Home delivery latest tool for quality customer service

July 15 and 16 were this year’s Prime Days. The days are promoted by Amazon to offer sales on products and services from their everexpanding inventory. Many other retailers large and small have taken the cue from Amazon and have offered sales both online and in physical locations on the same days.

There was another story last Monday and Tuesday worth noting. For weeks prior, there were a considerable number of retailers describing their delivery customer service. The delivery customer service was promoted in emails, television advertisements and nearly every marketing channel available to retailers.

You might recall, there were organizations on television offering delivery the next day. Customized paint colors that could be available the same day. Call or order online and a car battery will be ready for you to pick up. Among my favorites were the commercials of a timepressed person who backs their car into a designated location. Then a helpful store person loads the bags of items into the hatchback and the customer drives away. As depicted in the commercial it was more like a pit stop in an auto race than a shopping experience.

What we were observing is customer service, in these cases being used as a strategic advantage, originating from the logistical areas of the business. On its surface, there was no additional cost for the additional customer service. In the big picture, the customer is being offered choices as to what selection, payment flexibility and, now, delivery experience that suits them best, tailored to each interaction. One day someone is placing the purchased items in your car and the next day you are casually walking through the aisles in a traditional retail experience.

Retail has a long history of home delivery. There was at time when the ice man, the milk man and the insurance, encyclopedia and vacuum salespeople, among others, made regular stops at our homes. For the most part they have been replaced over time by technology and by evolving retail models.

The more recent adopters of traditional delivery customer service are the Chinese restaurants and pizza shops. We have seen innovation by these restaurant segments who are confronted with the added pressure of offering a product that is still warm when the customer takes delivery of their customized order.

The depth and diversity of customer service in the product delivery area has been growing for years. The availability of overnight delivery services has allowed sole proprietors to offer previously unheard of customer service logistics. You scale that model up and you have fulfillment companies handling all of the delivery logistics for

multiple organizations.

The exciting area to me, is that those firms that advertised their delivery capabilities had developed the internal processes/workflows, cost controls, information systems, telecommunications, customer experience models, problem resolution management and other business processes to the level of predictability that they felt comfortable that they compete on the basis of their customer service. Who said customer service is not exciting?

In previous columns, I have discussed how customer service is an educational opportunity at the customers’

smartphone. There is a role for customer service to blend smoothly with augmented reality. This announced competitive engagement in the logistics of product delivery to the customer in the manner and time of the customer’s choosing has broadened the competitive landscape.

Quality customer service continues to evolve and provide more competitive advantages every day.

Cornell Wright is an author, trainer, consultant and an Executive Coach at The Parker Wright Group Inc. in Stratford. The firm assists clients to increase their market share by improved customer service. He can be reached at 2033774226 or cornell@parkerwrightgroup.com.