Before you dismiss this article as nothing to do with customer experience, please stop as this is not about how to deliver that all important punch line – it’s about the role of the delivery person and / or fitter in the experience your customers will have, having just purchased your product.
I am sure we have all been there. You have ordered you new fridge, computer, washing machine etc and are now very excited about getting it set up – all shiny and new – in your home. You patiently wait for the item to arrive and in many cases you have taken a day off work.
Patience is definitely a virtue in this part of the experience as most companies seem unable to offer slots for delivery that are any shorter than ½ day. You do worry that it will not turn up at all. So I wonder how much is lost through a poorly managed delivery service – many thousands of hours I am sure.
It still amazes me that companies spend millions on developing an excellent customer experience at the time of purchase, but let themselves down by providing a poor delivery service. Why do companies fail to recognise this element of the process, how many companies actually measure this part of the process and incentivise their drivers, fitters to provide great customer service? – I can only assume not many, if the experiences I have been through are anything to go by.
So what should customers expect?
- Integrated communications between the supplier of the product, the delivery company and the fitter.
- Smartly dressed, polite staff who represent your brand and deliver your brand promises. Not someone who talks negatively about your product or service when asked. The sales person would, we hope, never do that.
- Understand what drives up customer satisfaction in the same way your customer service staff will know
With all this said there are companies out there that do get this right – John Lewis to name just one. In a world where customer service is the differentiator, you would think that many more would want to do the same.