When shipping is part of the cost of your services, you may already know that 30% of all online purchases are eventually returned, therefore you may want to consider some additional or alternative steps to win back customers. 

Small and mid-sized logistics businesses commonly struggle with growth. Poor lead generation, low sales conversion rates, and lack of sales predictability are some of the leading factors. It is likely that your company is spending 5-15% of your gross revenue on marketing, however driving website traffic and building landing pages won’t be enough, particularly with your industry’s specific needs. If you are getting a lot of customers from your website traffic, great! Generating leads will only bring more success and profit.

Did you know the average conversion rate for a Facebook Ad is 9.1%. Website conversion rates, however, lag at an average of just 2.35%. If you know you can do better, it’s time to think about your own conversion rates. Calculate your current rate and set goals so that you can think about the techniques your company can follow to achieve those goals. 

Here are some strategies that you can start putting into practice today to increase your sales predictability, produce leads consistently, and convert the leads into returning customers. 

Use Google Analytics

Your website is going to be the main method in which new customers find your services. Set up Google Analytics to get an excellent insight into your website visitors.

• Find out how new visitors discovered your website. Was it from keyword searches? Were they redirected by referral websites?
• Know where your visitors are from and how much time they are spending on your website.
• Understand if the visitors are new or returning customers.
• Are they browsing from their desktop or from a mobile device? 
• How many of your visitors converted, and what was the process or interaction that lead them to that conversion?

Make shipping prices and conditions transparent

Trust is a vital part of your relationship with clients, and is what will bring them back as repeat customers (as well as making referrals to their friends and families). And any frustration of uncertainty will complicate and compound any issues they are having. 

• Be clear and upfront about your prices and shipping costs and conditions from the beginning of any transaction
• Specify each different delivery option you offer
• Let your customer know the terms for expected delivery dates and times, as well as any potential holidays that could delay delivery times and therefore any associated costs and return times 
• Your clients are entitled to any and all information you can possibly provide so that they can have realistic expectations and avoid potential disputes 
• Clear language on all conditions and written information is key 
• Being upfront and honest will keep loyalty flowing both ways in your valued customer relationships

Choose superior shipping partners and logistic tools

It may well be that the individual customer has no idea that there is a distinction between who delivers their order and the company from whom they actually purchased the goods they have ordered. Because of this, your shipping partner needs to be top-notch; after all, they are representing you.

• Choose carefully! If your chosen shipping partner lacks the level of customer service you are hoping to convey, switch to one that shares your commitment 
• Price will obviously factor heavily into your decision, but it shouldn’t be the only thing driving your final choice
• Research your potential partner’s successful delivery and delay rates, customer support information, and complimentary insurance details 
• Look for and use comparison websites. These are great because they often additionally provide offers from competitors and the choice to vary your shipment needs to find the best provider for you
• Check a company’s reliability on your own; research reviews and ratings on top of listening to the company directly

Offer the right shipping options

Once you have chosen the best shipping partner, the next step is to make sure your shipping options are the best. With 45% of online shoppers abandoning their virtual shopping cart due to shipping options they didn’t agree with, and 38% of said customers refusing to shop at a company again after a negative delivery event, this step is imperative to success.

• Offer shipping methods that are not terribly expensive and attract customers. This can be translated as having a good variety of cheapest and fastest delivery options to choose from
• Incentives such as free or affordable shipping are expected in today’s market, so make sure you are living up to the average customer’s expectations by providing this yourself
• Factor in extra expenses, such as international and expedited shipping, and keep these costs as low (and transparent) as you can 
• Consider integrations with software that can sync to each location you are selling from online to best route each order to the closest shipping center for faster delivery and better service overall

Have excellent return policies

Giving your customers more time to return products will only build more trust and loyalty. It will also reassure them that if something is wrong with the product they have ordered, they will be able to get a refund.

