Nowadays, it is not so easy to satisfy customers by simply delivering products on time. In logistics, many additional requests from the client may arise.
Establishing a quality customer service process is important for a logistics business. Recognizing the importance of the human element and providing quality customer support helps build trust in the company, which is vital for maintaining long-term customer loyalty.
Read this article to discover how to improve customer service in logistics to get clients to choose your service before competitors.
1. Strengthen communication and transparency
In logistics, clear communication is the foundation of building quality customer relationships. Your support team must adhere to this service standard.
What does it include? First, real-time tracking is a key priority. It provides visibility into the product's location and delivery stage. Keeping the customer informed can help manage their expectations in the event of an unexpected delay.
Second, be proactive. At any moment, an upset customer can contact you. They may have complaints about problems or delays. You should be ready to solve the problem immediately or offer an alternative solution.
Third, conduct dialogues constructively. What is important when communicating via social media, email, and phone support? Consistency, clarity, and brevity. These three points are of great importance for attracting customers. A smooth and transparent flow of information will help companies offer a much more positive and reliable customer experience.
2. Optimize speed and responsiveness
What else do customers value when using logistics services? Speed, responsiveness, and efficiency. That's why improving workflows and implementing technologies that speed up communication is so important. What do we mean? For example, you can implement automated tracking updates and systems to resolve issues faster.
In addition, you need an effectively equipped and trained customer support team that knows how to improve logistics business. A reliable contact center for a logistics company will help respond to any questions quickly while balancing cost with smart operational strategies.
Also, every customer touchpoint should be designed effectively. Make sure there is minimal delay and time required to file complaints. It also affects the positive perception of your logistics company by customers.
3. Minimize customer effort
Customers should always make minimum effort to resolve their issues. So how do you achieve this? Think about simplifying processes so clients can quickly get the help they need. Either a single call or a more straightforward online process can be used to reduce frustration.
Integrate tools to answer popular questions for logistics improvement
Give customers quick answers to extensive FAQs. You can also use AI-powered chatbots or even automated delivery status updates. All these tools allow customers to serve themselves without waiting for support.
It is how your clients can use chatbots for different purposes:
Tracking of orders
Customer: Where is my package?
Chatbot: Sure, I can help you track that. Kindly provide me with your order number, and I'll look up your latest update.
Product suggestions
Customer: Can you recommend a gift for my friend?
Chatbot: Of course! Please tell me about your friend's interests, and I will recommend some popular items they might like.
Changing delivery address
Customer: Can I change my delivery address?
Chatbot: Please provide your order number, and let me check if we can update your delivery address. I'll guide you through the options if your order is already in transit.
Payment issues
Customer: My payment has been declined. What should I do next?
Chatbot: Let me check that for you. Please verify your payment details, and I can further assist you or connect you to a support agent if needed.
Refund status
Customer: Where is my refund?
Chatbot: Allow me to check that for you. Please provide your order number, and I will update you on your refund status.
Integrate all customer interactions into one unified system
We are talking about one CRM system where every team member can instantly access previous messages and issue history. Such systems provide fast and effective solutions to customer support. Many well-known logistics companies like DHL use them.
In the case of DHL, they used Salesforce Service Cloud to unify customer service across multiple touchpoints. These are email, phone, social media, and live chat channels.
The Salesforce Service Cloud platform unifies customer messages into one system. In this system, support agents can instantly view the complete history of customer messages. What does this mean? Customers do not have to repeat themselves. Their entire request history is already in front of the agents. This way, the customer support team can help faster. It increases satisfaction and strengthens customer loyalty.
4. Invest in employee training for logistics improvement
Good customer service starts with well-trained employees. So what should you do to achieve this? We recommend investing in regular training for your team on logistics industry trends. Agents should be updated with new technologies and the latest customer service strategies. This way, they will be able to handle emerging challenges more effectively.
Empower employees to make decisions on their own and be proactive. It will increase both the speed and efficiency of service.
It is also very important to create a customer-focused culture. Encourage continuous learning and actively ask customers for feedback on services.
At Simply Contact, we know how to improve customer service in logistics. We are proud of the successful projects we have supported. For example, we helped optimize customer service for a leading transportation and food delivery platform.
To provide the best customer support in logistics, you need professionals. At Simply Contact, we offer multilingual, quality customer support 24/7.
The company boasts 50 million customers worldwide and covers more than 40 countries. However, they lacked a more extensive and trained customer support team to provide high-quality customer service.
We helped them with chat and ticket channel support, building the company's reputation by offering quality customer service. Our team supported passengers, drivers, consumers, couriers, and suppliers. We promptly resolved issues and offered solutions, discounts, or compensation when needed. We also dealt with problems arising from unexpected situations.
