That feeling when your new furniture finally arrives, but your floor gets ruined during the installation process…is a nightmare that no one should experience. Shipping damage, specifically home damage, is a real hassle for deliveries. In fact, a study found that 21% of oversized online purchases arrive damaged, while 15% said the item never arrived at all. It not only brings real pain for the buyers, but ruins the seller’s reputation as well despite them not being at fault. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the damage risks as much as possible for your customers.
1. Choose the right carrier, right service
The first and most important step is to choose the right carrier with a good reputation. When handling fragile heavy goods such as high-end furniture, it is recommended to choose a white glove provider as your logistics partner. Unlike standard shipping companies like UPS or FedEx, white glove providers specialize in handling delicate heavy goods through professionally trained care and expertise. It puts extra emphasis on safety and convenience, which will help minimize risk for any home damage. You should also consider the appropriate delivery service to ship your products: How fast can they ship? Need an inspection check? What kind of packaging? Make sure that you choose a carrier that can meet your demands efficiently and gain customers’ trust.
2. Collect entry measurements prior to delivery
The customer can help make this process easier too. Prior to the actual delivery, walk through the delivery process with your customers based on the chosen shipping service. Have them measure their home entries in the doorways, elevators, noting any stairs to climb or door security that the delivery team should be aware of. Collecting these measurements can help the delivery team ensure that the product will fit and that the delivery can be completed smoothly without any damages.
3. Pre-inspection, Repair and Assembly
Before packaging the product and loading it out for delivery, you want to make sure that the item is in good condition without any damages. Choosing a white glove service ensures that your goods are inspected and repaired before shipping so that there are no bad surprises upon arrival on site. But even then, accidents can happen during transit. In such cases, the delivery team will assemble and repair your furniture piece at the customer’s home so that they won’t have to deal with figuring out the installation process, which could lead to home damage, product damage, or even self-injury. Leave it to professionals to do their job, so you can sit back, relax, and make customers happy with their new purchase. It’s that simple!
4. Customer Service Team
One of the most important factors for achieving customer satisfaction is having excellent customer service. Today’s consumers are curious and have high expectations in business. They want to know everything about their purchase: where it is, when it will be delivered, and what’s happening to it. Having a great customer service team that can address any customer concerns before, during, and after the delivery can help improve your operations and boost your business growth. That means no missed deliveries, no damages/shipping complications, fast communication, and more five-star ratings to add to your brand. Ensure that your customers are put in good hands at all times with the right logistics provider, knowing that they’ll be at ease and informed every step of the way – from the point of booking to enjoying their newly installed furniture at their home.
About Deliveright
Deliveright is the first AI-powered logistics and delivery technology company to solve final-mile, heavy goods delivery challenges for e-commerce, retailers and manufacturers needing white-glove service. Launched in 2018 to streamline the supply chain for heavy goods, Deliveright’s technology, combined with its vast delivery network, makes white-glove delivery seamless, transparent, and accessible for businesses of all sizes, enabling improved customer experience and increased revenue. Deliveright’s proprietary logistics technology platform, Grasshopper®, manages all stages of fulfillment, enabling complete supply chain visibility to the customer’s home. Serving more than 1,000 customers in e-commerce and manufacturing across the furniture, industrial equipment, and transportation industries, Grasshopper is also licensed nationwide by delivery and freight companies, ensuring that every delivery is tracked across a complex transportation network and customer service platform. The company is headquartered in North Carolina and operates across the U.S. and Canada. For more information, visit https://deliveright.com/.
