Customer Service in Logistics: Importance, Challenges, Strategies

Delayed deliveries, half-filled containers, and empty trucks on return journeys are a result of poor planning and prediction. SaaS companies can help logistics companies overcome these hurdles using data and analytics. Managing multiple communication apps is not only a hassle but also leads to higher response times and subpar experiences for customers.

Such automated customer service features help build trust in the customers and reduce their reliance on other customer support channels that are manually managed. Although organizations cannot fix the global supply chain themselves, they can use communication, transparency and personalization to support their customers and keep them updated. These best practices can also reduce phone call and email volume in contact centers, because fewer customers may have questions about their orders’ whereabouts.

Company

Looking at logistics perspective, customer service is the outcome of all logistics activities or supply chain processes. Corresponding costs for the logistics system and revenue created from logistics services determine the profits for the company. Those profits widely depend on the customer service offered by the company.

To eliminate this problem, businesses use shared inbox software, like Front, which unifies your communications into a single platform. It can hold all your teams communication, like email, SMS texts, live chat, phone logs, social media, and more. Your team can collaborate on messages directly in the platform, so your inbox becomes a hub for getting work done and a reliable audit trail. Most businesses focus solely on speed and cost when choosing their transportation methods.

Enhance Customer Service Roles

How many times have you used a company only to get terrible service that makes you regret your decision? But great customer service can be the determining factor in whether someone is a customer for life or not. Let’s take a look at some of the key points to clearly show why customer service in logistics is important.

A well-trained customer support staff is vital for dealing with client redressals and providing swift solutions to customers facing issues. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, consumers started to see cracks and vulnerabilities in the global supply chain. Before the pandemic, many organizations successfully managed their own supply chains to meet customer demands and business goals. Yet, amid the pandemic, business leaders are at the mercy of factors they can’t control. To thrive amid supply chain disruptions, organizations should increase levels of transparency, personalization and empathy in their customer service. Customer service in logistics is the activities, service actions are provided, acting as added value.

Continuously train customer service employees to keep them informed about best practices and industry updates. Well-trained staff are better equipped to assist customers, reducing dissatisfaction. We assembled a skilled team, proficient in the client’s language and trained in customer-oriented service, to handle all communication channels efficiently. Our focus was on reducing waiting times and increasing first call resolution rates, which significantly boosted customer satisfaction.

Making your customers happy will be close to impossible if your staff are unhappy. Every contact made by an unqualified and unsatisfied employee can adversely affect your business. For your business to operate smoothly and productively, your staff needs to be well-organized, communicate properly, and implement effective strategies. While not always feasible, providing round-the-clock customer service for different time zones addresses concerns and queries more efficiently. Customers depend on logistics firms to handle their goods carefully and ensure they arrive in perfect condition. This includes offering multilingual support to cater to a diverse customer base and providing assistance through various channels like phone, email, live chat, etc.

Top Quality Freight Carriers

As services increase above the level offered by the competition, sales gain can be expected as superior customer service increases the retention of existing customers and attract new customers. When a firm’s customer service level reaches this threshold (level offered by the competition), further service improvement relative to competition can show good sales stimulation. It is possible that service improvements can be carried too far, resulting in no substantial increase of sales. Assuring quality in logistics operations such as global outsourcing is very challenging due to the multiple layers involved in the supply chain. These layers are sometime loosely integrated and hence hard to maintain quality throughout the chain.

• This might make them feel unhappy about their jobs, and we have already talked about the importance of a happy employee to your business.
• The pandemic has demonstrated a paradigm shift where we see that many businesses have switched online and are taking advantage of top-ranking e-commerce platforms to conduct their sales.
• Such situations can increase the load on your customer service team while also adversely affecting sales.
• It is a critical component of managing supply chain relationships and will give your brand the best chance of consistent delivery success.
• Reach out or request a quote to see how we can help you and your supply chain.
• The second element of customer service occurs during the transaction stage.

And second, good customer service can sometimes help appease clients when the product is not up to the required standard. In the logistics business, customers are the determining factor of what is known as quality service. They affect the reputation customer service logistics a freight forwarding company has in the market. And their level of happiness can make a business stand out from its competitors. In this post, let us dive into the customer service in logistics businesses, its importance, and how to improve it.

As global outsourcing continues to become complicated, visibility of quality information is rapidly becoming the fundamental building block for outsourcing supply chain networks. Information technology advances now make extended visibility across organizations possible. This early identification and correction of quality problems in global outsourcing can help companies reduce the consequences of poor quality of products and services. Logistics customer service is a part of a firm’s overall customer service offering, customer service elements that are specific to logistics operations including fulfillment, speed, quality, and cost. The term fulfillment process has been described as the entire process of filling the customer’s order. Good customer service ensures that a logistics company has customers in the first place.

Some of the other reasons why customer service in e-commerce logistics is essential are given below. Whenever a customer is new to a business there are going to be some initial doubts about their purchase. This is common with ecommerce since the customer can’t physically see the item until it arrives at their door. This is why it’s important to have a good brand reputation especially when it comes to logistics. If new leads see that customers are leaving positive feedback regarding shipping times and product quality, they’ll be more likely to purchase from your website or catalog.

A company has always had a “logistics” department even if this has never been formalized. It is the department that controls the reception and shipment of goods that come in and out of the warehouse. Its activities are mainly administrative and are performed by the more humble employees, who do not have direct contact with customers.

To see the difference customer service can make, reach out to Zipline today. How can more companies promote transparency and visibility at every stage of the supply chain? They get a complete overview of actions taken on an email, whether it has been resolved or not, and comments from other team members. Companies with simplified internal communication, collaboration, and operations are better equipped to handle customers’ requests. 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.