When
it comes to customer service in logistics, one common theme I have found in my
25 years in the 3PL industry is that every leader at all levels has a need to
focus on providing the best overall customer experience. Whether you lead a team or are just
interacting with internal customers, the need to provide the Best Customer
Experience is critical to succeeding in an ever-commoditizing market.
The
answer to achieving great customer service in logistics may not be as hard as
you think. It starts with the people on
your team. You need people who are
passionate about what they do. As a
leader of a customer service team, it has been my primary focus to foster that
passion. If they don’t like what they’re doing, how can they provide the Best
Customer Experience?
People
that are passionate, especially in stressful situations, will do better if
their overarching focus is on providing the Best Customer Experience. Teaching
your team to remain passionate after dealing with a disappointed customer or
stressful situation should be ultimate goal for every team leader.
But
what about your existing team, what would be their answer to the question? What is the Best Customer Experience?
Here
are three things that you can do to help your team.
Describe
what you mean by “Best Customer Experience”
Does
your team really know what you expect from them in terms of the Best Customer
Experience? Great customer service is
not isolated to one function or department. Sharing ideas, scenarios or good
old fashioned round table discussions should help cultivate teamwork and ensure
that everyone is working toward the same goal.
Your team can’t meet expectations if you have not made the expectations
clear and simple.
Provide
solutions or alternatives
Providing
answers to customers is one of the most important activities for your
team. When the customer calls with a
challenging situation, we must be able to provide solutions or alternatives. We need to teach associates to identify
situations where a solution or alternative needs to be the next step in the
process. For leaders, being part of the
solution or suggesting an alternative can provide the confidence your team
needs.
Assess
critical customer interactions
Did
your solution or alternative provide the Best Customer Experience? Make it a habit to end your assessment of the
situation by asking yourself or your team this question. Ask your staff to put
themselves in your customer’s shoes. If
they were the customer, would they have been completely satisfied with your
company’s response?
When
the above principles have been indoctrinated into your team it will improve not
just the customer experience but will increase job satisfaction among team members.
http://www.weberlogistics.com/blog/california-logistics-blog/author/debbie-bunting