Inbound Logistics | January 2024

and assembly, including specics like whether or not a loading dock is available, whether they need a key code to enter the facility, and if any hours are off-limits. “The goal is to make the driver’s job as easy as possible to get as much throughput as possible,” says Brown of enVista. These apps and technologies also play a role in the customer experience after a delivery is complete by enabling photographic proof of delivery, paperless forms, surveys, customer feedback, and other features. TECHNOLOGY ENABLES OVERSIGHT To ensure excellent customer service in the white-glove sector, management oversight is critical, according to AIT’s Escobar.

“Each client measures us differently, and on-time delivery is one metric, but it’s not always the metric when it comes to white glove,” Bourke says. Some products include their own built-in feedback that white-glove providers can use to track success. Data server racks, for instance, have a tip-and- tell device that records if the shipment tipped past a certain point that could cause damage to the server. Through the SEKO Live app, drivers can send photos to the shipper to nd out how to address the situation if it occurs. White-glove providers also use vehicle routing and scheduling systems to boost customer experience. These technologies—often available to drivers directly via an app—can collect and communicate attributes of delivery locations, so when drivers arrive, they know the parameters for delivery

Consumers also see white-glove delivery contractors as representatives of the company for whom they are delivering: 41% of consumers blame the brand when orders arrive late, according to a Loqate survey. This raises the pressure on white-glove service providers. “If we deliver for a tness company, the consumer looks at us like we are that tness company,” says Rob Lamell, vice president of home delivery- U.S. for AIT Worldwide Logistics, a global transportation provider. “We are an extension of our client to their end consumer.” METRICS THAT MATTER For white-glove service, on-time delivery isn’t necessarily the most critical metric for success. Other factors, such as proof of damage-free delivery and compliance with procedures, are essential benchmarks. “The denition of on-time delivery has become more nuanced because arriving early can be just as bad as arriving late,” Bourke says. Customer service metrics are also key. Positive customer reviews are the currency that helps consumers build a comfort level with white-glove delivery services. “Consumers like to shop at retail stores, and we have a big job in extending that experience into the home,” says Luis Escobar, director of operations, home delivery, for AIT, which delivers furniture, tness equipment, and outdoor structures such as gazebos and gym sets via white- glove service. The same emphasis on service applies to industrial settings. For example, when SEKO Logistics returns medical devices to a warehouse, the company must prove that the units have been properly

CONSUMERS SEE WHITEGLOVE DELIVERY CONTRACTORS AS

disinfected and all accessories have been collected for return. SEKO helps customers track the expensive accessory kits to ensure the inventory goes where it belongs.

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE COMPANY FOR WHOM THEY ARE DELIVERING 41 % OF CONSUMERS BLAME THE BRAND WHEN ORDERS ARRIVE LATE. Source: Loqate

132 Inbound Logistics • January 2024