Every next business today thrives to stabilize and grow in this cost-competitive world. With logistics overtaking the charge of delivering a superior customer experience within the promised timeline, smart and planned operations are no longer a luxury.
Within this changing dynamism; white-glove delivery is creating a strong buzz in the logistic industry. Before we move ahead to discuss more on the topic, let us first get a concise definition for what is white-glove delivery?
Let’s get started!
As the name resonates, White-glove delivery by definition stands for a specialized delivery process that consists of extra attention throughout the entire fulfillment cycle. Generally, the delivery professional wears a white-glove to symbolize caution and premium services during the delivery process.
This type of categorized service is often required when there is an urge to pay added attention to a specific deliverable during the pickup as well as at the time of drop-off. It might include valuable, fragile, temperature-sensitive items, or rare antique pieces.
Today’s customers are looking for more than a doorstep delivery! An impeccable and stand-out delivery experience can help any startup or a giant player to sustain itself. That’s why and how White-glove delivery is here to stay and slay!
Now, as we move ahead in the discussion, we are quite familiar with the term what is white-glove delivery. Getting further to the concept, the next section covers top considerations in the white-glove delivery process and how to implement it in your existing processes.
The logistic industry is moving towards a strategic approach to evolve with the dynamism of its customers. In the process, here are the enlisted key characteristics that need to be implemented while offering the specialized and stand-out delivery experience to the customers.
White-glove delivery service often involves the shipping and transportation of fragile and vulnerable items. Before the logistic process begins, it is essential to offer customized and specialized packaging as per the order requirements. Every order is different and needs to be packed as per its size, value and degree of fragility.
Smart packaging helps in catering for the above needs while keeping into consideration the international shipping requirements. When a customer decides to stick to going ahead with white glove shipping, it becomes equally important to embrace the best-suited packing practice to handle the specific goods. It is done to eradicate the slightest possibility of goods being damaged.
P.S: Don’t forget to ask for white glove shipping for your most valued and special assets!
There are certain pre-set SOPs and processes that need to be followed to set a white glove delivery example in the market. The delivery professionals involved have their own expertise in making sure these guidelines are met throughout the order fulfillment process.
There are specific vehicles or freight to overcome the white glove delivery challenges related to loading and shipping of fragile, brittle, temperature-sensitive categories of goods. The cautious white glove shipping involves the ideal selection of the fleet based on order level.
Hence, you can say that every small step involved from accepting the order to delivering it to the right place is covered with great and sharp attention to detail.
Time is money. And this statement needs no validation in today’s competition. Experts believe that 41% of customers are willing to pay extra for quick and hassle-free delivery. In such a scenario, the fastest and smartest delivery process wins the race.
With delivery windows getting narrower and significant to the customer-preferred time slot, the white glove delivery services need to be on-time, quick and seamless. Though customers might feel a certain disparity in white glove delivery cost as compared to the standard delivery process, in the end – it is all worth it.
A transparent logistic experience is a key to making customers informed about the progress of the order at every stage. White glove delivery tracking is an essential part of the specialized delivery service as it allows the involved stakeholders to keep a tab over the ball by ball updates of the process.
In case of any deviation or halt, the customers are well informed at the earliest. It acts as a dual benefit of knowing about the real-time updates as well as letting the customers stay updated with the progress at the order level.
Customers are the real game-changers for any business. During the entire fulfillment cycle, the last mile serves as the touch base to your customers. It is quite important to ensure that the white glove delivery service includes a proactive and satisfying customer response in case of any query or doubt.
Ideally, when a customer is agreeing to pay extra in the name of white glove shipping, it is the duty of the logistics providers to provide flawless and thorough assistance to their valuable customers.
No matter how good you start with the process and how on time you are with your white glove delivery service; everything can go to a toss if you are not able to live up to the expectations and desires of your customers. Offering a delightful customer experience is undoubtedly one of the important key considerations for any white-glove service provider.
Expert handling of goods is no longer a luxury. With logistics empowering a superior delivery experience, the white glove oriented delivery service has become a norm to follow.
This section is dedicated to explaining why customers are willing to pay for white glove delivery.
