Final Mile Services vs. White Glove Services: Which One Do You Need?

The Internet’s been both a blessing and a curse for business owners. It’s a blessing, as it opens our businesses up to a much wider audience than we would have otherwise. It’s a curse in that customers have higher expectations than they’ve ever had before. They expect more service, higher quality, and they expect it faster than ever.

80% of consumers expect same-day delivery.  This is especially true of millennial and younger generations who’ve grown up with eCommerce. If you want to remain competitive, you need to consider same-day delivery. That’s where final mile services come in.

Not every business is going to have an in-house delivery team. There’s a whole slew of courier services that fill this need for companies looking to outsource their delivery needs. But how are you to know which format’s right for you?

We’re going to take a look at final mile services versus white glove services to help you decide which courier style’s right for you.

Deciding Between Final Mile Services Vs White Glove Services

Let’s start by defining our terminology. Once you have an understanding of what final mile services are, it’ll be easier to differentiate between them and white glove services. This will help you decide which style is best for your delivery needs.

What Are Final Mile Services?

Final mile services are the final leg of the supply chain. They’re special services that are uniquely equipped to get products to consumers as fast as possible, even during challenging conditions. Dense urban areas and remote rural locations are two examples where final mile services might need to be employed.

Think of the standard supply chain setup. Factories, warehouses, and shipment centers traditionally make up the nucleus of the supply chain. Traditionally, these centers would only communicate with one another, shipping from one supply center to the next.

This setup relies on bulk transportation models like semi-trucks and trains. Delivery services would usually be outsourced to third-party providers, which takes the order fulfillment out of your hands.

This is dangerous in today’s business world. 98.1% of consumers report that a delivery experience impacts their opinion about a brand. You’re essentially outsourcing your customer loyalty to a third-party provider.

That’s not even to mention that many delivery options just aren’t that viable in certain scenarios. Driving a big truck is prohibitively difficult in dense city centers, for instance. That doesn’t even factor in trying to find parking to get the customer their product in a timely fashion.

What Are White Glove Services?

White glove services are an offshoot of final mile services. Think of them as the gold star treatment for when it really matters.

White glove services are any situation where a delivery driver goes above and beyond customer expectations. These could involve professional installation, for instance.

White glove services are also any situation where a delivery needs special attention. This could be something as simple as bringing a package in off the doorstep.

White glove services are important to offer due to the items people tend to order online. Expensive electronics and technical items that require installation and setup are some of the most commonly ordered items online.

White glove services can also be part of the delivery process itself. Things like status updates and order tracking could be seen as examples of above-and-beyond shipping services, as well.

Final Mile Services Vs White Glove Services

As you can see, final mile services and white glove services are intimately intertwined. White glove services are an offshoot of final mile services. With that in mind, you won’t necessarily choose one or the other but rather a combination of the two.

Both final mile services and white glove services require an advanced back-end system. Customers are going to expect package tracking and status updates, either way. But white glove services go even further still.

That means it needs to cost more, too, of course.

One way you might go about breaking down your delivery options would be to invest some of the profits from white glove services into your final mile logistics. You could use some of those assets to improve your package tracking ability, for instance, or for offering even faster delivery times.

White glove services are starting to include after-purchase services, as well. If you offer any kind of technological products, you might consider offering white glove services as part of a warranty program.

Final mile and white glove services can also serve as a useful control group for your entire delivery process, as well. Say there are no damaged or returned items when you use a white glove service.

Then suppose you get 100 returned items via regular delivery services like delivering things through the mail. For one, this tells you something about the quality of many regular delivery services.

It also gives you some additional information that you can use for your delivery department as a whole. If something is going to be shipped via traditional methods, you might triple-check to make sure things are packaged as securely as possible.

As you can see, final mile services and white glove services are completely intertwined. Both are essential, as well. The internet and digital technology have forever changed the way that customers and consumers think about business. It’s raised their demands and expectations in every conceivable way.

Final mile and white glove services are how you can ensure that those expectations are met, as well as surpassed.

Looking For Final Mile Services?

Are you looking to add final mile services to your company’s workflow? You’re in luck. We offer all manner of courier services all over the country and the world.

If you want to know more about our courier services and how they can help your business thrive, check out our complete list of services today!