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Home > Blog > White Glove Delivery: What It is, Benefits + How to Offer It in 2024
Customer Experience ManagementHere’s a complete guide to white glove delivery. Learn how it works and how to offer white glove delivery services, and the steps you need to take.
Today, white glove delivery stands out as a premium service far beyond standard shipping. Designed for customers who value extra care, precision, and attention to detail, this delivery service is about more than just transporting items—it’s about creating a seamless experience from start to finish.
Here’s a complete guide to white glove delivery in 2024. This is the only guide you’ll need to learn how to offer white glove delivery services right away.
In this detailed guide, you will find out:
Whether you’re exploring ways to enhance your business offerings in 2024 or looking to elevate the delivery experience for your customers, this guide covers it all.
Let’s dive into how white glove delivery can set your business apart by providing a level of care and professionalism that makes each delivery feel personal.
The term “white glove” is used to describe exceptional care, service, or attention. The name likely originated from the white gloves worn by staff in upscale European households. These gloves were essential for handling fine silverware carefully, as direct contact with skin could tarnish the material.
Unlike standard delivery ,white glove delivery service is a method of shipping that ensures the utmost care, reducing the chance of damage during shipment and ensuring that your items arrive in prime condition. White glove delivery is typically used for courier services and last-mile delivery.
It includes careful processing, secure transport, and, if required, assembly, installation, or recurring scheduled deliveries to meet each recipient's specific needs.
Businesses in many industries offer white glove services to customers who are ready to pay more in exchange for faster, more convenient services.
White glove delivery is a concept that applies premium customer service to last-mile delivery or courier services.
White-glove teams communicate with customers to determine any special delivery requirements.
Then they schedule deliveries at a time that is convenient for them. Ensuring that no packages are left unattended at their doorstep.
White glove delivery specialists are highly trained and equipped to install and assemble the product on-site, as well as use specialized equipment if needed.
It depends on the company, but white glove delivery service usually includes:
White glove delivery is different from threshold delivery because it offers extra services, especially after the shipment arrives.
That makes white glove delivery a higher-tier delivery.
Threshold delivery is a service that leaves your shipment at the door of your residence or business. Scheduling threshold delivery is generally available, though it depends on the policies of the delivery company. Many providers offer the option to choose a delivery time window, which can be arranged ahead of time.
White glove delivery service is good for people who don’t want valuable items left outside their door.
Many companies provide both threshold and white glove delivery services.
Now that you have a better understanding of white glove delivery, we’ll explain how it can have a positive impact on your business in 2024.
This will help you increase your business’s bottom line.
You can charge premium prices if you provide premium service.
Speed, convenience, and personal touch - all defining aspects of white glove services have been demonstrated to increase repeat sales according to research.
As a result, white glove services can help you increase the lifetime value of your customers.
According to a survey, more than 80% of customers will pay more for premium customer experience.
According to McKinsey&Company, white glove services offer a high return on investment because the benefits outweigh the cost of the investment that is required.
These services are cost-efficient because they help you to build trust with customers through delivery.
But also loyalty, since you speed up the resolution of contact center issues (or preventing them altogether).
Real-time customer notifications can reduce the amount of inbound customer service calls.
When your routing software automatically offers customers a link to track their package in real-time, you’ll have fewer customers calling in to ask about their deliveries.
Real-time notifications also help businesses reduce the number of failed delivery efforts. And that can significantly reduce your transportation costs.
When customers know exactly when their package will come, they are more likely to be home to accept it.
The ability to track shipments in real-time instills confidence in customers and helps to avoid any potential damage or delay during the shipment.
To keep the shipment safe during processing and delivery, white glove delivery uses packaging materials and temperature control technology.
White glove delivery ensures that the shipment is protected from damage or theft when it comes to expensive and valuable items.
That’s why white glove delivery is what customers value in last-mile delivery. And best of all, they’re ready to pay more for it.
The customer service experience can make or break the entire fulfillment experience in 2024.
White-glove carriers deliver impeccable customer service throughout the customer journey to give a pleasurable customer experience.
Dedicated teams that work effectively with clients, are aware of any particular delivery instructions and can arrange custom deliveries.
White-glove delivery personnel are prompt, polite, and well-dressed professionals who treat each customer with respect and provide only the highest level of service.
Any sort of business can provide white glove services in 2024 since white glove service is, at its core, any service that is delivered with the highest level of care and attention.
Here are some of the industries that should offer white glove services:
Both retail and online furniture stores frequently offer the option of adding white glove furniture delivery after you’ve made your booking for an additional charge.
The white glove option relieves the consumer of the struggle of transporting their product from the store, as well as the difficulty of putting furniture together themselves.
Moving companies can also provide white glove service for an additional price.
With the basic service, in which they may just assist in moving large objects from the car to inside the place, customers are frequently left to transport it back to the specific position they like.
With white glove service, all they have to do is point the white glove mover in the right direction and they’ll take care of the rest.
White glove delivery services will not only transfer perishable supplies from a caterer or other business to the required location but will also assist customers in setting up the special event.
This can entail delivering and assisting with:
A white glove delivery service can handle any aspect of the delivery of goods, as well as the setup and cleanup of the event.
For an additional price, online retailers can also provide a white glove installation or assembly service.
They frequently attract customers by advertising free delivery.
However, this usually amounts to little more than inside delivery and is dependent on your location.
If you’ve ever purchased big-ticket items during sales like Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you may have noticed this.
And most white glove deliveries are scheduled ahead of time.
