Curbside pickup can be both an important revenue stream for your company and a way to improve customer satisfaction. But it’s crucial to ensure that your customer experience during the last mile period is tested and proven, so that you can use these touch points to engage your customers consistently and nurture strong brand loyalty.
How can I remove barriers to convenience that impact the customer experience?
Business leaders tend to focus on barriers to purchase in the early stages of the customer journey—ineffective marketing, poor website layout, shopping cart abandonment, etc.—but what they often forget is that barriers exist in the last mile as well. The best way to address them is to run simulations of the purchase and pickup yourself so that you can see exactly what a customer will encounter, and then create new systems to bypass these barriers. There are a variety of factors that can impact the customer experience during this period, including signage, traffic flow, ease of loading, wait times, and many more, so be as thorough as possible.
How can technology help me reduce the cost of my last mile customer experience?
Many people are concerned that maintaining high service levels during curbside pickup will be cost prohibitive, but integrating the right system into your strategy can actually help you exceed customer expectations while staying within your budget. By using location data to track customer progress to the store, your employees can stay as productive as possible completing other tasks until the moment they need to meet the customer. Exact pickup times mean you can keep food at the best possible quality to minimize waste and returns. And ordering data from customer accounts can help you improve your own ordering and inventory management.
Will customers be comfortable sharing their location and other data?
The short answer is: yes! Most consumers have proven that they are willing to share their location data with brands, but there is a caveat. It’s up to you to prove to them that you are going to be responsible with their data. That’s why utilizing a system that doesn’t misuse customer information, and being upfront and transparent about your data management controls are so important.
What opportunities exist to improve the customer experience in the post-sale period?
The Last Mile doesn’t really end once the customer has picked up their order, and you are still responsible for the customer experience once they get home and inspect their products, put them to use, and prepare to order again. Take advantage of the immediacy of the moment by being prepared with post-purchase marketing touch points, personalized feedback opportunities, and cross-selling for future purchases.
How can I maintain exceptional service levels while scaling for greater order volume?
The sweet spot lies at the intersection of people, training, and technology. When you hire team members who consistently prioritize the customer experience, give them the tools they need to create outstanding interactions, and teach them how to get the most out of those tools, then you’ll be prepared to create a lasting connection with your customers that is deeply rooted in mutual value.
Curbside pickup is the new frontier for brick-and-mortar businesses, and the execution of the customer experience can make or break its success. At Glympse, we offer companies a comprehensive curbside pickup solution that facilitates the ordering process and empowers employees to deliver outstanding final mile experiences. Contact us today to discover more about how Glympse can help you turn curbside pickup into one of your company’s most powerful revenue segments.
