How automated calling system improves the efficiency of delivery companies

Anna Sopova
General
06/04/2021

The increased volume of online orders made customer communication a real hustle for courier companies. Clients need to be informed about the status of delivery to know when to pick it up. But it’s not an easy task considering the number of packages sent every day. Moreover, one message is often not enough for a customer to come and pick up the order. And when a delivery stays in a storage facility for too long, it causes even more trouble. 

To streamline the communication with customers and maintain an efficient workflow, companies started using automated calling systems. 

Nowadays, couriers are overloaded with parcels as people started to make more purchases online. In the second quarter of 2020, UPS delivered an average of over 21 million orders per day due to the coronavirus pandemic. Companies adapt their internal processes to new conditions, trying to maintain customer satisfaction and work efficiency. However, it quickly turned out to be a real challenge. 

The challenges of delivery companies 

One of the challenges faced by transport companies is late cargo pickups that negatively affect storage facility space and productivity. 

It’s well-known that digital consumers are demanding, and meeting their expectations regarding the purchase is a true challenge. Customers expect to have an option to track their package and be informed about delivery status, and they don't like to rush to pick it up. It means that often even after sending a notification, they won’t pick the package on time. 

Handling customer support by a human staff generates additional costs. It takes a lot of work hours to reach the least responsive clients. Summing up, delivery companies need process optimization to work efficiently while meeting customer expectations.

How automated calling system assists in the delivery process

The system prompts faster pickups by notifying customers automatically about their parcel status. It is equipped with a callbot that calls every customer and arranges pick-ups. Here’s how it works:

  1. When the parcel is ready for pickup, the event in your cargo tracking system triggers the callbot that calls the customer and arranges a pickup time. 
  2. Callbot detects busy phone lines and performs a series of attempts to reach the clients via different communication channels, like phone call, SMS, and instant messaging apps. 
  3. The system provides a detailed report of all results and user interactions during calls.

Automated calling system vs. cost optimization 

There are many ways the solution contributes to generating savings. 

Resolving the issue of late order pickups

Thanks to repeated notifications, customers are less likely to forget about scheduled pickups. The technology offers a 6-10x better response rate than standard SMS and email notifications. The calls are way more engaging than messages hence the improved customer response. 

Reaching more clients with extensive language skills

The callbot is equipped with speech recognition to generate human-like responses without the need to engage real assistants. What’s more, it recognizes 150" languages to support your international customer base. This way, you invest in one solution that serves all purposes and can be easily integrated with your CRM to track results. 

Providing a fully independent assistant 

The automated calling system offers self-service customer support. The callbot works independently, using data from your CRM or other business software. It answers phone calls and helps to resolve standard requests about the status of delivery. For more complex inquiries, it can automatically connect a client to a live agent. 

Reducing customer support costs 

Since everything is done automatically, companies don’t have to expand their customer support departments and employ more staff to handle phone requests. With Apifonica’s system, a company can reduce support personnel costs by up to 45%.

Set up your automated calling system today 

Apifonica’s technology helps minimize storage time by streamlining pickups and reducing the costs of customer support. 

Maintain work efficiency, optimize operating costs and save your in-house resources with a dose of automationLearn more.

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