Your customers’ shopping journey with you doesn’t end with the delivery of the product. While in most cases, a customer will receive and acknowledge the order and go on to use your product without turning back on you, in some cases, your responsibility will continue for a specified term period within which your customer might raise a return/exchange demand.
Since such incidents are inevitable, an excellent post-buying follow-up in the form of returns or refunds will help resolve your customers’ issues and retain them. The two critical prerequisites for an efficient return process are shipment choice and tracking. As both play an essential role in it, the efficiency of both these factors will decide how competent your return process is.
Role of shipment choice in Returns and Exchange
For a seamless post-purchase journey experience, selecting a professional courier service can ease procuring the customer and sending it back to the company. While many companies drop the burden of arranging for a product return on their customers’ shoulders, a consumer-oriented organization will share this burden by getting the product lifted from their customers’ doorstep and providing this service free of cost. In addition, a good company will make sure that such a process is easy and smooth for their clients.
To achieve this, a good logistics service is required from your partnered service providers who are reliable and will handle this journey in the best possible way with the least possible costing. For example, a good courier company would:
- Make sure that the product procured from the customer is in good condition with the original packaging intact.
- Make self-efforts call the consumer and fix the best time to pick up the product from their address.
- Pack and transport the product back to the company in a safe way.
A courier partner that can handle this whole process coherently is the best choice for both you and your customers.
Role of shipment tracking in Returns and Exchange
Now that we know the importance of selecting a good shipping company for your return request, we shall move on to discuss the next role that your shipping partner takes on to complete the return journey. First, of course, the whole journey of procuring and sending the goods back takes a good number of days. But, how would you and your customers be aware of the shipment status and location?
This procedure must be as transparent as possible so that your customers can track the shipment’s location and be aware that their money’s worth is taken care of. Without a good tracking system, your customers will grow anxious and impatient about their return, which can negatively affect your credibility.
A seamless package tracking system is required while delivering the order and the following prerequisite for a good return policy.
Tracking a package helps verify its movement and source and estimate its arrival date, just as in a delivered package initially. Therefore, the primary objective of a parcel tracking system is to provide customers with information about the details of the package’s route, delivery status, estimated delivery date, and the estimated time of delivery both after placing an order and fetching a return.
It is also essential for the seller whose goods are up for a return as it states the
- Location of the package
- Estimated date of return delivery
- Prompt that the package is out for Delivery
- Acknowledgment of the receipt of the package
One of the main advantages of the tracking system is that it reduces the risk of the package getting lost or misplaced. Moreover, it keeps both the buyers and sellers stress-free. With billions of packages being sent through couriers, tracking them well to avoid loss or mishandling is essential. A good courier partner is the one who provides all the support with the tracking process and uncomplicates it for his clients.
Certainly, shipment and its tracking are two wheels of the return/exchange vehicle, without which it can not begin or move forward.
