Complete the Customer Experience Down to the Smallest Return Label
Returns are a crucial part of customer service and therefore, the e-commerce experience. It's about how you close the door – should it be slammed shut, or just left ajar, so it can be easily opened again? The right answer is: Make returns as smooth as possible. GLS made an attempt. They created a solution where merchants can direct customers to a portal, where they need to enter information to receive a label for printing or a QR code, which can be shown at the ParcelShop. In our view, that wasn’t enough.
Okay. Enter order number, name, address, email address, phone number. You did all this when ordering your product, but let's do it one more time. What's the chance of errors here? What’s the risk of you getting just a little bit annoyed?
Add to that, the return label itself is free, but not all companies offer free returns. This means the customer later discovers that the refunded amount is reduced by the return shipping fee. How’s the mood now?
Shipping in an Elegant Formula
Return policy can't be standardized. Some companies offer free shipping, others don’t. Some have one procedure, others have another. We considered this while crafting a solution that can be customized to the premises of the individual shop. This provides the smoothest experience for the customer and the staff alike.
We began by establishing that we already know the customer’s information. Next, we ensured that both the customer and the company can retrieve a return label. If the customer does it themselves, they are directed with a single click straight to a payment window, thus understanding upfront that returns are at their own expense. If the shipping is on the company's account, the customer service representative can just as easily send a prepaid label/QR code to the customer.
Here’s What We Did for Morfars.dk
Returns at lightning speed and with smiles all around
At Morfars.dk, customers need to pay the shipping costs when returning a product.
Over the years, Morfars has tried many solutions, and the most optimal is for the customer to purchase the return shipping through the webshop – it also makes it easier if the customer later needs to have the shipping cost refunded (e.g., in the case of a valid complaint).
We took the GLS solution to level two. The customer receives a link that leads directly to checkout. Once the order is placed, Shopify Flow ensures that a return label/QR code is sent directly to the customer, followed by capture and archive. Fully automated, easy for the customer and staff!
There are frequent situations where customer service opts to send a prepaid return label/QR code to the customer. Morfars.dk uses the customer service platform Gorgias for all communication. It is now set up so that the customer service representative can send a prepaid QR code directly to the customer with a single click.
"Previously, we had to go into an external system and fill things out manually. Now everything runs automatically. Anything that makes it easier for us makes it easier for the customer. It just works smoothly and professionally. There is transparency about the return policy when you go directly to a payment window – so even though the shipping isn’t free, it’s still a good experience.
– Line Eriksen, Morfars.dk