensures that they’re never left in the dark.

Offer a Live Look as Things Progress

Once a customer receives an update that their package is out for delivery, they often find themselves glancing out the window or refreshing a tracking page every chance they get. When you provide customers with a live tracking link that shows a map of their package’s location, though, you allow them to sit back and relax knowing that they’re up to date.Communicating with your customers is an easy step to take—doubly so when you’re able to automate the process with your routing software—but is a step that never goes unnoticed. When your customers are kept in the loop, they’re more likely to be satisfied with their delivery, talk about their positive experience with their friends, or to leave your delivery company positive reviews online. Ready to start going above and beyond when it comes to communicating with your customers? See how Route Manager can help you create a more satisfying experience for your customers.