Congratulations, you’ve just hired new brand ambassadors. They’re your delivery drivers

This article is brought to you by Retail Technology Review: Congratulations, you’ve just hired new brand ambassadors. They’re your delivery drivers.

By Jack Underwood, Founder and CEO of Circuit. 

It’s not just video calls that boomed over the pandemic. Online sales have exploded with physical shopping being restricted and social contact curtailed.

This exponential increase and new relationship with retail has fundamentally changed the e-commerce customer journey. It’s transformed the significance of the delivery stage and it’s made delivery drivers the new face of a business. If companies don’t understand or don’t adapt to this change then they’ll get quickly left behind as customers turn to brands who do. It’s time to embrace your new front of house team.

It will come as no surprise that online shopping dramatically increased over the past year but the figures are still staggering. According to a survey published by Natwest and Retail Economics, online retail sales saw the equivalent of five years’ growth in just 12 months in 2020 and the ONS found that 35.2% of all retail sales this January took place online. With online sales being the chief way many consumers will now interact with a brand, the e-commerce experience has had to replace all aspects of a physical store. Social media posts are the new window displays, websites are the new bricks and mortar, and delivery drivers, the only in-person contact a customer will have, are the new front of house.

This last element poses a big problem for retailers. The delivery stage of the customer journey is underdeveloped and ill-equipped to deal with the uncertainty that is unavoidably part and parcel of sending a package. Order delays and customer absences come with the territory but consumers quickly get frustrated if changes aren’t communicated, delivery times aren’t detailed, there’s no option to talk to the driver, or if packages are abandoned in inappropriate locations. These negative experiences sour brand perception and, as delivery is often the final point of contact between brand and consumer, they have a long-lasting effect.

If retailers want to maintain a positive brand image and protect and improve sales, they need to invest in their new front of house teams. As it stands, it’s as if e-commerce companies have hired a group of in-store assistants but have handed them a POS system from ten years ago and are wondering why it’s difficult to do a good job. They need to be finding new ways to support delivery teams and give them the tools required to properly serve customers and fulfil their role as brand ambassadors.

These tools involve innovative technology that smooths the uneven delivery experience. It means sending a customer detailed delivery information so they don’t have to put their day on hold for one drop off. It means giving them a medium to directly connect with drivers for last-minute updates and to inform them of any issues. It means investing in software that optimises routes and van organisation so customers can get their parcels faster and deliveries aren’t held back by inefficiency and unnecessary delays.

But it’s not just about serving the needs of the consumer. Tools that make deliveries easier are crucial for driver satisfaction and this can’t be ignored if they are to represent your brand. The online shift is about recognising delivery drivers as an integral part of a company’s customer service team and treating them accordingly. This means supporting them with the best technology to do their job, having an oversight of their day-to-day and being able to connect with them easily and directly throughout their shift. Forward-thinking companies will be looking to reinforce this new role still further and white label communications between delivery drivers and customers to firmly establish drivers as part of their front of house team.

The shift to online retail has offered businesses new opportunities but it’s also created new challenges. In making delivery drivers the new face of a brand it’s highlighted outdated delivery practices and the underdeveloped end of the customer journey. As these e-commerce changes only get further entrenched, brands need to make a decision: update their attitude to delivery or watch their customers walk away.