Success Story: Orin Swift Cellars

Orin Swift Cellars Winery Avoids Delayed and Ruined Packages With Automated Software

Orin Swift Cellars

Based in the heart of Napa Valley in St. Helena, California, Orin Swift Cellars was founded in 1998 by a then 24-year-old Dave Phinney. Now Orin Swift Cellars manages five different winery brands, five different locations, and an active wine club.

Unlike many other Napa Valley wineries, Orin Swift Cellars serves an incredibly broad spectrum of customers. However, the majority of their customers live outside Napa Valley, and all across the United States. Three years ago, Orin Swift Cellars started a direct sales program to serve those customers.

  • Solution

    Delivery Experience Tools

  • Results

    Reduced reshipping, ruined product, and lost customer costs. Streamlined shipping and delivery processes to increase successful delivery rate and customer satisfaction.

Challenge: Sorting Through Shipping Email Notification Data

But, like most wineries, Orin Swift Cellars faced the challenge of shipping delays. One missed delivery meant the wine was transported to another facility, causing changes in the wine’s temperature. When fluctuating temperatures can drastically impact your product’s quality – as it does to wine – quick shipping and successful, timely delivery is vitally important.

When an issue occurred, Orin Swift Cellars had to be quick on their toes when a customer called to check on the status of their package. It took a lot of effort to find the correct shipping email notifications, follow up on any issues, and reach out to the customer.

“We just hoped the information we got from UPS or FedEx was correct,” said Jared Clevenger, Director of DTC Sales and Marketing. “And if a problem arose, then we’d figure out how to qualm it. So it was very reactive. There was a lot of manipulation of data to put into certain segments and make actionable or forget about.”

Easy Dashboard Solves Shipping Problems Right Away

Orin Swift Cellars had been a customer of ShipCompliant’s for the past eight years. So it was a natural fit for them to start using Delivery Experience – ShipCompliant’s new delivery and shipping management software in a nearly instantaneous set-up.

Delivery Experience’s easy visual indicators of a package’s shipping status helped Jared and his small direct sales team make quicker decisions on delivery and package statuses. For the first time, he was able to be proactive in solving shipping issues before they occurred.

“Delivery Experience’s simple dashboard allows us a quick, streamlined ability to go right into the order and into the problem to solve it right away,” said Jared. “Right away you see the automated emails to the customer for second or third attempt – or a lost in transit issue – and we’re able to turn a negative into a positive.”

This software has allowed the consumer to be better, in turn allowing us to help our consumers have a better experience.

Hal Jordon

Orin Swift Cellars

Complete Package Information at Your Fingertips

Now Jared and his team can easily see a total snapshot of all their packages. If a package must be rerouted or is on its second delivery attempt, he can take the initiative to create a better experience for his customer.

“You’re ahead of the game, having that information at your fingertips,” said Jared, “Versus having to search for it, wait for a report or something to happen. To see the issues and get them fixed right away is going to keep our customers happy and engaged.”

This ability to reroute a package to a FedEx store or different address in a timelier manner will save Orin Swift Cellars extra costs with its product, reshipping, and lost customers. Now they can provide a solution to their customers’ shipping issues immediately.

Even though Orin Swift Cellars’ biggest release season is just around the corner, Jared already sees the huge difference in using Delivery Experience. Not only can he give his customers more transparency on where their in-transit packages are, Orin Swift Cellars now stays more engaged with their customers.

Winery customers are simply not getting this level of customer service elsewhere. “Most wineries aren’t paying attention to how important logistics are or the product being delivered,” said Jared. “ShipCompliant’s problem-solving skills are dynamite, and that’s not something you see a lot in the wine industry – especially on the technology side. Listening to us in order to be better has always been on their forefront. And Delivery Experience is one of the outcomes of that attitude. This software has allowed the consumer to be better, in turn allowing us to help our consumers have a better experience.”

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