Enhancing Customer Experience Through Better Operations

Most brands spend a huge amount of time improving customer experience before the sale. They build better websites, optimise their checkout journeys, and craft intricate email flows and retention-focussed loyalty programmes.

But customers often remember something completely different. Did the order arrive when expected? Was it packaged properly? Could they track it? If something went wrong, was it easy to fix?

Customer Experience Is Won Between the Handoffs

From the projects I've been involved in, customer experience is often won or lost after someone clicks ‘buy’. That’s where operations become part of the brand.

And the brands creating the strongest customer experience are connecting the operational pieces behind the scenes.

They are just as focussed on what happens after the click, including how the order is picked, packed, shipped, tracked, and returned if something goes wrong.

However, getting orders out the door fast is not the only consideration. Consumers want clarity, visibility and reassurance.

This is backed up by our own research, which found that a 'clear returns policy' is now the most important delivery factor for UK shoppers, followed closely by delivery cost and tracking visibility.

The conclusion here is highly relevant for any brand that wants to improve customer experience and build long-term loyalty.

Put simply, you need to understand how to connect the operational dots to meet the demands of today’s online shoppers.

OK, so where do you begin?

Let's start by looking at how fragmented operations still are.

You’ve got one partner for fulfilment. Another for carriers. Another for returns. Sometimes another for customer service. Then throw into the mix that marketing and operations are often working from different plans.

Individually, each piece might perform well. But the customer doesn’t experience them individually. They experience the brand as a whole. 

My job is often to map out the complete journey in an attempt to join the dots. 

That’s where I see things break and we start to see an all too familiar story develop.

It goes something like this:

• A delivery delay turns into a support issue.
• Support can’t see what’s going on operationally and the carrier can’t adapt in time.
• Meanwhile, the warehouse is working to a different set of assumptions.

Before you know it, the brand promise starts to slip, and you end up in firefighting mode.

From the customer’s point of view, they’ve reached a simple conclusion...

“I’ve had a bad experience.”

Unfortunately, these are not outliers.

High delivery costs, damaged items and missed deliveries are some of the biggest delivery problems shoppers face. But what makes it worse is when they can’t easily resolve them. 

Suddenly an operational issue becomes a threat to your brand's reputation. 

Why Joined-Up Operations Matter More Than Ever

The brands moving ahead are reducing complexity. Instead of treating fulfilment, carriers, returns and customer service as separate activities, they’re looking at the whole customer journey as one connected process. At Whistl, that’s the model we work to. We bring together people, data, systems and transport networks rather than executing isolated tasks.

When those pieces are aligned, you unlock improvements that aren’t obvious on their own, including:

• Smarter carrier mix for different order types.
• Packaging that protects and reduces cost.
• Faster, clearer issue resolution.
• More consistent delivery experience.

Individually these improvements may seem small. Together they have a significant impact on customer experience.

Case Study: Designing Customer Experience into the Operation

A good example is Actiph Water and how we approached fulfilment for Europe’s leading alkaline ionised water brand.

They needed more than a partner capable of moving stock from A to B. They had a fragile product, growing D2C demand, and a customer service team spending too much time dealing with preventable issues.

There was no silver bullet. Positive change came as a result of connected decision making.

Packaging was redesigned to reduce damage whilst pre-packing improved consistency and speed. In a similar vein, carrier strategy was reworked to match order profiles and customer service was integrated into the operation.

The outcomes went beyond operational efficiency.

Actiph was able to deliver a better customer experience, with fewer damaged orders, clearer delivery outcomes, and less friction post-purchase.

And that translated into measurable results, including an 18% reduction in fulfilment costs and improved capacity for growth.

Ultimately, this showcased what can be achieved when operations are built around the customer.

Switching Without Disruption

Another challenge brands can get twitchy about is the risk of change.

Moving from in-house fulfilment or switching a 3rd party logistics partner can feel like a logical step. But it’s also a potential customer experience risk.

Brightr Sleep is a good example of how to handle that properly.

