Customer expectations from online courier service
There is a huge gap between what customers want and what the online courier services are offering. The delivery experience and speed are the most common expectations; however, courier services that claim to be "professional courier services" are failing to fulfill these expectations. Let’s understand what the expectations of the customers are and what motivates the customer to choose a particular courier service and how these expectations can be fulfilled.
Who are the customers of the online courier services?
Millennials – They want fast delivery
Half of the Indian population is millennials who want everything quick and instant. With a spending power worth $10 trillion over their lifetimes, millennials are the biggest slice of the consumers. (Forbes). As per a report from McKinsey & Co, the younger consumers (millennials) are more inclined (just over 30%) to use same day courier services over regular delivery. For the effortless ordering that they desire, the courier services offer the option to book courier online. But convenience is not enough, they want convenience with speed. For them, faster delivery means one day delivery and to avail instant delivery or one day delivery, almost 25% of consumers are willing to pay significant premiums. And because of the rising younger consumers, this share is expected to increase.
Affluent audience – Willing to pay for a better delivery experience
If the customer is rich and willing to pay higher on buying a product, they would like to have a delivery experience which ensures that the expensive items are delivered with care. They are willing to pay more for better delivery service.
Tech-savvy – These are early adopters of technology
People who are the most innovative and support technology want more and instantly. Whether it is food or entertainment or a courier pick up from a friend's place, they want it all at a click of a button. As per NTRS, the tech-savvy also known as the "explorers" are 41% of the consumers of the on-demand economy which includes on-demand courier services.
SMEs – Small and medium-sized business competing with big eCommerce companies
45% of India’s GDP is contributed by the SMEs, which is triple of what the corporates contribute. To be able to keep contributing they need to catch up with the expedited delivery that other big e-commerce businesses are offering. SMEs need to make sense of reasonable and substantial approaches to expedite delivery without affecting their key role of running a successful business. Delivery can be a muddled procedure and for a start-up, the best way is to complete it from a pro. They need the fastest courier service that can help them meet the faster delivery needs to be able to build customer loyalty.
What do these customers want? What are they looking for in their delivery service provider?
The young, tech-savvy, affluent and SMEs are looking for faster and better delivery solutions. It seems clear from the above definition of the various types of customers, what they want but let’s put it down in points to understand how their needs can be met by the professional courier services.
They want faster Delivery- Faster delivery means same day delivery. Most of the consumers do not book courier online when they are not offered same day delivery. Getting faster delivery is one of the reasons for building customer loyalty. Not only for customers but for small businesses that are competing with big eCommerce giants the expectation from a professional courier is to deliver faster.
Professionalism – There is another gap in the delivery expectations and the actual delivery methods. The difference is the service expected. The customer wants a professional courier service that offers exceptional service along with convenience and speed.
a. How it is delivered – The biggest difference is how the delivery is done. One of the key expectations is the security of the delivery. Each customer expects the delivery is not only done on-time but also undamaged. As mentioned earlier if the customer is spending money to buy an expensive product, he/she expects the delivery to ensure complete security. From the courier pick up to delivery, the customer wants complete safety and surety that the package would be delivered in one piece.
B. By whom it is delivered – The customers want delivery to be a great experience. Many companies use gigs to fulfill the unpredictable demand to ensure better cost. But customers now have started to observe an inconsistency in service standards. As a result, they are looking for a professional courier that takes time to invest in building a well-trained workforce to make deliveries. They want the delivery experience to be great and they can sense a genuine initiative to improve the quality of delivery service.
Real-time tracking – With everyone on phone looking for faster delivery services, they also want to be well aware of the status of the package. The customer today wants speed of delivery with the know-how of where the package is during the delivery. Even for SMEs, offering real-time tracking of the package to their customers through a reliable delivery partner can build trust for their brand. Delivery services like Pidge offer live tracking from courier pick up to delivery. At any given time, the customer can check the status of their package on their app.
Conclusion
For all types of customers, whether individual or SMEs, the requirement is clear; they need a professional, fast courier service that understands and meet their need for a better service provider. Courier companies like Pidge provide delivery solutions to SMEs so that they can build customer loyalty. To individuals as well as SME customers, they provide exceptional courier services through courier pickup from home done by highly trained delivery executives who are full-time employees and not gigs. Building customer loyalty without getting into the hassle of delivery management and cost helps small businesses grow and compete with established players.