Building a business case for post-purchase delivery software
You’ve done the discovery and the due diligence. You know what you want from post-purchase software and you’re ready to sign on the line. But first, it’s time to get the business on board. Here’s a tried and tested guide to help you create a bullet-proof business case.
You’re ready to state your case for new post-purchase software. Kind of.
Often, the once-attentive supplier sends over some documents and leaves you to your own devices, chasing every few days for an update.
At Sorted, we like to make everything as easy as possible for our customers – true partnerships are all about support and collaboration. Which is why we’re on hand to help at every step of the journey.
When you’re ready to put forward a case for technology investment, it can be a complex and complicated process. Every business and every procurement team have different requirements – but usually there are common components that are universally requested.
In this guide, we’re aiming to make your life easier; you’ll find all the evidence and information you need as you create a strong business case, as well as lessons from the industry and some watertight hints and tips too.
Chapter 1 - the key component tick list
The stronger the case, the smoother the sign off.
After working with our retail partners for nearly a decade, we’ve seen and signed-off many a successful business case (and we’ve witnessed the horrors of the disasters too).
Regardless of procurement requirements, structure or size – here are the pillars around which every strong business case is built.
Why
The reasoning behind the project. Which problems are you trying to solve, which risks are you trying to remove, which opportunities are you trying to create?
What
Stated plain and simply; what is your proposed solution? Summarise the product – use existing literature and tailor it to your specific use cases.
Benefits
Laying out the scoped benefits of the solution, and the metrics to back it up. Here, concise layperson’s terms will have the biggest cut through.
Due diligence
Show you’ve done your homework. The powers signing off your business case (whether that be department heads, procurement bods or Exec teams) will always want to know that market research and benchmarking was done. Inclusion of a short methodology section will answer any questions like ‘what else is in the market?’.
Transparencies
It’s always best practice to be open about risks. Note any points of potential concern, and include how you’ll be working to mitigate. In this section, highlight areas in which your new supplier is open and collaborative (e.g. support channels, public opensource technical documentation) and always be clear about your internal collaboration too (e.g. is your IT team or relevant departments informed and on board?).
Timescales and budgets
Set realistic expectations. Indicative commercials and ROI calculations are useful here. But, most importantly, try to include the cost of ignoring the problem too. Here, your finance team may make your project a cost counting exercise, so try to avoid a race to the bottom with price. Be clear in your objectives and the value that can be created any solution. Having a strong idea on how to set up post-purchase tracking software will help here too.
Supporting docs
Include any references you think will be useful; product literature, links to case studies and success stories, tech docs, press or media activity to show company reputation.
So, there’s your tried and tested checklist.
Now, if you’re here to build your SortedREACT business case (or just here wondering how it would be done…), we’ve packed the rest of this page full of useful stuff. Most of the info and resources you’ll need have been handily aggregated here – and, as always, just get in touch if you need any additional info. Our helpful, friendly delivery experience specialists are always happy to provide tailored information based on your specific needs and requirements.
Chapter 2 - product fact file
Ok, the exciting stuff.
SortedREACT helps you give your customers that 5* delivery experience. Automate tracking and post-purchase communications to reduce customer contacts, increase brand engagement and boost CSAT and NPS.
Chapter 3 - Back it up: Challenge vs Solution
Of course, all business cases will include details on the problem you’re looking to solve, or benefits you’re looking to realise, and the product application that will help. Stating a simple mission statement for the project is the most effective way to communicate the opportunity you’re addressing.
For example:
We have identified that our customer service agents need to be better served by our parcel tracking data, and that by arming them with stronger delivery and returns information we’re increasing the speed and accuracy of the service we offer customers.
Our existing post-purchase customer communications are not currently meeting shopper demands or expectations. This means that we’re not fit for scale, resulting in considerable risk to our customer experience and loyalty as we grow and respond to changing market conditions. Owning and improving our branded tracking experience future-proofs our delivery operations and allows us to keep both a competitive edge and a satisfied, returning customer base.
For more use cases like these, to help with your simple mission statements, click here.
The best business cases will also include stats, facts and figures to back up and strengthen points.