Instead of a full switch overnight, we set up a phased onboarding over a three-month trial period. Best-selling SKUs were transferred first while running parallel operations between two warehouse locations.

From the customer’s perspective, nothing changed.

From the brand’s perspective, everything improved.

And it all came together with no disruption or drop in service levels. This gradual approach allowed Brightr Sleep to scale with confidence while protecting the customer experience throughout the transition. It also laid the groundwork for a 12-month contract, with new product lines added since, including large-format items like mattresses, without delays or drama.

Customer experience is fragile during transition. But if you can maintain consistency while improving operations, you protect both brand and revenue.

Sustainability Is Now Part of Customer Experience

Sustainability is no longer separate from customer experience, and more brands are reacting to this shift in perception.

Our eCommerce Research shows that sustainable shoppers are among the most active online buyers, with clear expectations around delivery and packaging:

• 81% say consolidated delivery is more important than last year.
• 85% say the same about recyclable packaging.

That means key operational decisions around how you package, how you ship, and how often you deliver directly shape your brand’s image.

Muddy Puddles is a strong example of this done well.

For over 10 years, we’ve supported their performance and sustainability goals.

As well as ensuring 99.93% order accuracy and 99% on-time delivery – even during peak periods – our work has focused on being more sustainable.

The introduction of eco-friendly, compostable packaging across all fulfilment operations has enabled Muddy Puddles to maintain reliability while also delivering on its brand promise.

This shows how reliability and sustainability can go hand-in-hand to enhance the customer experience.

Why Transactional Models Fall Short

What’s the difference between a transactional provider and a true partner?

A transactional 3PL provider will hit their core SLAs around pick, pack and dispatch.

But that’s not the same as improving customer experience.

A 3PL that is truly invested in your success will ask the following questions:

• Why are damages happening?
• Why are returns high?
• Are we using the right carriers for this order profile?
• Is the packaging fit for purpose?
• Can we give customers more flexibility and visibility?

Those questions should sit across the business. But if your operation is not joined up, they will rarely get answered properly.

The Big Shift from Speed to Control

Everyone still talks about speed, whether it be next-day (or same day!) delivery, or longer cut-off times. And I agree that you cannot dismiss these factors.

But in reality, what most customers want is control, flexibility and visibility.
Tracking an order is now a basic expectation. But can your customers change their delivery slot on the fly? Can they return via methods that suit their habits and lifestyle? Or can they speak to a human being if there is a problem?

That’s where loyalty is built.

And that only works when your fulfilment, carriers, and customer support are aligned. 

No Two Businesses are the Same and Your Operations are No Different

One of the biggest frustrations I hear is when 3PLs try to force different brands into the same operational model.

It doesn’t work.

Every brand has a different mix of products, customers, channels, peak periods, and growth plans.

So their fulfilment should reflect that.

As highlighted, for one brand, the issue is how to handle fragile items. For another, it might be managing scale. For some, it will be a combination of multiple objectives.

The common thread is that customer experience improves when the operation is specifically designed around those needs and not forced into a templated approach.

Customer Experience Starts Where Most Brands Don’t Look

The checkout sits at the early stages of customer experience. But once someone has hit ‘pay now’, it’s time for the operational juggernaut to kick into gear.

In practice, this means your warehouse needs to be designed to fit your product mix and achieve maximum throughput. Meanwhile, your multi-carrier mix should cater for different requirements.

And when something goes wrong, you need people and processes in place to deal with it quickly.

The brands that take a proactive approach to this level of detail are pulling ahead and it’s easy to see why.

They understand that joining up operations is more than an efficiency play.

By doing so they create a better, more reliable customer experience that generates long-term loyalty over quickfire conversions.

Customer experience doesn’t end at checkout. It continues through fulfilment, delivery, returns and customer support.

When those areas work together, customers notice. Often because nothing goes wrong. And in many cases, that’s the best customer experience you can deliver.

Want an objective view on how to build customer-first operations? Let's connect if you’re reviewing your fulfilment operation, planning for growth, or simply trying to improve the experience you deliver to customers, I’m always happy to compare notes.