A survey reveals that shippers still have a way to go when it comes to post-purchase. With the use of a suitable software, shippers can build up their own track-and-trace systems, which automate many tasks and provide their B2B customers with the latest information on an ongoing basis. This improves transparency and customer loyalty.
Post-purchase communication: what is this?
Post-purchase communication is a means to strengthen customer loyalty and to optimise the experience along the customer journey. This extended purchasing process kicks in at the moment when the goods are on their way to the B2B buyer. The shipper keeps the customer up to date on the shipment using the shipper’s own track and trace. This many encompass information about the current position of the shipment, any possible delays or the most current scheduled delivery time.
Room for improvement when it comes to online retailers and logistics service providers
Just how important post-purchase is to European customers can be seen in the joint “E-Commerce Delivery Report” from the parcel track-and-trace provider Parcel Perform and the experience management platform Zenloop. The report showed that there is only a slight interplay between customer loyalty and the actual delivery period.
And indicator of this is the Net Promoter Score. It measures how much consumers would recommend goods or services to others. For instance, in Austria, there is a relatively long time of 3.7 days between sending and receiving, yet the average Net Promoter Score was 74. This is the best score within the survey. In Germany, parcels needed much less time, just 2.6 days, but the Net Promoter Score reached just 70 in this case.
The comparison among the countries examined (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Sweden and the UK) shows the following main reasons for such low customer satisfaction when it comes to package shipments:
- Incorrect delivery times (43.5 per cent)
- Not delivered or missing parcels (23.7 per cent)
- Poor service from the logistics providers (22.4 per cent)
- Lack of information about the delivery process after purchasing (8.7 per cent)
All in all, this proves that there is room for improvement in several respects, which can be achieved with dedicated post-purchase communication.
Post-purchase using specialised tools
The above-mentioned result shows: companies should dedicate a large portion of their attention to the way a shipper works, as they have an impact on B2B customer satisfaction. All possible measures and points for ensuring improvement are offered by, for instance:
- Frequently checking the quality of the logistics provider
- Sending precise shipment data to the customer
- Passing on information about changes and delays
For this purpose, there are specialised communication tools for post-purchase. Their creators gain the required data about the shipment, tracking and tracing, directly from the transport service providers and forward this information to their customers.
With the use of post-purchase programs, online retailers and logistics companies can build up their own individual track-and-trace systems. Such systems can not only be designed to feature the company’s individual corporate design, but also be expanded with further information. Options include conversion drivers such as hints about related products or style variants of the goods ordered, review and comment functions, and service offers such as weather forecasts.
The latest news about the delivery can be called up at any time by the B2B customer via the track-and-trace site. Post-purchase software also enables them to be automatically informed. The programs feature several dozen pre-defined phrases which can be sent out automatically as needed for the situation. In addition to status reports, these include incentives for the customer to provide data for an improved customer journey. Such as via questions like “Are you satisfied with your order and the delivery?”. What’s also possible are reminders to pick up the goods from a Packstation or similar set-up, before they are returned. This can take place on several channels, including via text message, email or WhatsApp messages as well as social media.
However, post-purchase is not only a good marketing tool for increasing customer loyalty. At the same time, it serves as a transparent communication tool for reduced efforts related to questions in customer service and it lowers the number of returns.
