How a global appliance manufacturer gained real-time visibility and route optimization
By Komal Puri | October 13, 2022
As a manufacturer of heavy goods, this major global appliance manufacturer and retailer wanted to manage their customer’s journey by gaining complete control and visibility into their experiences, from initial order to final delivery. Visibility would enable them to know where their products were in each step of fulfillment without having to log into each of their provider’s networks, a complex and labor intensive process.
Visibility was also important for digital communications with their customers for a seamless process from initial order to final fulfillment while also giving the manufacturer and retailer insights into their consumer’s journey.
FarEye implemented a digital last-mile solution for this manufacturer’s heavy goods that would give end-consumers the date and time of delivery and installation for their appliances at the time of purchase. As a result, this manufacturer gained the ability to make actionable, real-time decisions for any delivery exceptions. The appliance manufacturer and retailer was also able to create a branded consumer experience from purchase through delivery while utilizing various carriers to execute the delivery.
The Challenge
In the world of e-commerce, usually the only touch point between a brand and its consumers is when the product is delivered and installed. For many companies, the focus on visibility is based on the logistics execution versus the consumer experience. This manufacturer wanted to bring their customers an exceptional experience throughout the order to delivery journey ultimately improving brand loyalty.
Heavy goods such as appliances require carriers who are not only able to make deliveries but can also perform quality installations in a consumer’s home. With big and bulky deliveries, also known as White Glove service, carriers take the responsibility of uncrating and unpacking the product. It may also involve the installation of the product at the delivery destination.
These deliveries focus on installing high-value products with additional services that help consumers use them. White Glove delivery takes into consideration factors like speed of delivery, convenience, personalization, type of home and where it is located and seeks to provide emotional fulfillment for the customer also.
Prior to implementing a strategy to address visibility, there were some challenges to consider:
- Not all carriers have a national presence. This manufacturer needed to work with skilled independent carriers who could do quality installations in smaller markets and have their internal systems interact with their 3PL partners.
- Interacting with consumers about order status meant the manufacturer had to log into a number of different carrier systems to gain visibility, a complex and time-consuming process.
- Customer service interactions on exceptions were reactive instead of proactive due to lack of visibility.
There were several goals related to creating first- and last-mile optimization with real-time visibility and an experience loyalty program for its B2B and B2C customers: </p >
- Deliver to customers within a seven day calendar period, once an order is placed.
- Create visibility to be able to track and trace orders and provide consumer updates to ensure delivery in the seven-day time frame.
- Increase their Net Promoter Score (NPS) and increase their share growth in the marketplace.
- Ensure a three-day maximum dwell time on docks so agents can turn the product in three days.
The Solution
FarEye’s last-mile solution integrated with delivery route optimization gives this appliance manufacturer real-time visibility along with a way to communicate with their end consumers to create a superior heavy goods consumer experience. The manufacturer gains an end-to-end solution, with last-mile orchestration and customer experience.
The manufacturer can see every step in the customer journey and be able to meet or exceed their key performance indicators. With FarEye, the manufacturer:
- Improved their NPS by 10 to 12 points within 90 days.
- Communicates via SMS to end consumers on order status. If there are exceptions, the manufacturer can intervene in real-time with the carrier to prevent the order from being delayed. Consumers are informed right up to final delivery.
- Minimizes their last-mile costs with real-time dynamic route optimization.
- Understands where their products are and reduce dependency on provider systems for visibility, removing layers of complexity.
- Broadens their transportation partnerships. With FarEye, they can now engage with smaller independent carriers to serve their business.
- Allows consumers to schedule delivery slots at the time of purchase.
- Understands carrier partners’ performance and can rank them; ensuring partners l fully serve end-consumers.
- Turns last-mile docks within three days by using FarEye to confirm dates and schedule the release of orders so agents can ship our products.
Komal Puri is a seasoned professional in the logistics and supply chain industry. As the Senior Director of Marketing and a subject matter expert at FarEye, she has been instrumental in shaping the industry narrative for the past decade. Her expertise and insights have earned her numerous awards and recognition. Komal’s writings reflect her deep understanding of the industry, offering valuable insights and thought leadership.
