Customer satisfaction is one of the fundamental blocks of logistics and is critical for logistics companies seeking a sustainable competitive advantage. In the larger logistics industry, great customer service plays a crucial role in maintaining customer loyalty and improving the brand’s standing in the marketplace. Read the amazing article about 3PL Customer Service.
While customer service is a vital element in shipping and logistics today, it may frequently be disregarded for specific products and services. Customer complaints, grievances, and product returns are inevitable realities of the logistics function, nevertheless, it is a business’s ability to deal with them that defines its success in the market. Here, third-party logistics (3PL) companies help meet your shipping needs and manage supply chain activities while strengthening customer support and service.
Oftentimes, there are designated personnel who are responsible for overseeing the logistics responsibilities involved in transferring a company’s items from one point to the next. These employees interact with shippers personally, in both exporting and importing materials and finished items. Most crucially, they communicate with suppliers in the most effective way possible in order to get you the best results.
By outsourcing your most challenging logistics functions to a professional 3PL provider, you can ensure uninterrupted supply chain operations, lower service costs, as well as better customer service. The objective of a 3PL logistics provider is to effectively remove the volatility out of the supply chain system, hence, exerting a greater impact on customer satisfaction. A firm uses 3PL service providers to outsource its logistics operations for some, or all, of its logistical activities.
What to Look For?
In the distribution business, quality customer service is the defining factor in your reputation as a freight forwarding company. If you are unable to handle some, or all, of your logistics operations, you will need the services of a 3PL provider to outsource crucial supply chain activities. Here is what to look for in the 3PL company you would like to consider hiring.
Culture
Consider 3PL services with a culture oriented towards providing the best customer service, one that goes beyond individual transactions and activities to deliver real value to consumers on a daily basis. Doing so would mean living up to customer expectations in every single contact and fulfilling organizational the mission in all your dealings.
Verify if the claimed culture is genuinely driving decision-making or is it merely sales jargon to get you on board. Are the individuals serving you fit to satisfy your demands at any costs, or is maximizing profit margins the main aim and metric of performance?
Companies that reward customer service internally are committed to putting in the necessary time and effort to make customers ‘happy’. If you want to work with that aim in mind, select someone who shares your ideals. Without organizational alignment, the term “partnership” is meaningless. If key corporate principles are not aligned, it will be very hard to agree on customer satisfaction.
Communication Skills
How would you describe excellence in customer service? This must be a constant dialogue among 3PL service providers and their partners. With so many distinct channels and tools that are available, partners must ensure that they’re on the same side.
Trust and honesty are fundamental, and only suppliers that genuinely value collaboration motivate their employees to adhere to these principles. Numerous 3PLs compel their employees to demonstrate success at all costs, which might force their staff to say “yes” to all requests, even if they are ill-equipped to meet a specific demand. This is clearly the wrong approach. You should only set realistic expectations and promise only what you can actually offer.
Additionally, integrity is critical. Seek service suppliers who are responsible for their own errors and who discuss possible difficulties proactively. Regardless of the circumstance or who is at fault, your 3PL must be focused on finding remedies, not evading ownership.
Evaluating transparency in all of your transportation expenditures will perhaps give insight into performance measures that are critical to sustaining your business. A question to ask is whether your provider is communicating clearly with you. Are they using technological solutions at their disposal to provide you with access to performance information? This might include real-time notifications on order status, the elimination of the need to continuously request information, or the provision of more detailed KPIs to better gauge your performance.
The Bottom Line
For manufacturers, transporters, retailers, and everyone else involved in the supply chain, the competitive environment is continuously shifting. Only the companies that are willing to adapt to the ever-changing industry, often through the assistance provided by 3PL service providers, will survive.
When you understand the difference between inadequate and extraordinary customer support, you can determine whether your third-party logistics provider is assisting your business in retaining customers or driving them away. Your 3PL services should take pride in delivering outstanding customer support, with customer support representatives giving prompt and accurate help and being physically stationed at your warehouse and transport facilities. Allow your 3PL provider to retain your consumers, not push them away.
