The customer experience is more important than ever. Each aspect of the supply chain is subject to the scrutiny of customer service levels. Poor customer service experiences will naturally result in decreased profitability, increase trouble for the brand, and problems maintaining competitive advantage. Furthermore, in the age of social media any negative experience — regardless of whether it is a business-to-business or business-to-consumer transaction — will make its way into the realm of public perception. As a result, the freight customer experience is now paramount, and third-party logistics providers (3PLs) and shippers alike are working to improve customer service through transportation optimization. Besides the obvious impact on brand value, let’s take a closer look at the top five reasons why so many organizations are proactively pursuing improvement strategies for freight customer experience.
1. 3PL Customers Continue to Suffer From Poor Freight Customer Experience Levels
2. Inefficiencies Result in Delays Detrimental to the Customer Experience
3. Customers May Change Their Minds After Submitting an Order
4. Supply Chain Improvements Save Resources and Enable Better Use of New Technologies
Shippers and 3PLs are heavily invested in improving efficiencies and leveraging automation. These capabilities go together with improvements to customer experiences. These investments in new technologies and capabilities are not necessarily a reason why 3PLs and shippers are improving customer service levels, but they do have a contributing effect. As supply chain entities realize the benefits of collaboration and more access to information, customer service levels will naturally increase.