The services are dedicated to providing a top-shelf delivery experience in every term. The seamless and flawless white glove delivery tracking enables customers to put their trust vote and stay loyal to the brand. Hence, an enhanced customer experience with real-time updates of white glove delivery services makes it stand out among other delivery practices.
As soon as the product is charged for white glove delivery fee, the logistics provider takes extra steps to ensure the goods/ items are delivered safely to the customer. This can extend a caution while packaging, transporting and handling the marked item. In some cases, there is a dedicated team of professionals to take care of the same.
With so many considerations in place, the risk of potential damage gets minimized. Hence, it acts as a core benefit for the customers who are looking for safe and well-handled delivery of the items.
Every business is here to make profits. Getting acquainted with white glove delivery services helps the stakeholders to explore the maximum potential of their business. Once you begin with the strategic approach of pitching your loyal customers for enhanced white glove delivery costs, you can easily get an edge over a premium range of customers.
White glove shipping has been now asked for services from almost every other customer. People who have known what is white glove delivery is and its benefits will never skip it when it is required. Do you know why? It’s because of the added assurance, reliability and on-the toe accessibility of the information to the customers. The trust factor plays a significant role in creating a special place for white glove delivery services.
There is a specific set of customers who need or should use white glove delivery services for a specific delivery. Here is a sneak peek at the ideal set of audiences suitable for white glove services.
The belt of customers who are buying expensive or fragile things online looks for white glove services. Irrespective of increased white glove delivery costs, people are comfortable in paying due to above- mentioned benefits. An individual set of customers ordering laptops or other heavy-duty electronics or home appliances also fits this category. Even the customers who order expensive items also pick white glove services.
B2B and B2C companies often choose white-glove services for shipping their particular set of consignments. The associated perks of white glove delivery make it easier for the companies to stay assured about the promised timeline, sensitive packing and more.
Read More: Factors to Consider While Choosing White Glove Delivery Software For your Business
As white-glove services get acknowledgement in the market, there are certain challenges or key considerations that might create obstacles in the process. To enlist them, here are common key challenges that one can face while going through white glove delivery services.
White glove shipping services are meant to surpass customers expectations. Any missed or late delivery might tarnish the image in front of the customer. The limitations in delivery even after paying a high white glove delivery fee can be a hard hitting factor in winning the trust of customers and retaining them for the future.
Final mile is the only touch-point to the customer. No matter how fine you begin, and how smooth the process is, if your last mile is not optimized with the desired timeline, everything goes on a toss. While optimizing the final leg of delivery, the white glove delivery faces a lot of hurdles. This could be one of the prime challenges that a service provider might face.
The deadhaul can never be overcome with limited sources. Regardless of offering end to end white glove delivery tracking to the customers, there are a few deadmiles that most of the delivery processes have to face. It not only contributes in making deliveries late but also plays a significant role in an ad-hoc white glove delivery cost.
Hence, while offering the white glove delivery services to the customers, it is immensely important to have a high optimisation in the processes. Otherwise, businesses might have to face these hurdles in the whole process.
Undoubtedly, the white glove delivery cost is high as compared to inside delivery services. There are a bunch of factors that altogether increase the cost. Some of the important factors are:
Depending upon all these factors, the involved stakeholders can take a call whether they would like to go ahead with the incremental cost and avail the benefits or not. But for a rough idea it will go from 100$ to 250$ for small sized and small location specific deliveries.
Though we have covered almost every aspect that explains white glove delivery and its existence, but to give practical insights, here are a few live examples of items that can be easily shipped while availing white glove delivery services.
And many more! The reasons and the white glove delivery examples are endless. Do you have any categories worth mentioning here? Feel free to share your valuable feedbacks here.
Having a white glove delivery software is no longer a necessity. It has become the need to attain and execute the premium services seamlessly. If you are looking for an automated and intelligent delivery management software that can transform and escalate logistic operations, feel free to choose NetworkON.
The intelligently pre-built, configurable and based on programmatic algorithms helps in getting scalable and business specific white glove delivery apps. Book a call with our experts to know more about NetworkON features.
Automation serves as the pillar of orchestrating the supply chain operations and driving the operations with flexi-delivery capacity. If you are or are planning to go ahead with the process of white glove delivery, this write-up can help in offering the much required details.
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