This can help you overcome the challenges of the delivery logistics behind Black Friday and other holiday and big sales events.
For luxury brands, their main strategy is usually in-store clienteling.
However, with the continued growth of the e-commerce luxury goods market, some brands are already searching for new methods to use new technology to improve their online clienteling services.
They can now use innovative technologies, like route optimization software, so that they can provide white glove services online.
As their customers are probably ready to pay a lot for a product, they would most likely want to pay extra for a better and unique customer experience.
Customers’ expectations are continuing to rise as a result of companies like Amazon and Instacart setting the bar high for convenient delivery methods.
In response to consumer expectations, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on last-mile delivery, brands are looking to extend their offers in 2024.
White glove delivery improves customer experience by bringing groceries and goods into their homes.
But also delivering orders with first-rate customer service and the utmost care.
With white glove delivery and grocery delivery software, supermarkets, grocery stores, and any other type of food delivery have room to grow.
And that only translates into a competitive advantage that can help companies remain in business well beyond the pandemic.
You are well aware of the significance of clean medical equipment.
In addition to being 100% sanitary, the equipment must function properly upon delivery, as someone’s life may depend on it.
And with white glove delivery, customers know medical equipment will be handled with the utmost care.
The same is true when talking about the delivery of medicine.
With uninterrupted pharmacy delivery, customers don’t have to go to the pharmacy to get their prescription medication anymore.
They can simply call a white glove delivery service, and have everything taken care of by their personnel.
If you want to bring your business to another level, you should offer white glove delivery to your customers.
By using software, you can streamline white glove operation.
That’s how you can assign technicians with the right skill set to the right task.
Here are just some of the things that you will be able to do:
Step #1: Schedule and Route Deliveries Ahead of Time
Let’s say that you’ve planned the route and schedules for all your deliveries.
Your customers are notified about the estimated time of arrival of their orders.
And your staff is now working at peak efficiency.
But what if something unexpected happens?
You’ll need to make quick changes after your drivers have left for their routes.
That’s why you need dynamic route and schedule replanning besides planning deliveries ahead of time.
This feature helps you to adjust routes and plan better delivery schedules at a moment’s notice.
All of the information automatically updates to your field teams’ phones.
So even if something does occur, you can react to the situation. And ensure that all orders arrive on time and without lowering your order accuracy.
Showing up on time is crucial in white glove services, especially when customers are paying extra.
In a couple of seconds, the software can determine the most efficient routes for thousands of deliveries or service appointments.
That will help your business in cutting down on planning and execution time.
Your business operations need to stay on track no matter what obstacles arise.
You can do that by using live tracking and automatic route-planning capabilities.
With software, you get visibility over the entire fleet which lowers reaction times.
This lets you respond quickly and effectively when changes to your plans occur.
And it helps you build an agile delivery fleet.
Most delivery management software has easily accessible customer notes.
Drivers can access this information to find out more about the customer.
But also additional preferences about where and how to deliver their orders.
As a result, this raises the quality of their work to a higher standard.
At the same time, dispatchers and delivery managers can set up custom notifications.
But also keep track of what’s going on at the customer’s door.
For example, dispatchers can use the software to receive proof of delivery, which tells them if the delivery was successful.
But also ratings and feedback to see how a package was delivered and if the driver did a good job.
This guarantees that the drivers access the notes before each delivery.
And ensures they address the customer by name, talk to the customer, and remain friendly throughout the interaction.
Little gestures like this go a long way toward making your client feel important.
In turn, this helps them feel more comfortable with doing business with your company.
Which can ultimately lead to more repeat business. And that’s just one of the ways you can win over customers with delivery management software.
Here’s more:
As we already mentioned, real-time customer notifications can reduce incoming customer service calls drastically.
Real-time tracking has also been demonstrated to encourage repeat purchases.
According to a survey, 85% of e-commerce customers will buy from a store again if it offers real-time tracking “through the delivery process.”
If you are offering white glove services, you should always make sure to take extra care of your customers.
Make sure you follow up with your customers after you’ve provided exceptional service.
You can do this by sending customer feedback forms using tools like Formspree and be sure you ask your customers to post positive evaluations.
White labeling refers to the practice where a product or service is produced by one company and rebranded by another company to make it appear as if they developed it.
This allows businesses to offer products or services under their own brand without the need to create them from scratch, often with minimal customization or modification. White labeling is commonly used in software, food products, and other consumer goods.
eLogii has a convenient white-labeling feature that allows you to fully customize the platform with your company’s branding.
To give the eLogii platform a personalized touch, you can easily upload your logo in the White-labelling section of the Organization Profile. Once added, your logo will appear across various key areas within the platform, including:
This seamless branding option helps enhance your company’s identity throughout the eLogii experience.
Are you ready to start offering white glove delivery in 2024?
We can help you with that.
White glove delivery focuses on meeting each customer's unique needs by offering a tailored, high-quality experience.
This may include services like installation and personalized handling, ensuring that every detail is carefully managed for a seamless final-mile delivery.
There are several ways to describe white glove delivery service, with words like VIP, premium, and personalized often capturing its essence.
Other fitting terms include attentive, dependable, guaranteed, meticulous, and detail-focused.
The duration of White Glove Delivery varies depending on factors like product complexity, distance, and setup needs.
Generally, it takes longer than standard delivery due to the extra care involved.
Key factors that can impact timing include:Following these steps will help make the delivery quick and hassle-free.
Yes, sometimes White Glove delivery services fall short of expectations.
Customers have reported issues like damaged items, poor handling, incorrect assembly or installation, and delivery delays.
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