This way, we increased CSAT from 64% in 2020 to over 80% in 2022, exceeding the industry benchmark.
5. Optimize last-mile delivery and flexibility
Last-mile delivery is an important stage for customer satisfaction. Optimizing delivery routes is becoming one of the main ways to avoid delays and increase the speed of the entire delivery.
Your logistics company will be able to deliver more goods to customers faster by using advanced routing technology. In addition, this technology offers flexible delivery windows and rerouting options. It gives customers more control over where and when their orders will arrive.
Another important aspect of gaining customer trust is a simple and hassle-free return and refund procedure. Simplify the return management process and provide quick refunds to reassure customers and increase loyalty.
6. Leverage technology for smarter service
Technology can greatly enhance customer support in logistics. Use AI-driven analytics to predict and prevent service disruptions timely. Automated alerts on order updates or changes keep customers notified in real-time. It helps to reduce their need for inquiries about their shipments.
Also, optimize mobile access for customers. They should be able to track their deliveries anytime and from any location for greater convenience and control. Introduce new features to provide faster service, ensure reliability, and improve customer experience.
7. Personalize the customer experience
Why is personalization so important for increasing customer loyalty? The point is that it makes each of your customers feel special. It is about the feeling that time has been allocated for you, that it is not only about financial relations.
How can you ensure personalization? First, you need to understand each client's specific needs. CRM systems can help you do this by tracking clients' preferences and past interactions.
Make your customers feel special with personalized communications, meaning customized updates and recommendations. You can also offer more flexible service options. For example, give customers a choice of convenient delivery times.
Continuously collecting and analyzing customer feedback allows for regular improvements. Take the time to do this. It will help you keep your services relevant to your customers. Strengthen your customer relationships by personalizing customer service.
8. Provide 24/7 support and global accessibility
Want the business to grow? It is important to serve a global clientele effectively. Provide multilingual support and round-the-clock customer service. It allows international customers to get the help they need at any time, no matter their location or language.
Offer omnichannel support through email, chat, phone, and messaging apps. Your clients should be able to reach out in the way that suits them best.
What else? Standardize the level of service in all regions. Thus, you will guarantee customers consistent and high-quality support.
9. Measure and refine performance for logistics improvement
There are several important performance metrics for tracking the success of customer support efforts. These metrics provide insight into how effectively your team is working. You can also find areas for possible improvement.
Resolution time (RT)
This metric calculates the average time taken to resolve customer inquiries or issues.
Formula
Resolution Time=Total Number of Issues Resolved/Total Time to Resolve All Issues
Monitor resolution time to understand where there is a lag in responding to customer complaints. With this info, you can streamline processes to get it right.
Customer satisfaction score (CSAT)
CSAT shows how satisfied the customers are with the service offered. The customers usually respond on a scale of 1-5 or 1-10.
Formula
CSAT=(Total Number of Customers Surveyed/Number of Satisfied Customers)×100
Higher CSAT scores indicate greater customer satisfaction. It is vital for customer retention and, of course, brand loyalty.
First contact resolution (FCR)
FCR measures the number of customer issues resolved on the first touch, so no follow-up is required from the customer.
Formula
FCR=(Total Number of Issues Resolved on First Contact/Total Number of Issues)×100
A high FCR rate means efficiency in solving problems and provides the best customer experience with the least wait time.
Net promoter score (NPS)
NPS measures loyalty based on customers recommending your service to others.
Formula
NPS=%Promoters−%Detractors
Promoters are customers who rate your service highly (usually 9-10), while detractors rate it poorly (0-6). A positive NPS indicates strong customer loyalty.
Conduct regular process audits for logistics improvement
In addition to tracking these metrics, conduct regular audits of your internal processes. It will help you identify inefficiencies and improve your customer service. What do we mean by such audits? Measuring the time it takes to complete specific tasks or assessing the effectiveness of automated systems in place.
Foster a data-driven culture in your business
It’s important for your entire team to have this mindset of continuous improvement based on data-driven insights. It will enable agents to make better, more informed decisions and quickly adapt to their customers’ needs.
By tracking performance metrics, logistics companies can stay one step ahead. It will allow you to improve service delivery and customer satisfaction. Analyze your KPIs to adjust your strategies, meet customer expectations, and maintain high service standards.
Conclusion
In any business, including logistics, it is important to understand that the customer is king. Who wins in the market? The one who pays more attention to the quality of service invests in the right technology, trains staff, and reacts quickly to problems.
Ready to transform your customer experience?
At Simply Contact, we understand logistic challenges and will serve your clients effectively. If you want to know how to improve customer service in logistics, contact us today.
