Managing a company’s logistics requires moving products and goods within a preferred time frame. Even if all the right moves are made in logistics, delays, setbacks, and unexpected developments are still count to occur.
A company can’t plan for every supply chain disruption. However, they can set up logistics customer service to handle clients during and after. Third party logistics can help a company make the best of a bad situation while remaining competitive and in tune with maintaining long-term partner relationships. Here is how logistics can improve customer service.
Provide 24/7 Customer Service
Especially if your logistics is operating globally, when clients and vendors are globally dispersed, having a 24/7 customer service line means there’s always someone ready to help. This is the only way to keep up. Availability matters.
Multi-Lingual Customer Service
Another key takeaway of what high-quality customer service in logistics should be is providing it in multiple languages. If language is an issue, a vendor or customer may feel less inclined to contact you or be encouraged to stop an attempt when they know no one speaks their language.
If your presence is only national by design, multilingualism in customer service may not be as key as if you were working internationally.
Properly Train Agents in Customer Service Modules
Customer service has multiple lines of inquiry. Product and service questions, order tracking, complaint resolution, field guidance, shipment requests, and tech assistance exist. Depending on the nature of your company, you may want to add additional customer service areas.
Ensure agents are fully trained in handling each type of call, ensuring they’re equipped for a quick and efficient resolution.
Refine Customer Service Training and Onboarding
New agents should be carefully trained in an organization’s systems, processes, and core values. The onboarding process should be clear and concise in this way. Ensure new regulations, supply chain disruptions, and economic shifts update existing reps’ training.
Look for opportunities to upskill your customer service team, constantly refining and optimizing what you’re offering on the customer service front.
Unify Customer Service Agents with the Right App
There is no reason to jump between 3-4 or more apps and software for team communications and information sharing. Have your customer service team locked into as few apps as possible, using a single platform, ideally to share communications.
This allows your team to collaborate, send messages, and resolve inquiries faster. It also makes getting work done more efficient and wastes less time.
Proactively Reach Out to Customers
Be honest and be transparent. If you foresee a problem coming down the pike, take the initiative to proactively reach out to clients. Especially when there is a problem, silence is never acceptable. When you communicate shipment updates and share messages of this nature, be consistent with when and how it’s done. Build trust with the client and show them they’re partnered with a company that is open and honest about the latest.
Have Real-Time Information at the Ready
Don’t set up customer service agents to fail. Give them real-time information and resources to help with every inquiry you might receive. This way, an agent can respond with speed and transparency. If a customer or vendor asks a question requiring real-time information, your agent has the info to give. Appropriate action can be taken.
Minimize Customer Touch Points for Greater Speed
A support request should not go to multiple agents to resolve. A client or customer just wants a solution. To make this easier, have reps be able to forward messages to each other to ask questions and keep inquiries moving. Collaborate internally to speed things up.
Set up automated routing to ensure messages are directed to the correct rep in the first place. You want a stakeholder contacting you to trust that they can get a resolution quickly and effectively without committing to an extended interaction.
Create an Omnichannel Customer Service Approach
Be where your clients, customers, and vendors are. This is omnichannel customer service. It’s not enough to have an open phone line. Set up an email channel that is fast and reliable. Consider a live chat on your website.
Text/SMS is also a way to provide updates to on-the-go clients without time to set up an email or phone call. Multiple channels make it easy for anyone to contact you for information or to get a question answered.
Reduce Handling Time for Client Inquiries
Handling time and resolution times are key KPIs in logistics customer service to monitor. Be thorough and fast in delivering information and providing action. Regardless of channel, aim to respond and resolve inquiries in 30 minutes or less. An inquiry that takes longer than 4 hours to answer suggests a problem and can potentially upset a client.
