If you’re in the online sales business, you probably know that the future of eCommerce is dropshipping. In fact, the dropshipping market is projected to reach a whopping $476 billion by the end of 2026!
While that’s good news for small businesses and eCommerce hopefuls, it also means competition will likely increase. In other words, customer satisfaction will have to be your priority if you hope to stand out among the dropshipping crowd.
Keep reading to learn more about increasing customer satisfaction by keeping your delivery promises as an eCommerce business.
Dropshipping as the online store solution
As an eCommerce seller, you’re responsible for completing a long list of tasks. But, as you know, the solution to allowing online stores to operate with fewer production costs has been dropshipping.
Some of the best examples of this business model include Amazon, eBay, and AliExpress. What’s more, the right dropshipping tools free you of the financial and time-consuming aspects of labeling, shipping, and stocking.
However, not everyone considers that with dropshipping, customer service is still squarely on the seller’s shoulders.
What makes good dropshipping customer service?
If you want your eCommerce business to thrive, customer service will need to be your top priority. As a dropshipping seller, you must maintain good relationships with customers by any means necessary while simultaneously managing suppliers.
Ways to improve your customer service:
- Keep response times fast: Have you ever waited on a response from customer service reps? If so, you know the frustration can make someone second-guess their purchase. If you want return customers, having a quick response time will help.
- Invest in a content platform: Juggling marketing, customer service, and an online store is hard. But investing in a content platform can help you stay organized. It also helps you limit the amount of time between orders.
- Follow up with customers: Want to establish a trusting relationship with your customer base? The best way to entice people to keep buying from you is to reach out. Follow up when the order is being processed, when the order ships, and again after they’ve received their package.
- Make sure packages get delivered safely: Believe it or not, you’re also responsible for ensuring that packages get delivered safely. Below, we’ll go into more detail about this aspect of dropshipping customer service.
Here are five things you can do to make sure the package delivery process is smoother:
Test shipping times
We know it’s exciting to start your eCommerce journey. But if you want your orders to arrive without incident, tests and experiments are well worth the opening delay. Testing the ordering, shipping, and delivery process of your own product gives you an inside look into what customers can expect. If one supplier doesn’t fulfill your order on time, keep trying until you find one that’s more reliable. You’ll thank yourself later when your customers aren’t complaining about faulty deliveries.Also, choosing a pre-qualified supplier can help reduce potential fulfillment complications.
Be transparent about shipping times
The worst thing you can do with your online store is hide expected shipping times. If you have a product that people want, you won’t need to rely on bad messaging. Being transparent about shipping times can help manage expectations. Moreover, when customers have a timeline for the fulfillment, they’ll know when to expect their order and can plan to intercept it.
Be thorough and organized
When it comes to fulfilling orders in a timely, organized manner, the best thing you can do is be thorough. Some of the biggest time-wasters in shipping are wrong addresses, misspellings, and half-filled forms.Make sure you double-check all information before finalizing orders. Second, don’t be afraid to reach out to customers if something doesn’t look right on their shipping form. They’ll thank you for following up if it means their order arrives safely.
Choose reliable shipping methods
Depending on which supplier and dropshipping company you partner with, choosing a shipping method may be the best way to control outcomes. If you can choose the final delivery expert, choose a well-known handler like UPS, USPS, or even FedEx. These handlers will know their neighborhood, access a customer’s package locker, and even have real-time delivery updates.While you can’t control all aspects of the final delivery, you can at least rest easier knowing you used a reliable handler.
Take responsibility
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, shipping delays and package loss happens. It’s not the end of the world, but as a top-notch seller, taking responsibility for these mishaps could make all the difference.
Some good ways to make up for unforeseen order issues:
- – Be open to fixing the issue
- – Keep communication lines open
- – Issue refunds when needed
- – Follow up after resolving an issue
- – Offer to replace broken or lost itemsUltimately, you must decide what’s more important: saving money or saving your reputation as a dependable seller.
Takeaways
Dropshipping is quickly becoming the best way for eCommerce businesses to sell on a limited budget.
This type of online business is the solution to making it easier for sellers to focus on more critical aspects of selling.
Dropshipping customer services is what will set you apart from competitors.
Five ways to ensure packages arrive safely include testing shipping times, maintaining transparency with customers, keeping addresses organized, choosing a reliable package handler, and issuing refunds when necessary.
