The Final Stretch

If home delivery had an official mantra, “nobody’s perfect,” might be a fitting choice. Recent research suggests that the majority of consumers receive late or inaccurate deliveries 10 percent of the time, and that 1 in 10 e-commerce packages arrive damaged. These findings are hardly unusual. Most of us have had problematic delivery experiences. What may be surprising, however, is the degree to which your company should be concerned about them—and why it may pay to re-examine your approach to last-mile shipping and service in the year ahead.

The New Face of Last-Mile

The state of last-mile delivery today is much different than it was even a decade ago. Although many home care companies and their customers have routinely incorporated last-mile services for years, other businesses have only recently done so. This is largely due to the dramatic rise in online shopping, which is the fastest-growing sales channel for many U.S. industries. As a result, the demand for last-mile deliveries has grown significantly, as has the competition for reliable home delivery options—all at a time when the transportation industry is facing a critical truck driver shortage and increasing capacity constraints. Customer expectations have also increased dramatically—47 percent of consumers now pay more attention to shipping as a component of their overall buying experience than they did just a few years ago. And they want that experience to involve a formidable combination of speed, promptness and accuracy. For example:

• 40 percent will abandon their online shopping carts if they think a promised delivery time isn’t fast enough.
   
• 3 in 4 now expect same-day delivery for certain kinds of products.
   
• Nearly 70 percent will consider shopping elsewhere if an order doesn’t arrive within 48 hours of when it was promised.
   
• Approximately 16 percent will stop doing business with a company if it gets even one of their orders wrong.

The Higher Stakes of Home Care Delivery

HME customers are obviously purchasing different kinds of products for different reasons than many of these newer last-mile consumers. Even so, the chances are good that they have equally high delivery standards, and a compelling reason that your company should do everything in its power to meet them. After all, the consequences of a late, damaged or wrong home care product delivery are considerably more serious than that of a television, book or new toy. No home care company wants to be the cause of a patient having to remain in a hospital or rehabilitation center longer than necessary because its shipping provider neglected to drop off the necessary equipment and supplies in a timely manner. Nor does it want to create additional stress for caregivers, who are already juggling myriad administrative and nursing demands.

A More Careful Approach

Whether your company expects to expand its use of alternate sales channels or is already competing for last-mile services, the time is ripe to make sure your shipments and customers won’t have to wind up taking a number. Just as important, there’s no time like the present to adopt a more proactive approach to last-mile customer care by pursuing service and performance improvements. Delivery timing—Few consumers enjoy being confined to their homes for hours on end waiting for a shipment to arrive, especially if they’ve already had their lives disrupted by medical issues. Companies that can shorten—and consistently meet—their last-mile delivery windows will be performing a good turn for both their customers and their brand. Additionally, so can companies willing to provide customers with a courtesy call, text or email when the delivery truck is 30 minutes to an hour away from their home. Value-added services—When it comes to delivering equipment that requires assembly, it’s important to remember that not every customer was born with a do-it-yourself gene, and that even caregivers with that skill may be too time-challenged to use it. By offering product setup, assembly and installation as a delivery service option (where permissible by state law), or by finding a last-mile service provider that can, companies will shorten a caregiver’s to-do list at a time when every helping hand is appreciated. Last-mile visibility—Remarkably, even in today’s ultra-connected world, many manufacturers and retailers still track products only until the time they’re loaded onto a last-mile delivery truck. This leaves a 50- to 100-mile, multihour blind spot during the time it takes a product to travel to a customer’s home for delivery. And that can pose a problem if a delivery truck ends up delayed and a customer calls looking for an accurate ETA. Companies that are willing to invest in a higher level of last-mile connectivity can give customers a far better sense of control and peace of mind that items will indeed be delivered in a timely manner. They will also save considerable time for their customer service representatives, who would otherwise handle such queries manually. Post-delivery surveys—It goes without saying that most home care product companies want the delivery professionals handling their products to treat each home delivery customer with courtesy, compassion and friendliness. However, the only way to truly guarantee such treatment is to supervise home delivery professionals as consistently and closely as possible. And short of having a supervisor ride along on every delivery, the only way to do that is to ask customers about their delivery experiences. These surveys don’t have to take long, nor do they have to be administered by a customer service rep; in fact, automated phone surveys, which are less expensive to administer, frequently have a higher response rate. However, they do need to be administered on a widespread basis (every customer rather than just a small percentage) because each home delivery and customer experience is unique, and even one unhappy customer who slips through the cracks is one too many. Just as important, any negative service results these surveys uncover must be acted upon immediately. If they’re not, companies will merely be providing the illusion of caring about delivery quality—and essentially giving delivery professionals permission to repeat their less-than-perfect behavior during future deliveries. Whether it’s offering dissatisfied customers a gift card to apologize for a team’s tardiness or correcting the behavior of professionals who failed to treat customers with respect, it’s essential that companies let all concerned parties know they’re truly watching and they care. In today’s hotly competitive business world, there’s no doubt that first efforts and first impressions count for a lot—but so do last ones. If your company recognizes this, it could find itself on the road to far greater success and brand protection than others who don’t. If not, you’re providing a perfect window of opportunity for your competitors.