Reverse logistics – the steps necessary to move a product from purchase back to origin – can help your business improve the customer experience.
Improving the experience for your customer will increase loyalty, reduce churn and encourage positive feedback. This is especially important in the often-overlooked reverse supply chain and the returns process.
Understanding the Importance of the Customer Experience (CX)
The customer experience, or CX, is a critical metric for gaining loyalty, getting referrals, social mentions, likes and shares, and more. In today’s online review-driven marketplace, improving the experience of your customers may or may not garner you more positive reviews, but it will help you reduce the number of negative reviews you receive.
When you improve the CX for your customers, you can also help ensure repeat customers or reduce churn, depending on your business model.
The CX cycle begins at the point when they realize they have a need you can potentially fulfill. If they make the decision to purchase, the CX continues on through the transactional phase and into the phase where they receive and begin using your product(s).
But what happens if a customer needs to return their purchase, for whatever reason?
How Returns Affect Your Customers’ Experience
One of the hot buttons in the customer’s mind today is returns. This is especially true in the ecommerce market, because consumers perceive that returning a product purchased online is difficult.
Without a simple, customer-friendly return policy and process, prospects may be less willing to purchase in the first place. And, when a customer encounters hassles when attempting a return, it puts a serious dent in the customer experience.
Today, industry experts estimate that as many as half of businesses do not have a formalized policy or system in place to facilitate and manage returns. Many companies, in fact, still try to discourage returns.
As you might imagine, this can seriously damage the CX and discourage both first-time and repeat customers. It can also generate high levels of dissatisfaction and an unhappy customer tends to be vocal about their experience.
Leverage Reverse Logistics to Improve Returns & the CX
When you have a clear, hassle-free returns process in place, you can turn a potentially bad situation into a positive experience for your customer, improving the overall CX substantially. Not only will the customer be more likely to speak positively about your business (in person and online) but they will also be more likely to purchase from you again in the future.
Using reverse logistics for improving your returns policies and processes will also help you recapture the maximum value possible from the return and minimize the effect on your bottom line.
ReverseLogix understands the challenges that returns pose and, in response, we have created an automated platform for centralized returns management. Our technology solution works equally well in the B2C and B2B spaces. In fact, ReverseLogix can help turn your reverse business into a profit center.
Some of the world’s most well-known and respected businesses have discovered the benefits of the ReverseLogix logistics solutions. Connect with us today to discover how ReverseLogix can help you improve the customer experience for your business.