Convey’s new Delivery Exception Management Platform addresses last mile delivery issues

Austin, Texas-based Convey, a provider of delivery experience management software that helps shippers connect disparate data and processes from parcel to freight in the last mile, announced today it has rolled out a new offering specifically geared towards last mile delivery issues.

Entitled the Delivery Exception Management (DEM) Platform now Featuring Exception Recovery, Convey said this offering provides shippers with the ability to identify, collaborate and take the needed steps to resolve issues before a customer complains, as well as predict and prevent future issues. To date, Convey said that its early adopters of DEM have seen a rough average of 80% improvements for exception resolution speed, in addition to a six-to-ten times ROI.

Logistics Management Group News Editor caught up with Convey CEO and Co-Founder Rob Taylor to talk about DEM and its benefits for shippers and Convey alike. A transcript of the conversation follows below.  

Logistics Management (LM): What drove the need for DEM featuring exception recovery?

Rob Taylor: Today, eCommerce represents 10% of online sales, and is a major growth engine for many brands. As eCommerce grows and brands must spend more effort on retaining those hard won customers, the “last mile customer experience” has become critically important. Customers have been trained by Amazon to expect nothing less than a fast, free, seamless delivery experience and the stakes are high if the company can’t uphold its delivery promises—84% of customers will not return after just one poor experience.

“Fast and free delivery” is no longer the golden ticket to a satisfied shopper, and it’s not sustainable to many brands who wish to grow their top line. Shoppers, confused by exceptions on their tracking pages, call in asking why their orders are late or damaged and what the brand can do to compensate them for their experience. Yet, many brands struggle to see, analyze and take action on these issues that can turn into customer-facing nightmares.

Delivery Experience Management allows retailers to define how their customers perceive their brands while achieving sustainable growth. It not only gives them visibility and insights to see and analyze their shipment data, but it also allows them to take action to positively impact customer experiences. Convey’s Exception Recovery feature empowers brands take action on delivery issues, connecting them to their ecosystem of carriers and customers, and allowing them to collaborate, escalate and resolve issues within the platform.

LM: What were the biggest issues facing customers relating to exceptions that you often heard from them or anecdotally?

Taylor: Today, online delivery is growing at a rapid pace, and up to 11% of shipments encounter shipping exceptions which can negatively affect the customer experience. As brands race to grow their eCommerce to match fast-growing consumer demands, the email, phone call and spreadsheet driven interactions that were once used to keep track of hundreds of full-truckload deliveries from DC to store are no longer sustainable. Customer care teams responsible for addressing product concerns and trying to upsell are now being taxed with skyrocketing “where is my order?” (WISMO) calls and becoming ad hoc logistics coordinators.

After interviewing, collaborating, and working with the biggest brands in retail, we have discovered mountains of inefficiency embedded in last mile processes, preventing brands from making their delivery amazing. By connecting internal and external parties with Exception Recovery, brands can take action through the Convey platform and resolve issues before they become customer-facing nightmares.

LM: What are the top benefits of this for your customers i.e. shippers?

Taylor: Exception Recovery enables retailers to avoid costs and improve customer satisfaction by collaboratively resolving exceptions with carriers at scale. At a high level, brands are empowered to work with carriers within the application to see shipment exceptions before they affect customers, and use collaborative workflows to take action that resolves those issues.

Retailers using Convey’s Exception Recovery have been able to double the number of exceptions they manage per person in just a few weeks. All activity is tracked via shared dashboards so that both carriers and shippers can break down activity by agent, carrier (or shipper), and reason code (exception type) to better address the root causes of issues in the last mile. So far, early adopters of the solution have seen an average of 80% improvement in exception resolution speed and a 6-10x return on investment.

LM: What are the possible future plans, or next steps, for this offering in the future?

Taylor: Convey will continue to empower brands to scale their delivery systems and proactively make changes to shipping exceptions before they impact customers. We are thrilled to partner with 25+ carriers already, including Metropolitan and Pilot, who can log in and work with retailers to resolve delivery exceptions even faster. In the near term, we will continue to onboard and enable more shippers and carriers to resolve exceptions collaboratively. Over the longer term, we envision a time when our automated insights and rules-based workflows will resolve repetitive issues without human intervention - allowing teams to focus on the highest value delivery management efforts.

LM: What are the biggest competitive benefits of this from a Convey perspective?

Taylor: When it comes to delivery, having tracking pages and visibility are just not enough. Convey is proud to be the only solution on the market to empower brands with Delivery Experience Management, so retailers can see, analyze, and most importantly take action on their all of their shipments. As we work with the world’s leading retailers, we continuously get feedback that our ability to transform their relationships with carriers is unparalleled. In a world where brands seek to control as much of the customer experience as possible, it’s hard to give up control in the final mile. That’s why Convey is  dedicated to building the tools to make retailers’ last mile predictable and competitive, allowing them to save money while improving both revenue and customer happiness.