The Importance of Customer Service in Logistics

If you’ve opted-in for live updates, you might even receive texts like the one below, telling you that an order has been shipped. In this post, we’ll discuss the important role customer service plays in your business logistics as well as what you can do to better sync your customer service team with your logistics operation. Working with multiple internal teams and outsourcing delivery partners and third-party logistics providers can be tedious for your customer support team. Here’s how you can seamlessly collaborate and make conversations quick and contextual. All reputed logistics companies such as FedEx, UPS, Purolator, etc. provide DIY customer service options that are available to customers 24/7. The information relayed to the client through these automated channels is also likely to be more accurate and error-free compared to other support platforms impacted by human error.

• Also, there are specific standards established in any business to monitor the quality of order and check the average order time and keep it steady.
• I’ve purchased glasses in-store and I know there’s a lot of steps between choosing the frame you like and actually receiving your final pair of glasses.
• In this scenario it may be required to share medical items from contiguous health care organizations.
• When you’re running a business, timing is everything, and a late delivery almost always throws off your schedule if you aren’t alerted to the delay ahead of time.
• The exact relationship between sales and customer service varies by industry and specific business.

Sign up today and see the difference it can make for your logistics business. Choose transportation modes and routes strategically to improve customer service by considering factors beyond speed and cost, such as safety and weather conditions. Be proactive in addressing potential issues like damage or theft during transit. This allows customers to track their orders throughout the entire supply chain, from order placement to delivery.

Enhance security measures

People’s challenges in logistics customer service can be just as difficult to overcome as operational challenges. For example, if customer service representatives are not properly trained, they might not be able to provide good service. Or, if they are not motivated to provide good service, they might not put forth the effort required to do so. Additionally, if the company does not treat customer service representatives well, they might quit their jobs, exacerbating the problem. Customer service is a vital part of the logistics process, and companies must take steps to ensure that their customer service is of the highest possible standard.

Organizations that manufacture and/or transport goods will typically have a logistics department that manages incoming and outgoing products. But, first, let’s start with a brief overview of business logistics and where customer service fits within this department. However, providing 24/7 customer support is worth the effort in most cases because it’s what your shippers expect. Since these customer service features are right at the customers’ fingertips, they feel more empowered to communicate with your business at their convenience. Besides, DIY customer service options are much less cumbersome to use as compared to traditional customer service channels. If you are a logistics operation that is looking to step up your customer service, going through the following points will help you understand its importance and put things to practice.

How to Improve Customer Service in Logistics: 4 Tips for Success

Customer service in logistics is significant to building an effective supply chain. Since they are on the receiving end of your products and get the opportunity to use them, customers always come first. From that experience, customers determine the company’s reputation and how it stands out against the competition.

Load planning is also easier with applications, so you can ensure all vehicles carry full loads and don’t drive with empty trailers pretty effortlessly. An automated and error-free invoicing system provides accurate and timely financial information, making you more trustworthy and reliable. They get a complete overview of actions taken on an email, whether it has been resolved or not, and comments from other team members. Around 40% of retail logistic customer service respondents in a survey stated that their end consumers demanded specific delivery slot selection, delivery options, and real-time visibility. In a study by Toister Solutions, customers stated they expect companies to reply to their email within an hour. They’re informed of the location of their shipment (using a service such as My Package Tracking),estimated time of arrival, and if there’s an unexpected delay, they’re not left guessing why.

8. Determining optimum service levels

It is a critical part of the supply chain and can significantly impact a company’s bottom line. Enhancing logistics customer service can be challenging, but it is essential to consider all aspects of the customer experience. Every touchpoint should be considered when creating a strategy to improve customer service, from the initial contact to the final delivery. The most crucial part of logistics customer service is ensuring that orders are fulfilled on time and as promised.

In a competitive logistics industry, companies are constantly vying for clients’ attention. Providing exceptional customer service can give a logistics company a competitive edge. When customers experience top-notch assistance, personalized solutions, and proactive communication, they are more likely to choose that company over its rivals. By consistently surpassing customer expectations, a logistics company can differentiate itself and establish a reputation for excellence.

One could say that creates a culture of quality that is ingrain to every layer of the supply chain including an outsourced vendor. Companies may actually decide that in order to meet their quality objectives, some services or products must be outsourced overseas to more skilled laborers. They feel that they do not have the skills in house, and quality is better met by outsourcing the necessary work. By that decision, a needed operation is performed and the company’s schedule is not interrupted if accurately planned.

But did you know that artificial intelligence tools can do a lot more than book tables for dinner? In this post, we’ll delve into how companies can improve customer communication, internal processes, and deliveries with the help of technology. However, even if working with a logistics firm on a transactional level, they should still provide you with expert customer service and an effective plan to complete any delivery. He specializes in writing about customer service and customer engagement. He is passionate about helping businesses create a better customer experience. Logistics customer service improvements have been a hot topic lately throughout supply-chain and e-commerce circles.

Best E-Commerce Customer Service Companies

In the logistics industry, good customer service will improve your brand’s exposure in the market due to positive reviews left by clients that are happy about your business. This will also improve the company image, attract more customers, and lead to increased sales and profit growth. Businesses aim at providing the best customer service at the lowest cost.

How should you schedule deliveries, given the weather and traffic conditions? These are some questions prediction software such as Transmetrics can help you answer. Managing multiple communication apps is not only a hassle but also leads to higher response times and subpar experiences for customers.

While competition enables the customers to choose the best logistics company out of many, for businesses, it means constantly fighting their way to the top. For example, let’s say your logistics company does in-house deliveries along with having a contract with a 3PL company for delivering some of your orders. In such cases, your company is responsible for communicating to clients the status of both self-delivery and 3PL orders. Especially in the logistics business that has so many moving parts, having staff that can go the extra mile to ensure last-mile delivery and the satisfaction of the customers is of utmost importance. Logistics isn’t just about moving packages; it’s about dealing with people.

They’ll become more comfortable with your business once they know more about you. A big step in getting your customers to understand what’s going on is providing supply chain visibility. Supply chain visibility shows the customer every step of the way, starting with the product and its development to the time it lands at their front doorstep. Customers want to know where their product is always, so supply chain visibility and advanced technology can allow that to happen. Along with supply chain visibility comes updating your customers on the process of their products. Real-time updates are essential with packages and enable the customers to track their items on their own time.