For many distributors, delivery communication remains one of the most time-consuming parts of the operation.
Customers call to ask where their order is. Teams chase drivers for updates. Sales staff relay messages manually. Small delays quickly turn into repeated interruptions throughout the day.
It’s not a lack of effort or intent. In many cases, processes and systems simply weren’t built to provide proactive updates without creating additional admin.
But expectations have changed.
Today’s customers are accustomed to consumer-style experiences in their everyday lives — tracking parcels, receiving notifications, and seeing delivery progress without needing to ask.
Increasingly, they expect the same level of visibility from their business suppliers.
In many distribution businesses, delivery updates rely on a mix of manual processes:
When information doesn’t flow automatically, customers are left guessing. This is when the “Where’s my order?” calls start.
While each call might only take a few minutes, across a busy day they quickly add up. This pulls staff away from higher-value work and slows down the whole operation.
Reactive communication creates friction across the business. Customer service teams are interrupted repeatedly, dispatch teams lose visibility of what customers have been told, drivers are contacted mid-route, and sales teams field delivery queries instead of focusing on orders!
The bigger the business gets, the harder this is to manage. What worked when volumes were low quickly becomes unsustainable. Manual updates also increase the risk of inconsistent messaging. Different teams may give different information, leading to confusion, frustration and a loss of trust.
B2B customers no longer want to chase for updates. As in their daily personal lives, they expect:
In short, they want the same clarity they get from consumer delivery services. But tailored to their business needs.
When customers are kept informed, they’re less likely to call. When they’re not, the phone rings.
The most efficient distributors don’t wait for customers to ask where their order is. They tell them before they need to ask. Proactive delivery communication means:
Instead of reacting to queries, teams stay ahead of them.
This approach doesn’t just improve customer experience, it also improves internal efficiency by reducing the number of inbound calls, cutting down manual updates and increasing delivery success rates by keeping customers informed about when to expect their orders.
Not every customer wants to be contacted in the same way. Some prefer SMS, others rely on email. Modern delivery communication gives customers the flexibility to receive updates through the channels that suit them best, without creating extra work for internal teams.
Multi-channel messaging helps ensure:
Klipboard Notifications is built to support this proactive approach to delivery communication. Integrated directly with ERP systems, such as ERP One and ERP Go, along with Transport Management systems, it creates a connected, real-time view of final mile delivery. This means no extra logins, no copy-paste workflows and no disconnected systems.
Instead, teams can:
All messages are managed in one place and can be configured to match your service levels and customer expectations.
The result is clearer communication, smoother delivery operations and fewer inbound calls.
One of the biggest barriers to improving delivery communication is the fear of adding more work. But when notifications are automated and built into existing systems, they actually reduce admin rather than increase it.
Instead of staff manually updating customers, the system does it for them. And it does it accurately, consistently and at the right time.
That frees teams up to focus on:
The shift from reactive to proactive delivery communication doesn’t require a complete operational overhaul.
It starts with:
From there, the benefits quickly follow: fewer interruptions, better customer experiences and smoother delivery operations.
Customers shouldn’t have to ask where their order is.
With proactive, multi-channel delivery notifications, distributors can stay ahead of queries, reduce inbound calls, and deliver a more reliable, professional service – without increasing admin.