Customer satisfaction now goes far beyond providing a friendly service. Customers are expecting more and more from online businesses and unless you keep up, they will quickly move on to another business that can give them what they want.
Shipping services have become much more important to customers, with studies showing that close to three-quarters of potential customers would be influenced to purchase a product that was eligible for free shipping.
It’s not just about cost either. Shipping times, your choice of courier, packaging used, and returns policies are just some of the things consumers look at when deciding whether to make a purchase or not.
Expectations of shipping services vary from customer to customer but there are several common points that the majority of consumers would expect as a minimum level of service.
In this article, we look at some of the ways you can tailor your shipping services to meet the ever-changing needs of the modern consumer.
Set Clear Expectations Of Your Shipping Services
It’s far better to under-promise and over-deliver when it comes to keeping your customers satisfied. This is particularly important when it comes to shipping.
Customers will quickly get frustrated if their delivery doesn’t arrive in the given timeframe. They will also have something to say if their package has a much higher shipping cost than they were led to believe at first glance of your website.
Setting clear expectations of what a customer’s shipping experience will be like will not only allow them to make an informed decision as to whether your business is the right place for them to make a purchase, but it will also prevent them from feeling misled and let down.
Realistic dispatch times should be shown and accurate delivery estimates should be based on your courier’s past consistent performance, and not on best-case scenarios.
Honesty and transparency are key components of building good customer relations. Customers won’t necessarily be put off from shopping with you if your delivery times are a little longer than others providing you are honest about it.
When you place an order, you want to know when you’ll actually be in possession of your purchase – being upfront about realistic timeframes is enough to satisfy some customers to wait a little longer for delivery.
Continue Being Transparent Throughout The Entire Shipping Process
Automated emails to customers letting them know their order has been packed or their order has shipped are a great way of keeping them up to date with its progress.
There’s nothing wrong with contacting the customer on a more personal level if something goes wrong though.
Sometimes, no matter how good your processes are, things go wrong. Maybe your courier broke down so were unable to collect your shipments as they normally would. Maybe there was an issue with your ordering system which allowed one to slip through the net.
If something does go wrong, you are far better off letting the customer know in a timely and professional manner than waiting for them to discover it for themselves.
You might be surprised how quickly customers get in touch after their allocated delivery window has passed. If your courier offers a specific time slot such as between 9 am and 1 pm for delivery – you could very well hear from customers before 1:30 pm saying their order has yet to arrive.
Delays in shipping, whether through malfunction, error, or events out of your control, need to be communicated to the affected customer with clear expectations of when they will actually receive their order.
Don’t wait and hope for the best – be proactive and inform the customer before they even realize something is wrong.
Think About Your Packaging
One part of the shipping service that some businesses overlook is the packaging they use to send customers orders.
While expensive branded packaging isn’t your only option (but it is a good one if you are able to offer it), good quality packaging is a must to ensure customer satisfaction.
No matter how much the customer has spent on their order, the product they’re waiting for will have a substantial value to them. After all, they’ve spent their hard-earned money on it so it instantly becomes more valuable in their eyes.
The packaging you use needs to look professional and give the appearance that you have taken good care of the order. It also needs to be sufficient to protect the item being shipped from damage during shipping.
This becomes even more important if you’re shipping expensive or bespoke items. Any damages that occur as a result of poor packaging will likely end up having to be paid for by the shipper.
Expensive items that get damaged will end up in a refund for the customer, or a replacement needing to be shipped. Both of these options result in a hefty expense for your business.
The way you pack your orders can also act as indirect marketing to help encourage customers to return to you in the future. A little note thanking them for their custom on headed paper, or a branded voucher for money off their next order are simple ways of helping customers remember you.
This indirect marketing can also give your customers a way to recommend you to others (providing you did a good job with their order).
Any quick wins in marketing are always a good thing. Using professional packaging with your business name somewhere inside or nearby is great advertising with minimal effort.
Free Shipping
Offering free shipping on items can have a substantial impact on your order numbers but also on customer satisfaction.
Modern consumers expect free shipping on certain items. This can cause issues for businesses with a low-profit margin as shipping costs will still need to be paid, even if it isn’t the customer who pays for it.
