JK Boots Uses ParcelPanel to Reduce Order Tracking Tickets by 63%

Business Profile

JK Boots is a family-owned handmade boots company located in Spokane, Washington. Passionate about the art of leatherworking and shoemaking, the founder, John, learned his trade in his teens from a senior cobbler and excelled quickly. After moving to Spokane with a family he loved wholeheartedly and dreaming of running a hand-building boot business with his sons, he started JK Boosts in 1996. Today, the brand is renowned for its durable, comfortable, high-quality work boots for all outdoor professions and everyday wear.

Brand: JK Boots

Industry: Footwear

Platform: Shopify Plus

Country: USA

Year Founded: 1996

Employees: 11-50

Usage: Since Aug 2022

Carriers: <5

Integration: N/A

Every summer and fall, JK Boots always anticipated a spike in standard and bespoke boots orders from customers across the US and other countries. However, the increase in demand for their boots in September 2022 was like nothing the brand had seen before. The historic number of wildfires saw their signature Fire Inlander boots become a must-have for the firefighters helping put out these fires in different parts of the US. With increased ad spending, JK Boots witnessed a sudden surge in the number of order tracking tickets.

The challenge: An excruciating lead time led to rise in number of order tracking tickets

JK Boots is all about attention to detail and making each boot worth the investment. As a result, the company takes the time to ensure the boot is meticulously made with triple quality checks and polishing stages that guarantee their Fire Inlander boots live up to the brand’s reputation. Standard ready-made boots took over five days to ship to US destinations, while standard out-of-stock models had a lead time of 8 – 10 weeks. Moreover, the manufacturing process of custom boots could take 14 – 16 weeks. 

For frontline wildfire firefighters, linemen, loggers, and emergency responders, this extended wait time was the cause of heightened post-purchase anxiety that dealt a huge dent in their experience with the brand. The expectation of many of the customers was that a premium boot brand like JK Boots would also deliver a premium after-sale experience and not stir up the anxiety that might hinder them from serving people in distress.

The search: The quest for a solution that delivers a bespoke order tracking experience  

Owner and founder John Khadhzi’s dream to build and run a handmade boots company with his sons had become a reality. Still, a less-than-satisfactory post-purchase experience swayed customer buying decisions. John, an introspective man, shared his concern with his sons, who began searching for a solution to this burgeoning problem, almost damaging the brand’s reputation.

The limited team of four was not equipped to build an order tracking solution in-house, but drawing from John’s guidance and the genius of his tech-savvy sons, they began an online search for a remedy for the issue plaguing their brand. After reviewing the order-tracking tickets and customer feedback, the team clarified what they needed in an order-tracking solution to revolutionize their business. The tracking software needed to have the following non-negotiables:

• Estimated Delivery Day (EDD): JK Boots custom boots are handmade in their Spokane, WA workshop. The meticulous attention to detail – picking the right leather, polishing, stitching, and quality check – means longer lead times and order processing periods than other boot brands. JK Boots needed an order tracking solution that could provide an estimated delivery day to customers at checkout to help reduce their anxiety.
• Shipment Analytics: A global market spanning 20+ countries meant that JK Boots needed access to shipment analytics to help them monitor the performance of its carrier partners and improve operational efficiency and inventory management.
• Customizable Tracking Page: JK Boots wanted to provide customers with an on-brand tracking experience as they awaited the delivery of their boots. To reassure customers, a detailed description of the shipping time of in-stock boots, custom boots, rebuilds, etc., has been added to the order tracking page.

Before deciding, the father and sons team used this checklist to gauge the suitability of multiple order tracking solutions for their business.

The solution: ParcelPanel helps JK Boots to reassure customers

The decision to go with ParcelPanel was a no-brainer for John Khadhzi and his sons at JK Boots. ParcelPanel was the perfect order tracking solution for the brand as it met all the requirements the team of four had considered necessary for transforming the customer experience.

The estimated delivery date allowed customers to know when the boots would arrive at their destination after ordering them. Customers knew that their shoes were in the manufacturing or shipping process and could, therefore, rest their fears and avoid escalations that would give an off-brand experience. 

ParcelPanel’s customizable tracking page empowered customers to track the status of their shipments, thereby reducing the shoemaking quartet’s workload. The team could now focus on handpicking and furnishing the best leather for its signature boots.

JK Boots works with multiple carriers to fulfill customer orders in the US and across borders. It was essential for them to monitor the performance of these logistics partners, but that was not possible until ParcelPanel came in. Streamlining shipping and optimizing inventory management became feasible prospects with shipment analytics now available.

The results: 63% decrease in order tracking tickets & 0.7 day faster shipping boosted CSAT by 6%

“Building the JK Boots brand has only been possible through prioritizing the customer experience when they wear our boots. With ParcelPanel, we further enhanced our customer centricity with amazing results to show for it. In no time after implementing the ParcelPanel order tracking solution, the number of order tracking support tickets we received dropped drastically – by 63%,” shared Tim Khadhzi, Co-owner/Head of Sales, Marketing, and Manufacturing at JK Boots.

“We established that extended shipping times were the Achilles’ heel that needed healing if JK Boots was to continue its growth trajectory. Now, with shipping analytics available, we were able to optimize the shipping process, which resulted in a 0.7-day decrease in average shipping time. In response to this improvement, the customer satisfaction score increased by 6%,” explained Will Khadhzi, Co-owner of JK Boots.

JK Boots experienced the following positive changes since partnering with ParcelPanel.

• 63% Reduction In Order Tracking Tickets: ParcelPanel’s customized tracking page allowed JK Boots’ customers to track the status of their orders conveniently on their own without contacting the company, leading to a decrease in WISMO tickets.
• 0.7 Day Decrease In Average Shipping Time: Having proper shipment analytics that were easy to interpret allowed the small team at JK Boots to make crucial data-led decisions on the best courier partners, which helped quicken the delivery process, resulting in a significant decrease in the average shipping time.
• 6% Increase in CSAT: JK Boots’ customers positively received the changes after partnering with ParcelPanel. The effect of this was a boost in the CSAT score by 6% within a few months of having the order tracking solution in place.

The future: Continuing to empower frontline workers with reliable boots and top-class tracking experience

As Tim Khadhzi, Co-owner/Head of Sales, Manufacturing, and Marketing at JK Boots, noted, “Our partnership with ParcelPanel could not have started at a better time. As the world continues to face dynamic challenges that require frontline workers to be ever more vigilant and equipped, JK Boots leads the way with handmade bespoke boots for each. ParcelPanel lets us focus on shoemaking while our dearest customers enjoy a convenient order tracking experience.”