You have access to your own data, of course. But, often, it’s the extra, third-party info that can add weight to your case. Being as busy as you are, you probably don’t get time to trawl through the latest research reports and find all the supporting info that you need when it comes to illustrating challenges and solutions. So, we’ve done the hard work for you. As a starting point, this section compiles data from industry research and our real-world customer data.
Top tip
Identify metrics that are most relevant to your organisation. What numbers do your internal stakeholders really care about? Who are you trying to convince and what will get them excited? For example, maybe you’re totally focussed on improving NPS and CSAT metrics as a measure for CX, or maybe you’re obsessed with reducing customer churn.
The cost of post-purchase experience
A disjointed post-purchase experience undoubtedly leads to unhappy customers – and uninformed, overloaded teams. If you get it right, and offer that 5* customer experience in the post-purchase journey, you seamlessly drive customer loyalty. Growing digital adoption keeps customers sticky and improves brand affinity – plus, keep customer contacts low and arm the team with the delivery and returns data needed to proactively communicate effectively.
93%
of customers read online reviews before buying, and delivery experience is consistently one of the most common sources of complaints and negative feedback for retailers
45%
of customers would refuse to shop with a retailer or brand again following a poor delivery experience
42%
of customers have missed deliveries due to miscommunication from the brand or carrier
Post-purchase tracking and communications = customer contact reduction
Fill in the calculator for a quick estimation of the money and contact centre minutes you could save with post-purchase tracking and comms software.
1) Fill in your average number of WISMO or WISMR customer contacts per year
2) Enter the average cost of a WISMO or WISMR customer contact (We find, on average, it can sit around the £4–£6 mark for a call)
3) View your potential savings
Data is based on Sorted customer success metrics, and WISMO/WISMR customer contact reduction is just one area where you can measure savings.
Number of contacts per year
Cost of contacts (£)
Average handling time per contact (minutes)
Percentage decrease with tracking & comms software
Savings with Sorted
Minutes saved per year
Chapter 4 - Success stories
If you’re building a Sorted business case, you’re probably looking for examples of how our customers have used our products, and the successes they’ve seen.
Including examples of real-life customer stories will really bring to life your business case. We have a huge array of use cases to demonstrate lots of the ways in which our products have been configured to make big impact on our customers. If you’re looking for something more specific, our case studies page is the perfect place to tell the success stories of retailers and businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Here’s what our customers have said about us…
Some of our customers found:
- 63% reduction in WISMO enquiries
- 200% increase in productivity due to process improvements
- A huge increase of mobile app adoption when using our tracking – including an 83% click through rate to access tracking data.
Chapter 5 - Time and cost
This is the bit everyone skims to first, when reviewing business cases.
What investment are you making?
Pricing for retail technology is, more often than not, based on a number of factors unique to each business. Our specialist team will be able to help you get an accurate quote and commercial summary for SortedREACT – so just ask.
As a benchmark, the Sorted platform has packages to cater to all types of growing retailers shipping more than 300,000 shipments a year. All our pricing is transparent and easy to understand, so there’s no hidden ramp ups or complex ‘price per feature’ structures.
For example, if you purchase REACT, you get access to the full capability of all core features. We don’t charge extra for number of users when it comes to customer services dashboards, number of branded tracking pages required and there are no hidden costs or limits on webhooks.
This means that costs are always clear, up front – and easy to understand by everyone in the business.
For timescales, we have a full breakdown of project type in our awesome onboarding guide – which details the journey to becoming a Sorted customer.
Chapter 6 - Useful links and resources
The relevant additional reading.
As well as doing a quick Google search for the supplier’s latest news and announcements, it’s good to see what other content is available to add depth and answer any potential questions.
Here are a few places we regularly point our potential customers to…
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Access our public technical documentation for self-serve IT queries and ‘under the hood’ look at our products
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See our carrier overview to get a summary of how we work closely with our carrier partners
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See if your question is included in our FAQs page
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Our Use Cases page covers tons of product application examples
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Want to read a bit more industry insight? Our blog is packed with it. Warning: contents may be hot
Want to talk?
One of our specialists will be more than happy to discuss your business case in more detail. Contact your Sales rep directly, or click the button below to leave your details and someone will be in touch as soon as poss.