• Make all return policies clear and easy to understand. This will prevent any potential disputes and help your customers to calculate the exact process and cost should they choose to return an item 
• Include this policy alongside the product and in all correspondence: its high visibility is absolutely necessary 
• Allow extra time for returns. Build trust and ensure your customers are comfortable sending items back to continue to foster that loyalty

Increasing your conversion rates means understanding what works and what doesn’t with your customers. And don’t worry if new visitors aren’t converting the first time. They may come back when they have more need (or more money). The important thing is that you have taken the time to incorporate these tips into your business plan on top of the web content that makes your company look so appealing. 

Save time and money by automating your time tracking today and give yourself extra time to focus on increasing those customer conversions. We are offering a free 14-day trial for all your payroll, billing, and productivity needs. No credit card required. 

The post Top Tips to Increase Customer Conversions in Your Online Business  appeared first on eBillity.

Operational inefficiencies are driven by market trends, the newest technological trends are revolutionizing this sector. This is unprecedented: there has not been a time in recent history where transport and logistics has been transformed socially, economically, environmentally, and technologically. 

These changes are exciting, but make it difficult to assess short- and long-term goals and investments. There is one area in which there is a clear and beneficial outcome, however. Based on in-depth reports that carefully analyze change within the industry, digitization and software-driven process changes are revitalizing the sector in remarkable ways. 54% of companies surveyed in the PwC Global Digital IQ Survey 2017 said that they expected digitalization to increase their revenues. And this isn’t the only benefit to automation: businesses can also utilize technology to simplify processes, remodel customer engagement and interaction, and redesign services and products. 

The biggest challenges in the transport and logistics industry today are:

• Supply chain management
• Asset utilization
• Establishing digital business models 
• Freight optimization and planning 
• Improving operational efficiency
• Adoption of technology 

We can see digitalization working within the industry already, aiding with administrative tasks, operations, and contracting. It is visible not simply as information and communications, but has broadened to include integrations and the ability to devise entirely new and innovative business models and processes and service provision. 

Current trends in transportation and logistics include:

• Digital business models 
• Big data analytics
• Location detection technologies
• Fraud detection technologies
• Digitization of vertical and horizontal value chain
• Digitization of products and services

As these technological tools advance and grow with the industry, we are expected to see changes such as: 

• Robotic Process Automation 
• Predictive solutions for deliveries and maintenance 
• Intelligent Transportation Systems
• AI Solutions
• Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies 

By embracing these technological advances, companies will reap benefits such as cost and quality, clearer insights into cargo flow and passenger information, and will enable their customers to have better convenience and updated information on transport services. These changes are leading a paradigm shift in the transportation and logistics industry, where the projected proportion of companies in the sector with an advanced level of digitization is expected to grow from 28% to 71% in the next five years. 

Scheduling problems aren’t unique to transportation and logistics, appearing in several industries. But they remain one of the key issues to solve within transportation and logistics. Disruptions can be a huge factor in lost income; for example, delayed flights cost not only revenue, but also vouchers for customers and overtime for employees. Transportation companies need to determine which of the vehicles in its fleet to use during delivery as well as the sequence of deliveries.

Accessing secure, reliable methods of scheduling means effectively minimizing inventory costs (making sure to schedule orders to have the smallest inventory), flow times (the time it takes to make an order), makespan (the time it takes to complete a group of orders), and late deliveries. It also means maximizing the use of your resources.

Expenses within the transportation and logistics industry need to be continually reevaluated and analyzed to ensure best use of resources. 

• 8-10% of total costs for a firm are typically made up of logistical expenses 
• Adding technological tools to your arsenal is a great way to save time and money
• Automated systems are cost-effective and improve operational efficiency, as well as improving customer satisfaction and scalability, and reducing manual errors 
• SaaS providers that provide logistics automation allow for affordable and seamless assistance for your business 

The prevailing issues present within transportation and logistics are so pressing that they have been studied thoroughly by academics. Papers rigorously illuminate the need for solutions to scheduling problems, breaking down manufacturer and distributor into stages, how they can work together to find solutions, and where they are not compatible and need their own answers. There is a call to improve resource utilization and to reduce operational costs, where it seems some of the answers to these issues lay in algorithms and improved models for scheduling and transportation planning. It is clear that a strong optimization of a scheduling model that encompasses both production and transport is paramount to the efficient coordination of resources. 

