In today’s highly competitive world, businesses employ various strategies and approaches to make their products stand out. While many companies recognise the importance of taking into consideration consumer needs and preferences, very few actually put customer needs first when devising these strategies. For instance, recognising how important flexibility is for a customer shopping online doesn’t just stop at adding more delivery options. Paying attention to the minute details such as the way they would like to receive their parcels can determine how well a business fulfills a need.
With greater options than before when it comes to access to products and services, customers are increasingly empowered to make more informed choices for themselves. It’s clear then that a customer-centric approach is crucial in today’s era of e-commerce.
What exactly differentiates such an operating model from others? A deep dive into DHL Express’ customer-centric culture can shed some light on the best practices.
What is customer centricity and why is it important to DHL Express?
Customer centricity is the strategy of providing value to customers by keeping their requirements into consideration. It is an approach through which businesses recognise unfulfilled customer needs and try to meet those needs by delivering superior value, thereby building trust and loyalty – two key traits for long-term relationships.
With much competition in the e-commerce world today, customer centricity is crucial to gain a competitive advantage. Additionally, with 32% of customers – a significant third – switching to another brand right after one bad experience, reports a PwC survey, it’s clear that consumer needs must remain a core to any business plan.
So what does this mean?
Businesses must consider customer-centric approaches alongside product-centric strategies to make the most returns. At the same time, informing your customers of your new products and features in a way that addresses their pain and passion points can go a long way in influencing their purchase decisions.
As an example, imagine how this plays out in a business’ marketing collateral informing customers of a product's new feature. Instead of focusing on the feature, emphasise the need that the feature fulfils. You could, for instance, say “Secure your phone in your joggers as you run, without feeling the bounce”, in place of “Our new pair of joggers come with a secure zipped phone compartment for greater storage”.
So what does being customer-oriented do for you? We simplify the benefits below:
- Increased customer retention: When consumer needs are met, they are more likely to turn into repeat customers.
- Reduced customer acquisition costs: It takes five times more to attract a customer than to retain one, reports Invesp. With greater retention, you won’t have to channel too many resources to acquisition strategies, meaning you can invest more in other areas of your business.
- Greater bandwidth for expansion: The success of your customer-centric approach, evident in your increased sales, shows the effectiveness of your products and services. The same model can then be applied to your expansion strategy, whether that entails branching out to a global audience with more diversified needs or increasing product verticals after collecting and analysing new preferences.
At DHL Express, we recognise that our customers require logistics that are tailored to their unique needs. We put our customers first by personalising each experience, allowing us to achieve that competitive edge in the industry as a reliable international courier service provider. This is how we do it.
How does DHL Express stand out using a customer-centric approach?
1. Highly-motivated service & operations team
When it comes to maintaining superior customer service, our main focus is to connect with consumers, identify their needs, and devise customised solutions. Our highly qualified and certified team of specialists passionately work hard to make this possible. By putting ourselves in our customer’s shoes, we can understand their pain and passion points better, recognise the gaps and fill them with the right mix of solutions. For instance, businesses looking to expand their e-commerce store globally will need to pay attention to the custom regulations in the destination countries before shipping to them. More importantly, they’ll need to review the duties and taxes to pay so they can set aside adequate finances to make this expansion successful. Our service team recognises this need, which is why our B2B customers can reach out our specialists for updated information as well as gain access to preferential market rates to ensure a smoother customs clearance process.
At the same time, we understand that e-commerce customers want greater flexibility in delivery, in ways that fit better with their schedules. As such, beyond our next-day and same-day services, our on-demand solutions address various pain points your customers may have.
2. User-friendly tools
One of the best ways businesses can reduce shipping costs is to scale the way they ship overseas. And what better way to do that when you have access to technologies that streamline processes and solutions. Our one-stop shipping solution, MyDHL+, is designed with our customers in mind who need convenience at their fingertips. With customisable dashboards, stored and easily retrievable records, as well as greater flexibility in organising access controls within internal teams, businesses have a systematic approach towards preparing for shipment. Couple this with digitised invoices and waybills, which can be easily completed through intuitive drop-down functions and pre-filled sections based on past shipment information, and you can imagine how efficient the shipping process can be.
3. Track & trace for improved visibility
We understand that businesses want to be updated on the status of their shipments at every stage of the supply chain. This provides peace of mind, knowing that shipments are enroute to their destinations. Should any hiccups occur, immediate action can be taken to prevent any further delays and recipients can be informed proactively. We make this possible with our Track & Trace function, so you can always feel in control of your shipment movements across the globe.
With our consumer-centric approach, business owners like you can rest assured they’ll have the logistics tools and resources they need to fulfil customer orders efficiently and safely. In turn, your customers will enjoy a fantastic experience with you, helping you gain trust and loyalty over time.
Why not open a DHL Express business account and learn what it means to put your customers first.
