If you were asked to consider who is the most important person in the delivery journey - who would you say? The product supplier, the driver of the delivery vehicle or the customer who will be getting the goods?

If you want your business to prosper and make money, the customer should always be your number one priority. The rise of the Electronic Proof of Delivery (EPOD) system has clearly identified several benefits for business in terms of improving system processes and recognising inefficiencies in service delivery. However, using EPOD does not just benefit your business. There are a number of advantages for your customers too.  

Keeping the customer informed 

The data generated by EPOD allows customers to keep an eye on where their parcel is at all times. If barcodes are scanned, your customer will be able to track their product, order or document at any given time. This can be a real benefit in today’s busy world. There are very few customers who would say they enjoy the element of surprise with regards to their parcel delivery; nowadays people want to know exactly when they are going to get the item they have paid for and the EPOD system does this for them. 

This is also an efficiency benefit for your business, reducing the amount of emails and phone calls you will receive from customers asking where their parcel is as they can now self-serve that information. 

Security for the customers’ items

EPOD does what it says on the tin and requires an electronic signature upon delivery, giving your customer confidence that there is little room for inaccuracies. This is particularly important regarding the purchase of big ticket items, where the customer has spent a significant amount of money. Having the assurance that they will know exactly who the parcel has been delivered to can increase the confidence that customers have in your business. In turn, this could lead to a boost in brand loyalty in the future and keep past customers coming back.

Proactive issue management

If a customer does contact your business with regards to a delivery query you’ll be able to provide excellent customer service in answering their questions quickly and efficiently. The EPOD system gives you full details of the customer order at the touch of a button, with a real-time status on progress. You’ll not have to disturb your driver to find out where the parcel is or if there has been a delay – EPOD will give you GPS information so that, from your base, you can see precisely where the parcel is. In today’s marketplace, where customers have such a variety of choice as to who they shop with, providing excellent customer service is more crucial than ever. In particular, when issues do arise, a swift resolution can mean you still have a satisfied customer even if something has gone wrong. 

How all this benefits you 

In thinking of your customers and putting their satisfaction at the forefront of your business planning and delivery, you will organically realise several benefits and efficiencies for your own business. EPOD provides information which your customer can find for themselves – reducing the amount of contact you need to have with the customer yet keeping them so connected they feel fully informed.