Rapidly evolving customer expectations are putting the logistics and transport sector under pressure to enhance customer engagement by focusing on providing real-time updates and rapid responses across multiple channels.
What we have noticed is that consumers have more choices than ever before in selecting the transport and logistics provider and service that best fits their needs. When it comes to customer needs, there is one thing that’s consistent across the board – the need for simplicity in communication and speed of the process.
More than ever, these have become prerequisites for transport and logistics providers to be competitive, let alone owning a significant share of the market. What’s also increased significantly is the need for feedback mechanisms and two-way communication between customers and companies. Customers want their voices heard, especially in time-sensitive transport and logistics situations.
The growing demand for choice, simplicity, speed and two-way communication are the main changes in consumer expectations that organisations in the transport and logistics sector need to adapt to.
Automation and omnichannel communication are essential for logistics companies to address the challenges of meeting growing demands for faster deliveries in an increasingly competitive market. By investing in these technologies, companies can enhance efficiency, reduce costs and maintain customer satisfaction.
Preferred channels
In the case of parcel pickup and delivery providers, information about delivery dates and times needs to be sent automatically through preferred failover channels. This is because undelivered packages can lead to additional costs and extra logistical resources, overwhelming contact centres that handle customer complaints. Being proactive with solutions like failovers and omnichannel communication can help to completely avoid these problematic situations.
Sharing best practices is the best way for the transport and logistics industry to learn from the success of ridesharing and food delivery platforms about leveraging chat apps. Companies can adopt chat apps to provide real-time status updates for shipments, such as deliveries and potential delays, directly to customers.
Furthermore, chatbots enable instant communication between logistic companies and their customers, allowing for faster resolutions to issues like delays, route changes or missing items. By having proactive communication automation and seamless multi-party coordination, logistics providers can modernise their operations and deliver a more efficient, customer-centric service.
Integrating omnichannel messaging solutions, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, is essential for logistics companies as it makes sense for businesses to be where their customers are. Customers demand flexibility and choice in how they engage with logistics companies, so meeting them on their preferred channels is essential.
Streamlining processes
Additionally, chatbots and virtual assistants can help transport companies streamline processes and focus on what’s most important by providing time-sensitive information, 24/7 availability, handling FAQs and providing proactive communication to customers about delays or reroutes. They also play a vital role in improving customer feedback collection and enabling immediate responses.
By effectively addressing customer needs and maintaining consistent communication through these digital assistants, companies can build stronger customer relationships and ultimately boost loyalty and satisfaction in the logistics industry. They allow organisations to more effectively meet customer expectations and provide the level of service they demand.
Overall, the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), virtual assistants, alternative delivery options and autonomous technologies is likely to shape the future of the logistics sector as it adapts to evolving customer expectations. These innovations can help streamline operations, improve efficiency and provide a more seamless, customer-centric experience.
Ultimately, conversational communication is not only here to stay but will become a mandatory part of every successful company that cares about its customers. The increasing role of AI will become more pronounced in the years to come, and it will become a major part of our daily interactions.
According to Gartner, by 2028, at least 15% of day-to-day work decisions will be autonomously made through agentic AI, a significant uptake from the 0% in 2024. It is expected that the goal-driven capabilities of this technology will deliver more adaptable software systems that can complete a wide variety of tasks.
Furthermore, Infobip’s Messaging Trends 2024 report, reveals a dominant global trend towards conversational-style business messaging. The transportation and logistics industry in Africa is one of the top three sectors with the highest growth in messaging usage, at 37% higher than other industries.
This is something that companies should not feel intimidated by but rather embrace the potential it holds to help them grow even further. By proactively adopting these technologies, companies can enhance the customer experience and stay competitive in the market.
As Infobip, we strive to be more that a technology provider and position ourselves as trusted advisor supporting businesses to make breakthroughs in line with their own understanding of market trends by listening to their needs and offering innovative solutions.
