Your customer satisfaction is defined by your deliveries. Buyers do not care what obstacles you may encounter along the way. All they want is the product they ordered at the time it is supposed to get to them. If you have struggled with late deliveries in the past, you know how much that can hurt your reputation. Luckily, there are some steps you can take to ensure your deliveries are schedule every time.
Check out this guide to see what you can do to maximize your delivery efficiency.
Use Quality Inventory Management
Your inventory management plays a big role in your deliveries. This determines how accurate your inventory levels are and how easily you will be able to fill the orders that come in. If you sell a product you do not have, you will either have to cancel the order or wait for a new item to arrive. This will hurt your delivery times. State of the art inventory management software like the programs we use at OverFlo can help you manage your inventory across the board so you can be well stocked when the demand arises.
Under Promise and Over Deliver
It is better to deliver something early than late. If you know that deliveries will take 3-5 days to complete, quote a time of 5-7 days to give yourself room for error. Buyers will appreciate your honesty, and they will not be disappointed if their items arrive early. If you quote a short time frame that does not reflect the reality of the situation, you will end up with unsatisfied customers that will not do business with you in the future.
Factor in the Weather
When quoting a delivery time, always take into consideratiwhat the weather is going to be like at the time of delivery. If you are importing products from another country, you will need to account for their weather and the weather the shipping or cargo company will encounter in their travels. Put out a disclaimer during storm seasor harsh winter months letting customers know that their delivery times may be subject to change due to weather delays. Most buyers will be completely understanding of delays if the come about.
Monitor Your Deliveries
If you notice that certain deliveries are consistently made late, you could either adjust your delivery strategies or adjust the time you give yourself to complete the loads. You could set up a service to alert you when deliveries are running late so you can alert your customers before they are disappointed by the progress. Ideally, you will not have to worry about this if you have a good delivery team working for you.
Invest in Fulfillment Services
Your distribution center may offer fulfillment services to streamline your delivery process for you. By investing in something like this, you will not have to worry about where your items are or how they are being packaged. Everything happens in one swift motion, maximizing your efficiency and keeping your customers 100% satisfied. Contact the team here at OverFlo to learn more about our distribution, delivery, and fulfillment services so you can focus other areas of your business.
Contact Overflo for all you delivery needs.