There’s no doubt about it, poor customer service in the information age kills businesses very quickly. Just look at a popular Airline carrier in 2017 after their less-than appropriate handling of a customer on a flight. Social media exploded in outrage and just two days later, this passenger carrier’s stock dropped by $1.4 Billion.
Customer service is front and center in today’s consumer market, and that is just as true in B2B industries. For the transportation industry, one of the biggest threats to excellent customer service is late or misplaced freight. In fact, every service failure of this type effects multiple customers at a time. Trust us on this one… The energy and time needed to fix one mistake subtracts from the energy and time needed to excellently execute other orders on your list. The ripple effect of one late or misplaced crate, pallet, or trailer can drastically impact your customer service and your customers’ perceived value of your services.
So how do we reduce the number of these service failures, or even extinguish them altogether? We first need to look at the main causes of late and misplaced freight. Yard inefficiencies and poor equipment tracking seem to be the top causes of these service failures. Here are just a few of these problems listed from Supply Chain 24/7:
- Delayed shipments to and from the warehouse
- Lack of shipment and trailer visibility needed for efficient shuttling between plant and distribution centers
- Inability to locate empties to meet outbound load schedules
- Inefficient yard trailer management requiring higher spotter and shuttle spend
- Truck driver detention (waiting time)
One common theme with these problems is the ability to properly manage the yard at shipping and manufacturing facilities. This however, takes manpower and extra time that many companies cannot spend without decreasing ongoing production. So how do you maintain customer satisfaction levels and decrease service failures without dangerously thinning your labor pool?
The old adage, “two heads are better than one,” is a clue to a simple solution that is often overlooked. One of the most efficient ways to improve your service levels and increase customer satisfaction is to partner with a Yard Management and Dedicated Solutions provider, such as Easley! In a market where freight volumes are slowing and inventory is building, you shouldn’t have to worry about simple mistakes and service failures.
Let us help you keep ’em happy!