Parcel - July 2008 - (Page 17)

turned anyway, it should wind up saving your company considerable money in the long run. Give Customers a Call tive but still usable product. Perhaps it’s a washing machine with a small dent on the side or a big-screen television with a tiny scratch on its frame. In these cases, the demeanor, skills and decision-making ability of your delivery team could be the tie-breaker between whether that customer winds up keeping his purchase or kicking it back. For example, if your drivers have white-glove training, they may be able to provide some minor cosmetic touchups that alleviate your customers’ concerns. Additionally, if your company authorizes your delivery team members to offer customers a slight damage allowance based on clearly defined parameters, you may find that customers are more willing to overlook the flaws and live with what you’ve delivered. This is returns gate-keeping at its most immediate, personal and effective. We’ve all heard stories from friends who stayed at home for a delivery only to have drivers arrive several hours late or miss the appointment altogether. And unfortunately many of them end with “and then I told them to cancel my order.” Precise timing really is everything in this day and age, when so many busy professionals have to make special arrangements to be at home to accept their weekday shipments. And callaheads can be especially useful for this purpose. By phoning customers the night before a scheduled delivery, your company can conﬁrm the time window your delivery team is aiming for and dialogue with your customers about any issues that might impact their availability. Then, by calling on the day of the delivery when your truck is 30 minutes to an hour away, you can not only gain Brownie points with customers who can’t afford to wait around for hours, you’ll also prevent your delivery team from wasting valuable time trying to deliver to “not at homes.” Should your company be unable to afford this level of customer service, there’s always the option of automated call-aheads or e-mails used in conjunction with a dedicated voice mail line or e-mail address that customers can contact if they need to change anything about their appointment. Every little thing you can do to minimize customer inconvenience truly helps. Don’t Underestimate the Value of Premium Services It’s easy to assume that premium service is all about timing, especially faster timing. However many manufacturers and retailers of furniture and other big-ticket items know that speed isn’t the only extra worth paying a little more for. By having your logistics professionals perform product touch-up at the DC and thoughtful services like dusting and cleaning as items are unloaded, you’ll help make deliveries look like the new products they are and diminish the possibility that your customer will think they’re getting a used or aging SKU. If you offer product set-up and installation (where permissible by state law) at the time of delivery, your company could help prevent a good portion of products that are returned simply because customers can’t ﬁgure out how to get their new purchases up and running. Ditto with product familiarization sessions; use your driver teams to give customers a brief tutorial on how complex products work, and those customers may be less likely to return a product simply because it’s got too many unintelligible bells and whistles. Admittedly, these services do go above-and-beyond many industry’s standards, with the price tag to match. However they’re still far less expensive than the extra transportation, accounting, product disposition and other activities associated with product returns. And if that isn’t a good return on your investment, I don’t know what is. Will O’Shea is chief marketing ofﬁcer of 3PD, one of the industry’s largest providers of last-mile logistics and delivery services for heavy goods. The company provides services in nearly 500 cities throughout North America. He can be reached at woshea@3pld. com or at 678/631-3361 July 2008 17 Inspect and Re-Inspect It’s inevitable: Products that are defective or clearly damaged are going to be returned — which is why it’s smart business to catch them as early as possible in the supply chain. This is especially true with big-ticket items. Make detailed product inspection a critical part of your distribution operations – both when you’re receiving new shipments of products at your DC and when they’re being loaded for delivery. At the very least, it will help you avoid the unnecessary expense of transporting a less-than-perfect product that expensive last mile and back again. While you’re inspecting, keep a careful eye on product packaging. Even if the product that’s inside is perfect, if your customer sees a box or crate that looks like it’s been through the wringers, she’s more likely to think you’re trying to drop off a ﬂawed item – and to ask your company to ship her another one. And don’t forget about inspecting for shipment accuracy. Many SKUs look alike, so as your team is loading shipments, it should be extra-sure that the make, color and model/style going on the truck are exactly what the customer ordered. Otherwise your DC will undoubtedly see that item again. Train Your Drivers to Be More than Just Drivers Even with careful inspection procedures, there may be times when your company inadvertently delivers a slightly defecwww.PARCELindustry.com http://www.PARCELindustry.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Parcel - July 2008

Parcel - July 2008 Contents Editor's Note What Would Augello Say? Arriving in One Piece Women in Logistics & Delivery Services Turning U-Turns into No Returns On the Mark New Products and Services Advertiser Index Wrap Up AFMS Best Way Technologies Blue Water Consolidators Cass Information Systems Distribution Management Group, Inc. Eastern Connection Endicia enVista Zsolt Design Engineering Genco Green Mountain Consulting Hasler Intravex NPI Parascript Precision Software Scancode Systems Inc. Vitronic

Parcel - July 2008

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