Visibility is elementary for good decision making. If you know a problem and its cause in detail, you can solve it better. Relating this to post-purchase process optimization, the more you know about the backend, the more likely you are to deliver on promises and win new customers. Problems in logistics can be solved, inefficiencies do not go unnoticed, and areas for improvement and redistribution can be identified. If the insights gained are implemented, the customer’s view of a brand can improve enormously.
In this article, you’ll learn how to create greater visibility in the post-purchase space to increase efficiency and gain competitive advantage.
A) Create an overview using information and data
If one deals intensively with order and delivery data, it is possible to gain a unified overview of what is going on operationally down the line. This information can put you in an ideal position, as you can identify necessary changes that will in turn improve processes. By tracking network performance trends over time, you can improve workflows and optimize the customer delivery experience.
B) Make informed decisions about resource allocation
Fortunately, gaining visibility into high-level operations and drill-down capabilities that allow you to make better decisions is not a highly complex task. Looking more closely at order and delivery data, one can see exactly where to allocate resources to a) avoid potential problems and b) achieve maximum efficiency. For example, if there are more delivery delays in a particular location, one can take a closer look at the corresponding distribution center and determine the cause.
C) Identify customer concerns before they become major problems
Suppose a distribution center has a higher volume of orders than expected and therefore there is a risk that the promised delivery date cannot be met. If the inevitable is known before it becomes a customer service nightmare, it is possible to nip the whole thing in the bud by requesting additional support in time or upgrading the delivery at no extra cost to the customer.
D) Prepare results for the boss
What is shown to the boss when performance does not meet customer expectations? What exceptions keep occurring over the months? Where can logistics be optimized and improved across the board? A robust back-end reporting solution with built-in filters can help identify the important and specific data and report accordingly from what the executive team wants to know.
Especially now, with peak retail sales, this kind of visibility is necessary to ensure that customers experience a positive brand experience.![]()
How can retailers bring more visibility to operations? Here are a few best practice tips to get the ball rolling:
- Use disparate data systems to get a complete picture of what’s happening-including delivery data, order data, customer feedback, and post-purchase engagement.
- Ensure status codes are standardized so that all shipping phases and exceptions are covered across the full range of carriers available.
- Create easy-to-understand dashboards to analyze and document every aspect of the post-purchase journey.
With greater visibility over post-purchase operations, you can better position yourself to prevent logistics issues and ensure customers are satisfied with their experience. Curious? We regularly collect this data to enable our customers to optimize their post-purchase experience without much effort. Get in touch with us contact.
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