Ensuring that goods are safely delivered to the rightful owner is the ultimate goal at the end of the supply chain. However, problems that occur along the way can create a negative experience for customers. Before they become a cause of concern for your business, here are three common problems you need to know and how you can avoid them.

Forgery

Customers are usually provided with a Proof of Delivery (POD), a paper document, as a receipt of the delivery on which they would need to sign. These can be forged easily, which means that anybody can, unlawfully, receive an order on behalf of the authorised customer. Therefore, retailers are now switching to electronic versions of such documents (E-POD) where customers’ digital signatures are protected by multiple layers of encryption.

Yet, those who already have some levels of access to such private customer information such data can sign parcels off or adjust delivery timestamps, leaving customers waiting on a parcel that was, according to the system, digitally claimed. This was the case in the UK where MyHermes, a British parcel service that delivers 260 million orders a year, falsified delivery orders and marked them complete. This prompted authorities to investigate after customer complaints began to escalate. Such cases make it extremely dangerous for customers who are awaiting documents that are highly sensitive and expensive. To enhance security, more levels of identification and verification should be implemented to ensure that your parcels are rightfully delivered to the intended receiver. For instance, supply chains can put in place measures that require customers to complete an authentication process before they can receive their parcels. This prevents any unauthorised persons from signing off an order that they had not placed.

Unexpected deliveries

Not being able to receive their parcels can put customers off as they would then need to travel down to the nearest post office to claim them. This is why customers find real-time tracking of their parcels important, and it is thus a service you should never compromise on. Being aware of the exact delivery time and date of their shipments will allow your customers to make adjustments to their schedule for the day and be able to receive their parcels promptly.

Damaged parcels and lack of care

In 2016 alone, more than 10% of customers in the UK received damaged parcels while 28% found their parcel left behind unsecured. Such lack of care given to their parcels, especially those that are fragile, sensitive or expensive, does not give customers a good impression of the retailer. This can lead to a loss of reputation, as evident in the recent case involving SingPost where a customer was not fully compensated for a missing parcel. Therefore, you must proactively train your delivery team well if you would like to provide a seamless delivery experience for your customers.

Your customers deserve an optimal quality of service, from the time they make their order to the moment they receive them. If you find it difficult to cope with rising customer demands, you can entrust the responsibility to a trusted provider of last mile delivery services to perform the job for you.