In 2024, customers have all the power. And their experience, either good or bad, can make or break your business. So how can you ensure they walk away from your company feeling satisfied? The answer is fulfillment. Today we’ll outline 10 ways optimizing order fulfillment can help improve customer experience.
What is Customer Experience?
Customer experience (or CX) is a person’s impression of your brand after interacting with you at any stage of their buying journey. This can include interactions with your product, a customer service representative, your website or app, marketing materials, and more. Their overall feelings about your brand determine whether they shop with you again.
Why Does CX Matter?
Consumers have high expectations for eCommerce brands. They want fast shipping, up-to-date tracking data, and simple returns. If you fail to meet these expectations with slow delivery, inaccurate orders, damaged goods, or poor communication, they will remember.
In fact, 17% of people say they will no longer shop from a brand after one bad experience. This shows how every touchpoint has the potential to turn someone away for good. Improving CX is crucial to building customer loyalty and establishing a follower base.
When you invest in CX, it will help your business grow, deepen your relationships with your customers, and build trust. It also increases revenue, as 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a positive customer experience.
So how do you provide a great customer experience? It starts with fulfillment.
Optimizing Fulfillment To Improve Customer Experience
You want to leave your customers feeling satisfied at every stage of their buying journey. This means optimizing your entire funnel, from their first interaction with your company to the final delivery and beyond. The best way to improve customer experience is to learn how to improve the order fulfillment process.
1. Orders
Let’s start at the beginning—your website. For many people, this is their first interaction with your brand, and you want to make a good impression. Make sure your site is user-friendly, well-designed, and easy to navigate. The ordering process should be as straightforward as possible, with different shipping options available for your customers.
Jay Group partners with Fenix Commerce to provide estimated delivery dates at checkout. When you can guarantee timely delivery and set clear expectations, this helps drive customer experience and conversion. See their success in action.
2. Delivery
Managing order fulfillment on your own can be overwhelming. Instead, partner with a 3PL for efficient and accurate delivery.
Fast shipping leads to higher customer satisfaction, which improves their experience and perception of your business. We also have relationships with shipping carriers, getting us the best rates and priority support.
3. Product Returns
While no eCommerce business likes product returns, it’s an inevitable part of the industry. Use this as a way to stand out from the competition by making returns smooth and hassle-free. Have a clear policy that makes it simple for customers to get a refund or exchange an item.
You can even offer prepaid return labels, so people feel more confident when buying something new—whatever it takes to eliminate the barriers to purchasing. At Jay Group, our reverse logistics services streamline the entire returns process.
4. Customer Service
Another crucial way to improve customer experience is by offering multiple channels of support. When people come to you with issues about their order, handling them quickly and professionally is key. Whether you offer email, phone, or online chat support, ensure you monitor the channel and solve problems efficiently.
5. Inventory Management
Always have the right products in stock for your customers. If you struggle with inventory management, partnering with a 3PL can be a game changer. Our warehouse technology and management systems can promise inventory accuracy rates of 99.9%. Get real-time data on your inventory levels and avoid delays that come with stockouts or overstocking a product.
6. Brand Packaging
Don’t just ship an order—make your brand the star and transform the unboxing experience into something unforgettable. Product and order packaging is an opportunity to make your company stand out and cement your brand identity in the minds of your consumers. You can even use packaging to promote your values through the use of eco-friendly materials or creative design.
7. Personalization
Want to know how to improve the order fulfillment process? Show your customers you care through personalized packaging and product bundling. This makes your customers feel more appreciated and increases the perceived value of their order. It can even lead to user-generated content on social media!
You can incorporate personalization through custom package design, branded materials, stickers, notes, and custom inserts. We work with UnDigital to provide personalized marketing inserts for orders. Customized print pieces help your brand increase reorder rates, brand loyalty, and revenue. You can even split test different creatives and track analytics.
8. Transparency
In everything you do, transparency should come first, from shipping costs and delivery times to product information and marketing messages. This builds trust with your audience, so they have more confidence in you as a brand.
But even so, some things are out of your control. When problems arise, always communicate to get ahead of the issue and work to fix the mistake as quickly as possible.
9. Customer Loyalty
Fulfillment isn’t just shipping orders. It’s fostering a relationship with your best customers. One way to do this is with a loyalty program. Retain current customers by offering special deals, coupons, discounts, shipping options, and more.
When people feel appreciated, they are more likely to return to your business. And when people return again and again, you increase their lifetime value. It all begins with building customer loyalty through fulfillment.
10. Automation and Technology
The last (and most effective) way to improve customer experience is with fulfillment technology. Avoid bottlenecks and free up your valuable time by automating repetitive tasks like inventory management. Invest in barcode scanners, conveyor belts, order tracking technology, warehouse management systems, and other software to upgrade the entire fulfillment process.
Relying on technology is the best way to improve your warehouse efficiency, accuracy, and workflow. Focus on building a system that is well-managed and organized so you can limit delays and mistakes at every step.
Measuring Customer Experience
There are several metrics to analyze when gauging customer experience. Your business goals and available resources will determine what matters to you most. Here are our top three ways to measure CX.
1. Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
CSAT scores are gathered through surveys where customers can rate their satisfaction with a brand. To get a full picture of their overall experience, gather data at multiple touchpoints on their journey.
2. Net Promoter Score® (NPS)
This is a market research metric that measures the percentage of customers that would recommend your business. To discover your NPS, send a survey for users to rate how likely they are to recommend the brand to a friend on a scale of 1-10.
Respondents are then grouped into categories: promoter (9 or 10), passive (7 or 8), or detractor (0 to 6). You can calculate your NPS with the following formula:
% promoters – % detractors = Net Promoter Score®
3. Average Resolution Time
Our final method for measuring customer experience is by analyzing the average time it takes to solve a problem. The clock starts when a customer first contacts support, and it ends when the issue is fully resolved. Calculate the average resolution time by:
Total resolution time for all tickets in an 8-hour period / number of tickets in that same period
CX shouldn’t be an afterthought. Streamline your fulfillment process and improve customer experience by partnering with Jay Group.
