It's no secret. Peak season offers brands a huge opportunity to increase sales and maximize revenue. But this year more than ever, companies need to keep the customers they attract during peak season. Those that can will reap significant rewards. Harvard Business School found that "increasing customer retention rates by just 5% increases profits from 25% to 95%." So how can brands achieve this?
According to Microsoft, "96% of consumers worldwide say customer service is an important factor for brand loyalty." So, to keep customers coming back after peak season, brands need to uphold the same high standard of service on their busiest days. But peak season can cause a huge strain on support staff due to an influx of 'Where is my order' (WISMO) calls. To combat this, a growing number of retailers are investing in their post-purchase experience.
Deliver Proactive Communication
Reduce customer service inquiries during peak season by removing the need for it. Communicate proactively with customers from pre-dispatch to delivery and beyond to provide all necessary information. In effect, answer the customer's question before they have the chance to ask it.
Use Operations Experience Management to send bespoke, informative and branded messages to keep customers informed. Reflect on your sales journey to identify milestones to communicate with customers. Use data to prioritize these milestones by analyzing when you receive the most calls, what they relate to, and what issues customers highlight most. Create a communication workflow that better suits customer needs. Once touchpoints are planned, add relevant, valuable content to each interaction to improve engagement rates and reduce service inquiries.
Provide an Order Status Page
Sending an order confirmation is standard procedure. However, the majority of brands are not taking advantage of this customer interaction. Instead of simply reviewing what the customer has ordered and when it will be delivered, retailers should add embedded content.
An Order Status page is a customized landing page that provides customers with instant, real-time details about their order. Order Status pages can be fully branded and integrated into your online shop, automatically driving traffic back to your store rather than a third-party site. Customer data can personalize each touchpoint.
Using an Order Status page reduces inbound call rates by giving customers specific details about their order, delivery, and real-time updates. This helps customer support teams manage busy peak season. Customers confident that changes will be communicated proactively feel no need to call in.
Leverage Technology for the Best Service Experience
Communicate proactively with customers to give them needed information in advance. This reduces inbound inquiry rates during peak season. Drive customers to self-service landing pages or social media support to ease strain on customer service teams. This leaves customers with a positive experience, making them confident to reuse and recommend your service repeatedly.
By investing in proactive post-purchase communication, retailers can significantly reduce customer service inquiries during peak season while simultaneously improving customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Ready to transform your post-purchase experience?
See how parcelLab can help you turn every delivery and return into a loyalty-building moment.