How can B2B marketplaces help merchants build better end-customer relationships and provide better logistics infrastructure?

We've learned over the years that B2B marketplaces are poorly positioned to own customer support on behalf of supply and demand, given the complexity of what follows a transaction. For example, in B2C marketplaces, DoorDash can sit between myself and the restaurant, but we’ve all had the experience where DoorDash directs us to contact the restaurant directly and have them deal with it themselves. Something is happening that's a local problem, and DoorDash as an intermediary slows things down. Now imagine what happens with a far more complex transaction, where what happens behind the scenes is opaque to the operator.

I think it's about creating communication channels and allowing both sides to connect through the appropriate mediums. For example, SMS is the natural channel in some field service marketplaces since bringing a computer is cumbersome or unnecessary. The marketplace needs to figure out the suitable mediums, and there may be different needs on either side. It's solving for that. It's allowing both groups to communicate naturally, the way they are already accustomed to. Otherwise, there's just more friction to teach many different parties an entirely new workflow. That's why we are big fans of “Can I go to where people already are?” If they're already text messaging, just help facilitate that and capture the relevant information appropriately.