When you buy a FedEx Ground route or even if you are currently running one and considering selling your route, one of the most important things you can do is to keep your customers happy. This adds value to your route and also helps you make better profits. The more a customer ships with you, the better it is for your business. On the other side, the more often a buyer chooses FedEx shipping, the more deliveries you have.
And that can all be soured by one bad experience no matter how dependable or friendly you may have been in the past. It can also be influenced by substitute route drivers and more.
So it’s important that just like in any other service industry, you work to keep your FedEx Ground route customers happy.
Be Dependable to Keep FedEx Ground Route Customers Happy
The first part of route customer service is quite simply showing up. If you are making pick-ups at a business on a regular basis, set a time that is convenient for the customer. Then arrive on time or inside the specified window. If you are having an exceptionally busy day or time period, like around the holiday peak, give them fair warning if your schedule will be disrupted.
The more regular your route, even in residential areas, the more customers can come to count on when you will deliver packages, especially if they need to make arrangements to be home to sign for something. Whatever route order and schedule you choose, simply be consistent.
Treat Packages with Care
While this is another truth that should go without saying, it is important for us to highlight this for a variety of reasons. This is also why it is important to inspect packages when you receive and load them at the FedEx station. Here are some guidelines:
- If a package is damaged at the station, don’t load it onto your truck. Report it right away.
- If something happens to a package on your route, return it to the station to resolve the situation. Never deliver anything you know or suspect is damaged.
- Take care when loading packages, and even when you are rearranging your stops. Customers may be able to see in your truck, especially when you are making pickups, and even if packages are durable, treat them with respect and care. Customers can also hear “banging” in your truck when you are rearranging things. Perception is important, so use caution and common sense.
- Shelter packages in case of inclement weather. Carry waterproof bags, and don’t leave a package if there is no way to protect it from the weather. Leave a door tag instead.
- Place packages where they are not easily seen from the street and are not likely to be stolen. Theft can be a huge problem even in a nice area, especially around the holidays when thieves are more active. If things look suspicious, don’t leave that package.
Think of packages like they were yours, being delivered to your home. Where would you want them left? What kind of care would you want someone else to take with them? Treat your customer packages the same way.
Be Pleasant
It’s easy to get in a hurry when you are delivering and picking up, and you most certainly will have some bad days. Don’t take those days out on your customers. Be pleasant, and if a customer tries to make small talk you don’t have time for, be gentled in disengaging from them.
Remember, the customer only sees you at their business or home. Many times, they have no idea what the rest of your day looks like. Treat them like they are your only customer, even if it means spending a little extra time. The reward in the long run is worth it.
Drive with Courtesy
Your truck is like a giant billboard with the FedEx name on it, and your truck number ties it right back to you and your route. Drive with courtesy and sanity. Don’t speed excessively or endanger others no matter how busy you are or how much of a hurry you are in.
Follow common sense rules. Signal, try not to block traffic or parked cars when you stop to make deliveries and minimize those disruptions as much as possible. Remember, your driving is a direct reflection on you, and excessive violations can not only cause your insurance costs to skyrocket, but it can get you in real trouble with FedEx too.
If you have other drivers who work for you, train them on this as well. Tickets and complaints can make your route very difficult to sell, and if you are a buyer, it can make purchasing other routes nearly impossible. Your driving record is critical.
Resolve Complaints Quickly to Keep FedEx Ground Route Customers Happy
Finally, you will get complaints on your route. Not often, hopefully, but you will occasionally see a package delivered to the wrong house, or a driving complaint or something will get damaged by weather or even stolen after you drop it off.
It’s important that you respond to and resolve these complaints as quickly as possible. Not only are your customers watching, but FedEx is monitoring this as well. Your business profits and your future business depend on your reputation and rapid resolution of any issues you might have.
Whether you are buying a route, selling a route, or expanding your existing FedEx business by purchasing another route, happy customers are critical to your success. Resolve to keep your route customers happy, and you’ll have a thriving business for years to come.
Need help buying or selling a route? Talk to us at Route Advisors. We can make sure everything goes smoothly from a transition to route ownership to finding the right buyer for your route at the right time.