Route planning, fleet management, and vehicle routing are the main problems in transport planning. Some solutions go above and beyond those suggested by academic research, for real-world applications that can work for your business immediately. By understanding the problems from the perspective of someone who is actually in the industry, and then modeling the issue against its proposed solution, this is a much better and more useful way to reduce these complications. 

Do you have an issue with the capacity of your delivery vehicles or understanding how to synchronize deliveries for best time and cost savings? Are there planning problems you aren’t sure how to solve, such as staff or machine scheduling, terminal optimization, or time tabling? Apply a software that has been created to assist with these problems, and see for yourself how quickly and effectively they help to solve these issues. 

Route-planning, particularly in the case of coordinating intermodal routing, may require fixed selections of modes of transport. This can be aided with the use of GPS to enable best route times and the avoidance of hazards. Algorithms can contribute to reduced cost, more efficient deliveries, and improved travel times.

The great news is the innovation in the new wave of startups which are helping to shape a modern supply chain marketplace that wholly embraces game-changing technology. Some of the trends identified as gaining traction in transport and logistics for 2019 include: 

• Digitalization
• Data analytics 
• Automation 

This is especially exciting, as the transportation and logistics industry has traditionally been considered less ‘digitally mature’ than other sectors, but now there are digital solutions specific to its needs. Payments, for example, have been revitalized with the introduction of modern, online payment systems. Faster and more accurate transactions is making room for the improvement of customer satisfaction and lowering costs for the business. As this sector grows and becomes more digitally mature, improved efficiency and the lowering of risk are just some of the benefits of automation.

In addition to the increased recognition of solutions for transport and logistics, there is a demand by consumers for faster and more flexible deliveries, track & trace capabilities, and greater customization. The supply chain is impacted everywhere by these heightened expectations. Pair that with how logistics management systems are making for faster and smarter global supply chains, and it is easy to see that the future is in digital solutions. 

Moving from old-fashioned manual systems that are paper-based and carry an increased risk of human error, the benefits of digital logistics are many: 

• Increased sources of revenue
• Greater innovation
• Increased control and collaboration
• Analytics to help assess decision-making
• Enhanced responsiveness 
• Faster and more dynamic planning 
• Improved access to real-time data 
• Greatly improved customer service and satisfaction

This Transportation & Logistics vertical shows how the rise of AI, machine learning, and improved self-driving technology is starting to revolutionize the transportation and logistics industry. The World Economic Forum foresees huge shifts in value and profits, with the potential of $1.5 trillion in additional economic value in logistics through 2025.

Don’t run the risk of being left behind. By getting on board with this technological transformation, you can ensure that your company is reaping these same benefits and staying ahead of the curve. 

90% of logistics companies already understand that data and analytics will be the key to the success of their business in the next five years. They know that data-driven decision making is the best way to optimize operations. 

Implement technological solutions today to reduce logistics costs, shorten delivery times, and optimize operations efficiency. Apply these tools in order to enable your team to access data in real-time on a tailored, digital platform.

To work with peak efficiency and to best manage your costs, optimal staff scheduling is crucial. This will mean gains in the quality, safety, and productivity of your processes, as well as making customer service and satisfaction a primary goal.

Time Tracker will work with your business to save time and money, optimize route times with geolocation, and automatically generate in-depth reports so that you can plan for the future. Try a free 14-day trial today and see for yourself. No credit card required. Cancel any time. 

The post Solving Operational Inefficiencies in Transport and Logistics appeared first on eBillity.