Within today’s competitive eCommerce landscape it’s essential businesses offer a reliable delivery service and secure online transactions if they want their online store to survive and thrive.
Customers have increasingly high expectations when it comes to their online shopping experience and, if an SME doesn’t deliver the goods within this competitive eCommerce landscape, people will simply shop elsewhere.
Jane Cay, founder of women’s fashion online retailer Birdsnest.com.au, implemented best practice customer service systems to ensure her business thrives. These include personalised and speedy delivery options, easy returns and ongoing customer service.
After working with Australia Post to improve its supply chain, Birdsnest.com.au has gone from having a minor retail presence in the small town of Cooma (NSW) to posting more than 1000 packages on an average day.
“It’s very important to get a delivery done quickly,” says Cay. “When someone orders something today, they actually want it yesterday… Our business is all about trust. If we receive an order at 1pm it goes out that day every time.”
Establishing a customer’s trust is a crucial step that can only be achieved through reliable and speedy delivery, excellent customer support and evidence of secure payment systems.
“Customers simply want to receive their goods quickly with minimal fuss,” says Australia Post General Manager of Parcel Operations Efficiency Rebecca Burrows. “They want to be able to choose when, where and how they receive their order, whether that is at home or at work.”
To encourage repeat customers, it’s necessary to ensure an easy returns process at low cost and minimal effort. In addition, she says, tracking systems should be used to allow both the retailer and customer to view where an item is located during the delivery process.
“Good visibility of returned items is important for retailers and customers alike,” says Burrows. “Knowing where they are in the returns process at all times and then a quick and easy resolution in the form of an exchange or refund goes a long way towards keeping everyone happy.”
And as shoppers can’t see the person they are actually dealing with, clear recognisable symbols that provide visual reassurance of secure payments, such as SecurePay and PostPay, need to be established.
The days of being purely a desktop shopper are long gone. Today, customers also expect to be able to shop on a responsive, mobile-friendly site across all of their devices at any time, says Burrows. This behavioural preference for instant gratification also extends to customer support.
“Live chat, the ability to phone and the ability to instantly resolve issues is ideal. If the customer needs to leave the site or wait to have an issue resolved, the sale is lost,” says Burrows.
Giving customers the ability to track their parcels in real-time will also help minimise the influx of tracking-related customer service calls, freeing up time to offer greater service elsewhere, says Burrows. It’s just one of the simple ways a business can bolster their online sales.
For Cay, the automated elements are vital, but she still ensures a touch of personalisation in her approach to service. And while using live chat can improve the level of online customer service, she likes to really connect with her customers.
Finishing each package with a handwritten note, whether it is a customer’s first or 100th order, is truly appreciated by shoppers, says Cay.
“Over 80% of our orders come from returning customers, so we find our retention is very good.”
Upon delivery, the website’s Net Promoter Score (NPS) management tool encourages customers to leave feedback and rate how likely they are to recommend the business.
“It’s a way of gauging the satisfaction of our customers. Six months ago responses showed people were finding it costly to return goods. We’ve now implemented flat-rate returns with Australia Post to simplify and reduce the cost for our customers.
“Since then, all the negative feedback we were getting about that has dropped off.”
Australia Post and StarTrack are experts in supply chain management and end-to-end eCommerce solutions. For more information on how to build effective behind the scenes operations for your eCommerce service, visit startrack.com.au/advantage.
Written by: Thea Christie
Australia Post and StarTrack are experts in supply chain management and end-to-end eCommerce solutions. Visit the website for more information on how to build effective behind the scenes operations for your eCommerce service.
