Those who sell packaging primarily sell repetition. Boxes, films, fillers – rarely groundbreaking, often urgently needed. Yet, hours are lost daily on inquiries that bring no joy to anyone: “Do you have 400×300×200 in stock?”, “What’s the status of my order?”, “Can you send me the last invoice?” This costs money, patience, and customer goodwill. The good news: A well-maintained self-service channel eliminates these frictions – and gives your team back the time that generates revenue.
The bottleneck is not the customer – it's your accessibility
Buyers love speed. They place orders when stock pressure rises, not when your inbox has space. Those who respond in minutes win the repeat orders for the next quarter. Those who pack responses in emails, lose. A self-service portal transforms waiting time into speed: The customer sees their terms, availability, and history – without having to ask. What used to take three emails now takes three clicks. Not because the customer suddenly became digital, but because you cleared the path for them.
Self-service is not a shop – it's a toolkit
A packaging customer doesn’t want to browse. They want to reorder. They want to compare variations, understand tiered pricing, and securely plan delivery windows. Therefore, a good portal is not a pretty catalog but a working tool: “Recently purchased” becomes a shopping list. Size filters speak in millimeters, not marketing. Tiered pricing is crystal clear, pallet and bundle logistics are honest. A streamlined configurator for special dimensions answers the most expensive question upfront: “How much does it cost?” When these answers appear before the call, service becomes a time-saver – for both sides.
Where the real 30% comes from
Time savings are not created in the dashboard, but in everyday business. Every inquiry that isn’t written. Every follow-up question that doesn’t need to be asked. Every order that the customer completes themselves because everything is correct: price, availability, delivery day. The service team shifts from “PDF shover” to problem solver. The sales team spends the week not in the inbox, but with the customer: anticipating needs, optimizing packaging lines, testing alternative materials, renewing contracts. This is how the basket grows – not the email thread.
The fear of cannibalization is unfounded
“If the customer orders online, they no longer need us.” Yes, they do – but for what you’re best at. Standard cases go through the channel, relationships grow in conversation. Those who understand this change the rules: Digital sales from the existing base count as the team’s success. Then everyone has a reason to strengthen self-service – and no one a reason to sabotage it.
Start where it has immediate impact
You don’t need to start perfectly. You need to start sensibly. Begin with the obvious: recurring sizes, A-parts, standard dimensions. Make favorite lists visible, establish delivery plans, show substitute items when something is missing. Explain tiered pricing so clearly that even an apprentice can understand. Make every order a template for the next one. And don’t just tell the customer that there is self-service – show them what they save with it.
In the end, a simple sentence matters: The less your customer has to ask, the more they prefer to buy from you. Self-service is not a replacement for people. It’s the reason they return to conversations that are worthwhile.
If you want to know how self-service impacts your sales – which functions really save your customers time and where the 30% are – start with a strategy development. Not a fireworks display of tools, but a clear vision, priorities, and a path from the first pilot to routine. Then you decide on technology – and make the right decisions.