There are ways to offset the shipping costs without directly charging the customer. This can allow you to offer free shipping without taking on the cost yourself, or making the customer feel like they are paying for it either.
One way to do this is to make sure your margin on each product you want to offer free shipping for, is high enough to cover the shipping while still giving you enough profit. If you currently don’t have enough margin for this, you could consider increasing the prices of certain items to cover your shipping costs.
You may also have to shop around when it comes to couriers you work with. It’s not always a great idea to go with the cheapest option, but getting cheaper rates from your courier can open up opportunities to offer free shipping.
A common way that businesses offer free shipping is by setting a minimum order value. This is a fantastic way of increasing customer satisfaction and your average order value too. You might be surprised how often customers will add additional items to their order to qualify for free shipping. You may even find some customers will add items at a higher price than delivery would’ve cost if they had just paid for it in the first place.
Any way you can generate additional sales with minimal effort should be celebrated. Free delivery and minimum order values are two ways to do this.
Give Clear Shipping Options
Most customers like some kind of control over their orders. This doesn’t just relate to colors, sizes, designs, etc but it also continues over into shipping options.
Some customers like the option to pay a higher shipping fee to get their items a bit sooner. Others would rather wait and pay less. Instead of making the decision for your customers, offering multiple shipping options allows customers to choose and feel more satisfied with the service.
It’s not just the price of shipping where you can give customers options. If you’re also able to offer them the choice of which courier will deliver their item – this can make a difference whether they decide to purchase from you or not.
Consumers have personal preferences that you won’t have any control over. By offering as much choice as possible, you give your business the best chance of picking up customers.
Whenever you give choices to customers, you should always be as transparent as possible with how much each option will cost them. It can seem counterproductive to show shipping options that cost quite a bit more than others. However, if a customer feels strongly about a particular courier, or they want their order as soon as possible – they may decide to pay more if they have to in order to get their preferred service.
Think About Sustainability
Climate change, sustainability, fossil fuels, and the health of the planet as a whole are big talking points right now.
There are a surprising number of customers who take a great deal of time researching various companies before settling on the one they ultimately buy from. If your business is closely matched to others in terms of price, customer service, and alike – it could come down to how eco-friendly your shipping methods are.
Part of this is linked to packaging. Recyclable packaging can be a big selling point as it shows you’re playing your part in looking after the planet. Clearly explaining how your business offsets the carbon footprint it creates through shipping processes and procedures can also help satisfy eco-minded consumers.
If your e-commerce system allows it, it can be effective to allow the customer the opportunity to pay a little extra on their order to cover the cost of planting a tree to offset the carbon footprint the order will leave.
It may not be possible to offer this type of thing in your business. If this is the case, then it may be worth mentioning to customers throughout the ordering process that you ship orders in bulk to keep emissions as low as possible.
This is another time when honesty and transparency are key. You may be telling customers their order will take a little longer to get to them, but you are explaining that it’s due to your commitment to sustainability.
Being a sustainable and environmentally-conscious business isn’t just a positive for customer satisfaction related to your shipping services. It also helps create a good reputation that can lead to an increase in sales and returning customers.
Internal Processes Should Be Completed Quickly
Once your orders get handed over to your courier, there is not a great deal you can do to expedite delivery or to make sure the packages are safe.
Up until the point of hand over though, you have a lot of control over the shipping process.
Picking and packing orders, printing labels, checking ordering systems and stock levels are all things you should aim to get done as efficiently as possible.
Once a customer places an order, you have a window of opportunity to get the shipping experience started in a positive way. You should make sure all orders to be shipped today are ready to go in plenty of time for the courier to collect.
You also need to make sure the package goes with the right courier (if customers have the option to choose), and you should make sure they are being shipped in time to be delivered at the time the customer has been given.
If you have a same-day dispatch option, you need to make sure this time is clearly visible on all pages of your site where orders can be placed. You may have seen some sites even have a countdown highlighting how long a customer has left to order to ensure their order leaves your business the same day.
As a business owner, you should look to take responsibility for shipping processes right up until the item leaves with the courier. Do all you can to be efficient and get the items ready for shipping as soon as possible.
