Homeward Inbound:Transparency in Transit is An Evolving Norm in Residential Logistics
By Len Batcha
President
Technical Transportation, Inc
It seems like everyone can’t stop talking about the Amazon Effect these days, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down any time too soon.
The ability for consumers to order virtually anything they want with the click of a button—and then to have it delivered to their doorstep in a matter of hours—has changed the way we purchase and sell forever.
It has also changed expectations about what residential logistics providers must do if their goal is to deliver high-quality services.
What’s realistic from a logistics perspective, however, isn’t always in sync with changing consumer expectations. Take, for example, rapid turn-around times. When white-glove delivery services are required, short-cycle turnarounds aren’t always feasible or even advisable, especially when larger or more complex equipment is involved.
The question then becomes how to keep consumers satisfied when it’s in their own best interest to allow a quality-driven process to evolve, even if instant gratification isn’t realistic.
The answer is for the shipper to be as transparent as possible throughout the ordering, transportation, delivery, and install process.
Residential Logistics Providers Need to Keep Buyers Informed
As consumers continue to expect personalized service on all fronts, there is a growing demand for transparency and information between pick-up, delivery and, in some cases, even installation.
It’s an especially important trend for those of us in the third-party, white-glove delivery arena. Where large and/or complex products are involved, there is much at stake, and the possibilities for damage are too high to ship expensive home furnishings, appliances, home-entertainment systems, or any other heavyweight product, without extra care and specialized expertise.
The issue, however, is that the average consumer has no real understanding of what the logistics process involves.
That’s why transparency in transit is important, and why demand for it continues to grow. Consumers who are increasingly used to getting goods at Mach speed are comforted when they know where their order is in the queue, and transparency allows them to check on their order’s status at any time.
What’s more, with the growing dominance of e-commerce and inbound marketing, consumers are now accustomed to receiving immediate feedback through automated communications that confirm their orders are in process.
There are many ways to keep buyers informed (and confident) during the shipment process for high-end residential logistics. All of them require comprehensive information and open communication between the shipper and the buyer.
Be sure to check out this example of how we handle challenging, high-end residential logistics projects in this latest case study.
