In 2022, office technology and supplies shopping is done on the phone, over email or online…
Global IT and office product sales are predicted to hit $5 trillion in 2022; making it more important than ever to ensure the shopping experience (no matter the platform) is smooth from start to finish.
Shipping and delivery doesn’t always go smoothly. From supply chain issues to weather disruptions, many factors can cause packages to arrive late, causing customer frustration and brand mistrust.
So how can brands sustain their success even during delivery delays?
Research by Mitto (a leading omnichannel communication company) found that 93% of respondents would be more patient about delays if a brand were already associated with great customer service.
More surprisingly, 45% of respondents would wait up to two weeks for their delivery if they received outstanding customer service during the holdup.
The survey revealed that the experience of receiving a product is as important as the product itself.
Whilst a supplier isn’t solely responsible for delays caused by manufacturing delays, logistical delays, or extreme events. They are responsible for transparency and sympathy toward the customer.
Which means early, open, and ongoing communication is key before and during delivery delays.
Over half of the survey respondents stated that if their customer experience was good, they’d keep doing business with a brand despite a shipment delay.
However, if the experience was poor, 38% would jump ship.
Furthermore, 76% of participants believe a bad customer experience is worse than a shipping delay.
We try to ingrain three simple (but powerful) traits within our team members:
- Tell customers the truth. They can handle the truth. What they can’t handle is lies.
- Always put yourself in the shoes of the customer, when dealing with any situation.
- Keep the customer informed of any issues. Telling them nothing is the worst thing to do.
We’ve also tried to minimise delivery delays by doing our own local deliveries (within 30-miles), and if an item is in stock, we’ll deliver it the same day if the order is placed before 11am on working days.
We’re reliant on couriers too for orders further afield, making it vitally important our team abide by our three simple (but powerful) traits to keep customers informed of any delays.
Finally, 60% of survey respondents said they’d feel better if a brand personally reached out to them during a delivery delay.
…proving most people don’t want to be left in the dark!
