Customer Experience in Delivery with The Postal Hub Podcast’s Ian Kerr (episode 124)
by April Buencamino-dyIan Kerr is the founder and host of the Postal Hub Podcast and is somewhat obsessed with delivery.
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Ending Up in the Delivery World
Ian’s mother owned a post office, and as soon as he was old enough, he was already working there. He has also worked for a post office agents’ association, which represents post office owners in Australia.
About seven years ago, he started The Post Hub Podcast and has also ventured into video via his series, The Last Mile Prophets, on YouTube.
Improving Customer Experience in Delivery
Because delivery is your touch point with the customer, you have to make sure you provide your customer with an amazing experience.
Something to look at is the number of delivery options you have, and this would include timeframe delivery. Aside from this, give your customers the right kind of delivery information as well.
Going Into Green Delivery
Ian says it’s important for the delivery sector to come up with tools that will allow them to be transparent about the greenness of their delivery.
On the part of eCommerce retailers, they have to demand delivery companies to provide information about the environmental impact of each delivery option, so that it can also be shared with the consumers upon checkout.
Branded Delivery Updates
Today, eCommerce retailers want ownership of all their communications, and this includes delivery notifications.
What’s important to consider is providing your customer with the tools to make the first delivery attempt successful. This can mean giving them the ability to change their delivery choices while parcels are in transit.
In the UK, this is where the Interactive Delivery Management is handled by the courier themselves. Providing this added service may not be doable without passing the customer off to the courier’s app, but this can be the next level of branded updates for delivery.
Using the Right Delivery Tools
When it comes to delivery, new types of technology are always coming up. However, make sure you don’t get so caught up in the shiny new things that you overlook the tools that are already available and can produce the desired results.
In the case of getting the right address from your customer, force them to enter the correct address with dropdown menus rather than giving them a free hand in the address section. This is something basic, and there is no need to use a new tool or app just to get this right.
Insider Tips
If we’ve inspired someone to take their first step with customer experience – what do they need to know to give themselves the best chance of success?
When it comes to delivery, make sure you focus on the basics and get them right.
It’s great that with eCommerce now, there are no more borders and you can order items from overseas. This means that delivery plays a big part in the whole customer experience. So get your delivery basics right.
Once you’ve started of course you’ve got to ‘keep optimising’! So what’s your favourite way to improve customer experience performance?
Look at what others are doing, especially Amazon, and figure out the best practices when it comes to delivery.
If someone listening wants to learn more about customer experience is there one cheap/free resource you’d recommend?
Ian recommends two resources:
- His podcast, The Postal Hub Podcast
- The Last Mile Prophets on YouTube
In both, Ian talks about improving delivery and also emerging delivery technologies.
Crystal ball time – what’s coming up in the next 6-12 months that we should be getting ready for in customer experience?
Aside from rising prices, Ian says there’s going to be a continuous transformation of delivery with regard to sustainability.
There’s been a lot of greenwashing in the area of delivery. Ian is encouraging those involved in the eCommerce sector – such as business owners and decision makers – to pressure the delivery sector to improve its reporting and performance and to give you the right delivery options.
Interview Links
Ian on Social media:
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