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7 tips to nail delivery experience management
Modern-day delivery is magical. With a few quick steps on your phone, you can have nearly anything delivered right to your doorstep.
But much like other seamless operations (such as plumbing or air-conditioning), this convenience goes unnoticed until there's a hiccup. And when delivery does go wrong, it’s not only a hassle—it could also cost you a customer.
In fact, 85% of shoppers won’t purchase from a brand after a single negative delivery experience.
Here’s the good news, though: with the right tools, partners, and strategies, it’s easy to nail the delivery experience and keep customers coming back for more.
This article will cover everything you need to know about delivery experience management, including what it is, why it’s crucial, and tips to enhance delivery.
What is delivery experience management?
Delivery experience management is the process of optimizing the entire journey of delivering goods to customers from start to finish.
While customers are primarily concerned with the end result—receiving their correct order on time—business owners know that several moving parts must work together to make this happen.
These delivery experience management components include:
- Order accuracy: Delivering the wrong order to a customer isn’t only a headache—it’s also a surefire way to lose a customer. You can keep customers happy by establishing order accuracy processes and closely monitoring your store's operational performance.
- Packaging: Finding secure packaging that protects the product during transit and is easy to open is a huge part of delivery management. But that’s not all. Nearly 57% of consumers say sustainable packaging and shipping is important to them. Some businesses will go the extra mile and opt for eco-friendly packages to please customers and offset their carbon footprint.
- Real-time tracking: Customers want to know when to expect their delivery—especially if it contains a perishable item. Outstanding delivery management means investing in an order management system and offering real-time status updates online, through a mobile device, or in an app.
- Delivery speed and options: Customers want various shipping options to meet their different needs and budgets. So provide options like same-day delivery, standard, and scheduled deliveries. Also consider offering custom delivery instructions and contactless delivery.
- Customer communication: Employees, drivers, or customers may have questions after placing an order. It’s up to you to make it easy for them to get in touch. You can do this with the help of a responsive chat feature on your website or in your delivery app.
- Location accuracy: Not being able to deliver an order is frustrating for you and your customer. Avoid this by using tools that manage location and help you avoid weather, traffic, or operational delays.
- Returns: Simplify the return process to make it as hassle-free as possible. Provide clear instructions and support throughout the process. Consider implementing an automated return system that allows customers to initiate returns through a simple online interface.
- Feedback: Your logistics tool should also provide a way for you to capture customer feedback on the delivery experience. This will help you identify areas for improvement and better meet customer expectations in the future.
When all these components work together, you can rest assured that you’re providing convenient, quick, and satisfactory delivery services to your customers.
Why providing an outstanding delivery experience is crucial
Customers don’t have patience for companies with lackluster delivery services. McKinsey reports that when delivery is inefficient, nearly half of omnichannel consumers will find another vendor.
The good news is, the opposite is also true. In a recent Forbes article, Al Ko, CEO of Auctane, explains that consumers are likely to continue choosing businesses that offer low-cost and quick delivery.
Research supports this idea. McKinsey found that 5 of the top 9 elements driving customer value in omnichannel retail deal with logistics.
So what does this mean? It means efficient logistics aren’t just a value add but also a critical competitive edge in retaining and growing your customer base. To remain in good standing with your consumers, you must optimize your delivery services to be quick, cost-effective, and reliable.
Strategies to enhance the customer delivery experience
We’ve covered the importance of delivery experience management. Now let’s dive into concrete strategies you can implement to improve delivery at your store.
Create a seamless ordering process
Delivery starts well before an item lands on the consumer’s doorstep. It starts with the moment a customer lands on your website or app with the intent to place an order.
As such, it’s essential to design your online ordering system so it’s intuitive and frictionless. Make it easy for your customers to search for items and navigate your offerings.
Additionally, clearly display relevant product, price, and delivery information so customers know exactly what they’re ordering, the total amount, and when it will arrive. Above all, minimize the steps to purchase to encourage order completion.
