Take care of deliveries, they are one of the most critical phases.
The delivery of a product is the culmination of the sales process and we must take great care of it. That is why we must take into account all your circumstances, such as availability, location and schedules.
The products have to be available when the customer requests them, otherwise the sale or even the customer may be lost. In addition to the product, it is essential to confirm the customer’s availability at the time of delivery.
On the other hand, in many market segments, delivery time is a more differentiating factor than quality and price. In fact, this has been one of the biggest innovations introduced by Amazon: reducing delivery times and also making deliveries where and when it suits the customer best.
If the delivery of our products is made by an external carrier to our company, we have to take equal or more care. We must try to have as much visibility as possible about the delivery conditions, since it is us who the customer will call if something gets complicated.
Check that the product has been received correctly.
In many cases it is relatively easy to check that the customer has received the product in the appropriate conditions: In good condition and at the scheduled time. Other times it is not so simple, for example if the delivery is made by a carrier outside our company. In this case, we must wait for the delivery notification to arrive. But we must always confirm that our products have been delivered correctly.
If this has not been the case, you must react before receiving a customer complaint, you must anticipate the problem and seek a solution as soon as possible: pick up the defective product, send one in good condition as soon as possible, call with an apology, etc.
Again Amazon, a pioneer in home sales, is a benchmark in this matter, as it offers an entire web page dedicated to “Help and Customer Service” in which you can request a return or exchange in a simple way, with multiple options: Return or replace product, incorrect product or quantity, product received in error, order not placed, etc.
