Elevate customer support by choosing the right 3PL

Between a competitive retail market, rising shopper expectations and inflation, today's brands are expected to be present and address customer needs promptly. McKinsey's recent State of Customer Care Survey backs this up, highlighting customer care as a major opportunity for businesses and a direct way to drive customer loyalty.

One area this stands out is in customer support programs, where brands can provide relevant and accurate responses to customer queries, especially about sensitive matters such as order deliveries. Shoppers connect with support agents via email, social media, chat and by phone for everything from order status queries to missing items and shipping delays.

To enable first-touch resolution across these channels, support agents need quick access to logistics data. However, without real-time visibility into inventory levels, order statuses, and return statuses, a brand's support agents are left in the dark and shoppers are left unsatisfied.

Fortunately, tech-forward, third-party logistics (3PL) providers can help boost customer support teams by unlocking access to their logistics data, leading to greater brand trust, customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Here's what to know:

A 3PL can make or break a shopper's overall experience
Order fulfillment and last-mile deliveries are critical components of the overall shopper experience. In fact, these last touches along the customer journey have so much pull that if things go wrong, they can actually cancel out the good experiences that came before them. By partnering with a 3PL, brands entrust the swift and accurate picking, packing, shipping and returning of orders to an outside source.

On top of that, shoppers want accurate order information from the moment they hit "buy." So, it comes as no surprise shoppers also expect brands to provide precise information, quick responses and solutions when things go wrong. With support teams fielding order and shipping queries all day long, agents need quick access to their 3PL's data. This visibility gives support agents the insight needed to answer questions and quickly resolve shopper issues.

3PLs help customer support programs stay on track, maintain satisfaction rates
At the heart of any logistics operation, and therefore a brand's support program, are metrics that can reveal system-wide efficiencies and issues. For fulfillment, consider order fill rate, pick accuracy, order cycle time, and on-time shipping rate, to name a few. When it comes to last mile delivery, on-time-in-full (OTIF), delivery success rate, and customer satisfaction scores are key things to keep an eye on. If all is running smoothly, a brand's metrics will fall within their set ranges. However, if the data falls outside its range, it could be a sign that something's wrong — be it order delays or steady mis picks.

With real-time data from their 3PL, brands can pinpoint systemic problems and take fast action to correct course. That's why it's critical that 3PLs build strong connections with a brand's customer support program and integrate with their systems to provide transparency and help uncover, and resolve, any issues that arise. The result? Brands can head off problems early and avoid unnecessary dips in shopper satisfaction.

Finding the right 3PL partner can boost a customer support program
Brand trust, customer satisfaction and loyalty — there's a lot riding on finding the right 3PL partner. But keep in mind these partnerships go beyond warehousing, picking, packing and shipping orders. They're rooted in collaboration and communication to ensure the shopper experience remains positive.

This starts with a 3PL taking the time to get to know a merchant's needs and pain points to build a strong customer support foundation. Conversely, brands should do their due diligence to get to know the ins and outs of how a prospective 3PL partner operates. It starts by asking 3PLs if they can provide visibility into their operations. That is, what metrics are they willing to share? Can they integrate into external customer support programs? Are they collecting data? And, if so, are they leveraging data insights to identify flawed processes, efficiencies and areas for improvement?

From resolving order issues to tracking and returns, shoppers want fast, convenient and effective support. By providing visibility into their operations, 3PLs can help brands select the right partner and improve their customer support efforts, while simultaneously elevating shopper satisfaction.