Introduction
Nowadays, the popularity of online stores is growing, increasing the need for using logistics firms. When ordering goods from e-commerce companies, consumers expect high-quality service and often do not forgive any errors or delays, demanding a refund and leaving complaints on the company’s website and various forums. Many persons are accustomed to getting their order almost as soon as it is placed and expect it to be neither late nor damaged. Several factors in the complex shape the efficiency of service, and firms need to consider them not separately but as a whole, as well as constantly work on a delivery process in order to achieve Perfect Orders. Nowadays, it is possible to state that Amazon.com is among those e-commerce companies that provide their clients with the best delivery service.
The Importance of Overall Delivery Quality
It was common for many e-commerce companies to focus on several independent measures when evaluating customer service performance. For example, they used to assess each factor against its specific standard, and the aim was to make sure that each of those independent measures, including on-time delivery, fill rates, and damage rates, was acceptable in accordance with the standard (Bowersox, 2019). Nevertheless, this is not how the process of customer service performance evaluation should work.
It is never enough to deliver a damaged product without delays or perform the correct delivery but make a mistake in the invoice. Therefore, as noticed by Bowersox (2019), “recently, logistics and supply chain executives have begun to focus attention on zero-defect or six-sigma performance” (p. 70). It is extremely important to deliver the right order on time, with no damages, and at the right location because dissatisfied customers may lower the performance of the company and make it less competitive.
Amazon as an Example of the Perfect Orders Delivery
Despite everything mentioned above, it is possible to say that there is no major e-commerce company that has perfect delivery and never makes errors. Still, many try their best, and Amazon is among them. Although this company sometimes gets complaints and makes errors while delivering purchased items, its management always tries to improve the process and provide the customers with flawless delivery even during the busiest or most challenging periods (Thomas, n.d.). The factors that contribute to Amazon’s delivery success are discussed in the paragraphs below.
How Well Amazon Delivers Their Goods
Overall, Amazon is known for being quite accurate and careful with delivering ordered items. One of the company’s performance goals is to try to deliver orders prior to the initially estimated date, and all complaints are reviewed carefully. Many items are available for free delivery, which is quite convenient for customers, and in some states, it is possible to get one’s order on the same or the following day (Thomas, n.d.). Additionally, to thank regular clients, the company offers even more benefits for those who subscribe to Amazon Prime.
Further, it is essential to outline the main points of the delivery process. To begin with, what makes it faster and more quality is the use of robots in Amazon’s fulfillment centers (Amazon Staff, 2019). For instance, “when the order comes in, a robot brings pods full of items to associates working at pick stations,” so the joint efforts of robots and people make the whole process much more organized (Amazon Staff, 2019, para. 3). Different teams make sure that the process runs correctly and smoothly during all the stages, and scanning and computer systems help workers avoid errors. It is also noticeable that “for quality control, the package is weighed to make sure the contents match the order” (Amazon Staff, 2019, para. 6). Overall, thanks to the highly organized process and many automatized steps, Amazon can guarantee its customers that the goods are delivered on time and without damage or other errors.
Another factor that allows the company to provide its clients with high-quality deliveries is its improvement and measurement process. According to Bryar and Carr (2021), this process is known as DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) and is based on the Six Sigma method (Bowersox, 2019). To receive feedback from clients and correct their errors, Amazon asks its buyers to complete surveys after receiving their goods, and most of the questions in the questionnaire are about the quality of delivery. Though there is not much information about Amazon’s customer satisfaction rates, according to Coppola (2019), the index fell from 86 in 2016 to 79 in 2020, which means that fewer clients are happy with Amazon’s performance, including delivery. At the same time, it is still one of the most popular online marketplaces, and it is likely that the customer satisfaction index will grow.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that the necessity and importance of high-quality delivery cannot be overestimated. Though Amazon is among the e-commerce companies with the best delivery system, it is still necessary for the firm to improve its delivery outcomes and reduce the number of errors during busy periods to a minimum. Overall, Amazon is a great example for other e-commerce companies looking to increase their customer loyalty and satisfaction through high-quality delivery. Thanks to their automatized and highly effective systems and processes, including the DMAIC process, Amazon remains to be a quite competitive and successful leader in the market.
References
Amazon Staff. (2019). Inside Amazon’s fulfillment centers: What you can expect to see on a warehouse tour. Web.
Bowersox, D. (2019). Supply chain logistics management (5th ed). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Bryar, C., & Carr, B. (2021). Working backward. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.
Coppola, D. (2021). U.S. customer satisfaction with Amazon.com from 2000 to 2020. Web.
Thomas, M. (n.d.). Do Amazon packages come early? Web.