How did the pandemic increase customers’ expectations of delivery service?

Have you noticed that your customers are becoming less tolerant of delivery issues? Have you started receiving more calls from angry customers?

The pandemic has changed many aspects of our daily lives and has considerably reshaped the way we shop, with 40% of people saying they shopped more online during the pandemic. Package delivery volumes are higher than they’ve ever been and are expected to grow by 100% over the next three years. Ordering online is becoming the norm, and customers are getting used to convenience.

In order to respond well to customers’ expectations and to stand out from the competition (or at least not be left behind), businesses have had to adapt and find ways to offer a seamless delivery experience to their customers.

Learn more about how customers’ delivery expectations have changed and the best ways to respond to them:

#Businesses have had time to adapt

If most customers said they were comprehensive when the pandemic started, things have changed more than a year later now that businesses have had the time to adapt to the new conditions.

The pandemic is not an excuse anymore.

With vaccines being available, businesses reopening, and new methods being implemented to ensure workers’ safety, most customers consider that the pandemic is not an excuse for late deliveries or issues with orders.

How to respond: Late deliveries will displease your customers, so you should focus on optimizing your operations to deliver faster. In order to reduce road time, you should consider using delivery software with a powerful route builder. It will optimize your routes using real-time data in order to avoid traffic as much as possible, and it will allow you to increase daily delivery amounts. Moreover, route building only takes a few seconds, and it can reduce road planning time by up to 93%.

#Technology is available

In 2021, people know that technology is available and they could get access to a lot of information about their parcel. They might have experienced delivery with live tracking provided by some companies, so they know it is available, and 80% of people expect to be able to track their parcels.

Delivery experience is more important now than ever.

Businesses should understand that the pre-purchase experience or the products themselves are no longer enough to retain their customers. Customers may love the products, but a negative delivery experience can prevent them from buying again from the brand. In fact, 83% of customers say they are less likely to re-purchase from a retailer after a negative delivery experience.

Better communication and more transparency.

Technology offers better communication with your customers and shows transparency. By informing your customers of where their parcel is, notifying them if the driver will be late, and recording every important element (e.g., photos, proof of delivery), you are showing them that they can trust you and that you have control over your deliveries.

How to respond: Offer your customers the option to track their parcels with a delivery software that will allow them to do so in real-time and receive updates on their delivery via SMS/email. This will be convenient for them and eliminate their anxiety as they can know precisely when they will be delivered. It might also greatly reduce the number of calls you receive as customers won’t be calling to find out where their package is.

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#Competitors are improving their deliveries, so you should too

Your customers might have had a seamless delivery experience with other companies and appreciated being able to track their parcels. Therefore, they expect the same from you, and if you don’t offer this experience, customers will see it more negatively and compare you to the other companies. If they get used to having a good experience with their deliveries, they will be upset if you fail to provide a good service.

This is why many businesses have started using delivery software in order to enhance their customers’ delivery experience and not be left behind by the competition. With more and more companies relying on delivery software to automate their deliveries and improve the delivery experience, technology is not an option for eCommerce businesses anymore, it is a must.

Embracing technology is essential for survival.

If you want your company to survive in the post-pandemic world, you will need to understand that delivery experience is now an integral part of the customer journey. Further, you shouldn’t compare your business with only the brands similar to yours but also with all brands delivering products as they are all raising the benchmark.

How to respond: Make sure to choose the right delivery software for your business. Consider which features you will need in order to provide an outstanding delivery experience. The route builders are important as they will allow you to make sure your deliveries are on time and maybe even faster. The tracking option will show transparency to your customers and will likely be appreciated. Some delivery software also allows your drivers to take photos in-app if a package is damaged so that you can quickly take action and record proof of delivery.

Meet CIGO Tracker

CIGO Tracker is a best-in-class, cloud-based platform to increase deliveries, service calls, and pick-ups for your business. It scales as you need it and provides a state-of-the-art, “last mile” delivery experience that will thrill your customers.

Driven by innovation, an unwavering commitment to customer service, honesty, and trust, CIGO delivers the best, most flexible delivery tracking software in the industry.

At CIGO, we are always on the lookout for new features that we can add to our delivery software to improve your daily operations. If you would like to learn more about our delivery software, book a demo today.