In 2022, 71% of businesses believed that incorporating a 3PL into their organization improved customer satisfaction. Finding an efficient 3PL company is one thing, but finding one that helps enhance the customer experience is quite another.
In this blog, we’ll highlight how the best 3PL company for eCommerce businesses not only reduces order times and gives you full access to analytics, but also helps you improve your customer’s experience.
Consider The Consumer Experience
With a brick-and-mortar store, it’s easier for a customer to trust the product and brand. But online eCommerce stores need to work a little harder to ensure a consumer trusts that they’re getting the right product, on time, and in great condition.
A successful eCommerce business is all about creating a great customer experience. And you may be thinking, how does my 3PL company play a part in this? The customer experience isn’t complete until the product is with the customer. This is where a 3PL company comes into play.
A personalized experience is another key characteristic of a successful consumer experience. However, even if your product isn’t personalized to the customer, you can still create unique, customized packaging or insert to get the customer excited to receive your product.
A majority of 3PL companies are there to help you with the numbers, making sure there’s accurate data in your warehouse that gets your product to its final destination. But what happens when something goes wrong? How can you bridge the gap between your fulfillment and building a memorable experience for your consumers?
At Jay Group, we’re more than just a company that will get your product from point a to point b. We’re going to help your consumers order available items, get their products faster, and give them an easy return process if necessary.
Below, we’ll go through some vital steps of the customer experience and how it connects to choosing the best 3PL for eCommerce.
Ensure There’s Reliable Inventory Management
There’s nothing more frustrating to online users than when they see a product they really like, order it, and come to find out it’s actually sold out. When this happens, it’s known as inventory discrepancy or backorder. This occurrence not only negatively affects your customer satisfaction but will cut your profit margins.
This is why having a reliable inventory management system is crucial to your customer satisfaction. This accuracy is essential to keep a positive brand reputation and retain customers.
At Jay Group, our warehouse management systems can help you handle supply chain discrepancies and give you real-time data on your inventory levels. With this real-time information, you virtually eliminate the chances of inventory shortages and shrinkages.
Look for Reliable Shipping Times
Once the product is ordered, another step in the customer service process is providing a timeline of how long it will take for the product to arrive. Oftentimes, the dedicated shipping time makes or breaks a customer’s decision to purchase the product. Again, the important part here is giving accurate timelines.
Without a 3PL advantage, you may see that customers are getting frustrated and things are taking longer than expected. Consider how a customer would feel if they specifically paid extra for express shipping, only to not receive their package on time due to a miscalculation on your end.
By providing accurate shipping information, you’ll start to build brand loyalty and trust. Your customers can depend on you to get their products on time with minimal delays. Additionally, a significant advantage of 3PL logistics is that it can help you reduce shipping costs and ultimately shipping times.
Excelling in Order Cycle Time
This metric is known as what means delivered in full, on time (DIFOT)? Delivered in full, on time (DIFOT) or on time, in full (OTIF) measures the delivery performance in a supply chain and how often a customer gets what they want at the time they want it. Once you are familiar with this KPI, you’ll have a better understanding of the efficiency of your warehouse and can give accurate depictions of the product’s shipping time.
When the order cycle time is high, it leads to fulfillment delays and longer delivery times, which ultimately negatively impacts your customer satisfaction. Qualified 3PL providers can help you decrease this metric and make your warehouse more efficient.
Decreased Shipping Distances
There are different shipping zones that warehouses use to determine how far the package must travel. By partnering with a 3PL company, you can have multiple, strategic locations that help you minimize the distance a package must travel.
Jay Group’s warehouse locations are intentionally placed on the east and west coast to provide efficient shipping routes and faster delivery times. In the map below, you can see where the sites are located and the number of shipping days it can take us to reach your customers.
More Accurate Shipping Strategies
Third-party logistics companies have a clear understanding of the most efficient way to ship your products. This means you don’t have to scramble to ensure you’re keeping up with the latest costs and strategies. Instead, you can focus on growing your business.
Customer-Focused Returns Management
Have you ever heard that it’s just as important to handle negative feedback and comments as it is to respond to positive ones? The same applies here. There will be times a consumer doesn’t like the product, or it doesn’t fit so they need to return it. How your company handles returns can also impact your customer satisfaction and retention.
The return process for your consumers should be customer-friendly, stress-free, and straightforward. When return policies are complicated and hard to understand, a consumer will become frustrated and likely not want to purchase from you in the future.
As more and more consumers are purchasing online, we are also seeing an increase in returns. In 2021, online retail returns averaged 20.8% which is an increase from the previous year. With the rise of online shopping, it’s important to have a plan in place for when these returns occur.
When you partner with an experienced third-party logistics company, we can help you assess the marketability of each return so not every return is a loss to your business. Jay Group can also provide appropriate kitting services that help make unpacking and repacking a more efficient process.
Offer a Personalized Experience
In a brick-and-mortar store experience, a worker can learn more about a customer and help them tailor their cart to fit their needs. That looks a bit different in the digital realm, but it’s still important to create that personal experience.
So when you’re looking for the best 3PL for eCommerce, find one that can personalize packages with kitting services. Your consumer should feel important and valued anytime they receive your package. Take Gainful for example, they provide a monthly, personalized subscription box that’s customized based on the consumer’s fitness goals.
At Jay Group, we can exceed your organization’s and customer’s expectations by creating a custom brand experience. Through personalized packaging or bundling complementary products together, you can get users excited about your product.
Direct Account Support
Meeting your customers where they’re at is essential for eCommerce success. But there are times that your fulfillment program may go awry and you need help yourself to prevent it from affecting your customers. Working with a responsive 3PL partner ensures your company never has to face these challenges alone.
Our team of experts is here to fully support you in the set-up and integration of Shopify and other platforms, so your fulfillment process is constructed properly from the start. Additionally, you’ll always have a main point of contact you can call at Jay Group. We also ensure that person is located in the same building as your product. That way you can get real-time information and support when you need it. (No long wait times using a chatbot, frustration figuring out a ticketing system, or outsourced customer support calls.)
Go beyond the numbers and enhance your customer experience by working with the best 3PL company for your eCommerce business!