Ensure efficient delivery logistics
Imagine you have hundreds of delivery orders coming through your website or app each hour. It’s impossible for a small staff to process, manage, and deliver all these orders without the help of a logistics management system.
When you implement a logistics management system, you automate inventory management, order processing, sorting, delivery, and tracking. This speeds up operations and ensures accuracy.
In the event that your team is too small to handle the influx of orders, partner with a third-party, white-label, last-mile delivery service (like Uber Direct) to help achieve seamless delivery.
Provide a personalized customer experience
When customers come into your store, pharmacy, or restaurant, they have the luxury of speaking directly with a human customer service or sales representative.
They can explain the fine details of what they want to a human and get exactly what they ordered. For example, if a hungry customer comes to a restaurant and wants a hamburger cut in half with no mustard, no onions, and extra pickles, the employee can write down the order, ask questions, and make sure the order is correct.
With online ordering, you don't have the luxury of a face-to-face interaction to manage all the nuances of a customer’s order. But that doesn’t mean you can’t provide the same quality of personalized service. When you build out your online ordering system, include robust customization options.
You can also partner with third-party delivery apps like Uber Eats. Uber Eats has customization functionality built in, making it easy for customers to order exactly what they want.
Offer a variety of delivery timing
The modern shopper is accustomed to getting what they want, exactly when they want it. And what 72% of shoppers want is convenient delivery times.
But here’s the thing: “convenient delivery” varies from person to person. For example, one customer may want to place a lunch order in the morning and receive it at noon. Another may want to place a lunch order and receive it in 30 minutes.
While fast delivery should certainly be a priority, it’s not the only priority. Customers want options, including same-day, express, last-minute, and scheduled delivery.
Provide contactless delivery options
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, contactless delivery has become more of a priority for consumers.
A 2023 report in the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services found that more than two-thirds of people use contactless delivery services for food and clothing. The same survey found that more than 70% of people use this service every 3 days, with 60% using it at home and 25% at work or school.
With numbers like this, contactless delivery is no longer a “nice to have.” It’s a customer expectation you may want to consider as an option in your delivery services.
Address post-delivery support
Customers may get upset when they receive an incorrect or damaged order. But if you provide outstanding post-delivery support where you can rectify the customer’s poor experience, you show you care and boost your chances of building long-lasting customer relationships.
Make sure your support team is at the ready to address any post-purchase concerns. This includes answering questions, handling returns, reprocessing damaged orders, and providing refunds.
Maintain a cohesive brand experience
Whether customers are browsing in your store, placing orders on your website, or receiving deliveries, they should encounter a consistent brand experience. This requires uniform messaging, seamless ordering and delivery processes, and high-quality service across all platforms.
If you're offering online ordering and local delivery but lack an in-house courier service, consider using Uber Direct, which allows you to maintain your brand's look and feel while extending your reach through Uber’s delivery network.
By integrating Uber Direct with your digital platforms, you ensure that every aspect of the customer experience aligns with your brand identity. This cohesive approach not only strengthens brand recognition but also enhances customer satisfaction.
Explore Uber Eats marketplace and Uber Direct for enhanced delivery experiences
The demand for same-day delivery is escalating rapidly. In 2024, the market is expected to reach $9.55 billion. Outstanding same-day delivery isn't just a value add. It's a critical component in satisfying customers and capturing more business.
With a 21.2% compound annual growth rate in same-day delivery, it’s possible that demand could outpace your store's ability to develop a robust delivery system on its own. This is where Uber Eats marketplace and Uber Direct can make a difference.
When you list your business on the third-party delivery app Uber Eats marketplace, you tap into a network of customers who are already using Uber to order goods. This extends your reach to customers who may not have found your business otherwise. What’s more, Uber helps handle the deliveries for you.
Uber Direct offers an efficient way to expand your customer reach—without the need for your own delivery infrastructure. With Uber Direct, you integrate Uber’s local delivery network with your sales channels. You handle sales. Uber Direct helps provide reliable delivery. Customers remain happy.
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