Put All Shipping Information In One Place
While you need a range of information about shipping displayed in various locations across your site, you should have one page where it’s all visible at once.
A shipping information page is a great way of explaining everything about your shipping services to customers in one place.
When ordering, customers may see the cutoff time for same or next day dispatch. They might see their different shipping options, and costs of shipping. However, there will obviously be much more information they could know if they wanted to look into your shipping services in more detail.
On your shipping information page, you should include things such as the timeframes each shipping option will meet, the cost of each one, and what makes them different from other options available.
Clearly state the areas your business can ship to. This is important as some potential customers will live in areas where couriers don’t routinely deliver to. If your courier doesn’t deliver there, additional costs will likely be involved if you do try to ship to these locations.
You should also include international order prices and processes (if your business offers global shipping). It needs to also be made very clear that orders shipped internationally will fall outside the normal timeframes. Sometimes, directing customers to your courier’s website can help give them a better idea of how long they will have to wait for international orders.
This is also a useful place to include your cancellation policy. Sometimes customers change their minds and want to cancel their order. This isn’t usually too much of an issue but you need to give instructions as to how an order can be canceled and how long after placing it do they have to cancel. Expected refund times are another useful piece of information that customers will be very keen to know if they do decide to cancel their order.
Be Clear About Your Returns Policy
If customers want to return their item after delivery, you should be extremely clear about how they go about doing it.
You may need to charge them a return fee if they are simply returning the item because they’ve changed their mind once they’ve received their order.
Charging for returns isn’t always possible if it’s not the customer’s choice, but rather an issue with the product upon delivery.
Whether you charge for returns or not, you need to clearly explain your returns policy so customers are aware of how it works.
The time limit of when they need to request a return, what they need to do to return their order, and any other information that helps keep things simple and transparent should be included. Refund times are very important to state here too.
Your returns policy fits perfectly on your shipping information page, but it might also be worth having some basic returns information visible during the ordering process.
You may have seen other sites that have some details about returning items on every product page. This is a relatively simple way of helping customers understand your returns policy. They are reading about the details of a specific product and the return information is right there for them to see. If they want more information, a link to your shipping information page can be used to direct them to the right place.
Returning products can be a frustrating thing to do. Being completely open and honest with customers from before they’ve even placed their order can go a long way to keeping them satisfied.
Keep It Simple
The more steps your shipping process has, the greater the chance of something going wrong.
Modern consumers like things to be simple and fast. If you look at some of the most successful e-commerce companies in the world, they allow customers to do what they need to do in just a few clicks.
As complicated as some of the shipping services can sound, you need to do all you can to keep things as simple as possible for your customers.
A few clearly explained shipping options will likely generate more success than listing hundreds of possible services, costs, timeframes, and procedures. It will also make running your business much easier if you have a straightforward and structured shipping process.
The majority of customers will be looking for very basic things from your shipping services. They will likely want fast delivery, reliable delivery, the options to choose when they receive their order, and the opportunity to easily return it if they change their mind.
Looking at it in that very basic form – there’s no need to implement complex shipping procedures. Keep things as simple as possible and you should find it much easier to keep things running smoothly and successfully.
It All Comes Back To Honesty And Reliability
Satisfying your customers with your shipping services can ultimately be summed up in two simple words – honesty and reliability.
Being honest with your customers right from the start immediately begins building a relationship and trust that can lead to long-term returning customers.
Honesty isn’t always enough though. You actually have to be able to deliver on your promises in a consistent and reliable manner. It’s all well and good telling customers their order has shipped and will be delivered in the next two working days, but if that doesn’t happen – trust is lost.
Losing the trust of customers in your ability to deliver (both figuratively and literally) will leave your customer base dissatisfied and likely looking to take their custom to a more reliable business.
While you can never guarantee your shipping services will run smoothly every single time, it needs to work most of the time. Errors, missed deliveries, damaged packages, and incorrect returns all need to be minimized.
Consumers can be quick to jump to another business if they are dissatisfied with even a small part of your business. With millions of businesses to choose from, they know they have options. If customers choose your business to spend money with, your shipping services need to be up to the task of giving them what they need exactly when they need it.
