Builders’ Merchants: Differentiating the Delivery Experience with Descartes Customer Engagement
As building supplies get harder to differentiate, builders’ merchants must look for additional ways to attract and retain customers.
Quality materials are just the expected baseline. At every touchpoint, merchants need to show that they can help keep projects on time and in budget.
Nowhere is this more critical than in the delivery experience, where small slip-ups can cause big delays. Buyers have come to expect:
- Convenient delivery options
- To know exactly when the goods will arrive – even if there’s a delay
- Proof of where materials were dropped off, and in what condition
- Fast resolution of issues, mis-deliveries and damaged items
Fortunately, builders’ merchants can use proven technology to tick all of these boxes. Keep reading to find out how Descartes Customer Engagement™ improves the building supplies delivery experience while also reducing operational costs.
How Does Customer Engagement Technology Help?
The goal of customer engagement is to build strong relationship with your clients through proactive communication. It’s about giving real-time updates, empowering customers to make decisions, and letting them provide feedback on their own terms.
With dedicated customer engagement technology, builders’ merchants can strengthen trust by offering clarity, convenience and control.
- Automatic reminders via SMS or email: Let customers plan their time and resources effectively around the estimated arrival time (ETA).
- Real-time status updates: Keep recipients in the loop if the delivery is delayed or the ETA changes. Alternatively, send notifications to branch staff who may wish to contact the customer or site via telephone.
- Real-time delivery tracking through an online portal: Help site managers to prepare for the delivery and double-check order details.
- Two-way communication: Allow recipients to share extra details such as access instructions and essential safety information.
- Digital proof of delivery: Reassure supervisors that items arrived on time, in full, in the right place and in good condition. Quickly reconcile any exceptions or reported damage.
- Real-time feedback surveys: Build trust and tackle issues before they escalate.
Benefits of Customer Engagement for Builders’ Merchants
Improve customer experience
Waiting for a delivery can derail construction projects and harm trust in you as a supplier. Increased visibility improves customers’ experience, even when things don’t go to plan.
- Transparency is important whether you’re delivering to consumers, tradespeople or businesses. Knowing when materials are arriving gives customers confidence in their ability to complete projects on time.
- Even with the best laid plan, occasional delays are inevitable. By automatically letting customers know the new ETA, you can turn a negative experience into a positive differentiator for your business.
- Once a drop is completed, digital proof of delivery (POD) provides a convenient way to demonstrate that you have met your delivery promise. Customers can easily check where goods have been dropped off, as well as the condition of the items and the surrounding area.
- Same-day feedback surveys show that you value clients’ opinions. With real-time negative feedback alerts, your team can rectify issues in a matter of hours, not days.
“Previously, negative feedback would be directed to a sales colleague and escalated over a matter of weeks. Now, customers get a call from a senior manager within thirty minutes, to see what we can learn from the experience."
- Michael Alldridge, Operations Director, South-West and Wales, HSS The Hire Service Company
Reduce operational costs
Effective customer communication has benefits beyond the buyer’s experience.
- Automated messaging reduces calls to the contact centre about rescheduling, ETAs and feedback.
- Two-way communication lets customers share critical information such as access instructions for construction site deliveries. As a result, drivers can spend less time at each drop and deliver safely.
- Electronic proof of delivery speeds up invoicing and avoids fraudulent claims for damaged items. Site managers can easily track down their goods on site, reducing claims for lost or mis-appropriated items.
Increase first-time delivery rates
The most expensive delivery is the one you don’t make and need to reschedule.
- Timely reminders ensure that customers can rebook in advance if the delivery slot isn’t convenient for them.
- On the day of the delivery, customers can plan their schedule to ensure that staff are ready to provide access and receive the goods.
- By avoiding re-delivery, builders’ merchants stand to reduce fuel consumption and contribute to sustainability goals.
Getting Started with Customer Engagement
When margins are tight and products are seen as interchangeable, providing a great customer experience will help to increase revenue by attracting and retaining customers.
Digital customer engagement tools from Descartes integrate with your tech stack to give buyers the visibility they expect. Get in touch today to find out how Descartes can help.
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Jeannie Amberg
Content Marketing Manager - Fleet Solutions
Jeannie brings a decade’s experience in Software as a Service, focusing on ecommerce and last-mile customer experience.
Posted: 04/08/2025 | Category: Customer Experience
