3 Ways Haulage Companies Can Deliver Customer Satisfaction

Success comes down to the quality of customer service. The bread and butter of haulage companies is the shifting of cargo but no matter how well you can perform the logistics of this movement, your success in the market relies on your customers' satisfaction. Seeing yourself as being in the customer service business is important when you operate in this competitive industry.

The Image of the Business

Customers will always value the safe, timely, and cost-efficient transport of cargo above all else. Haulage companies cannot compete in tight markets if they offer weak and unreliable services, and the presentation of this service quality is filtered through the value of your customer service. In real terms, your customer service skills shape the image of your business. A customer who receives rude, uncompromising, unclear or impersonal service is unlikely to feel appreciated. By working on the presentation of your services through attentiveness, clear communication, and personalised services, you build an image of your business as reliable and relatable, and ensure enduring customer satisfaction.

The Reliability and Flexibility of Services

The nature of life for many small-to-medium sized haulage companies is that they operate within tight parameters. Competitive markets, tight profit margins, and restrictions on variations in services means there are limits to how much you can personalise services for each customer. But genuine customer satisfaction comes from a reasonable balance between reliability and flexibility. If, for example, a customer is wanting cargo moved long haul between a number of destinations during inclement weather, you not only need to meet the deadlines but also seek means of going the extra mile by protecting the goods and reducing fuel costs. Simply offering options, even if they are not taken up, is effective in improving levels of customer satisfaction.

The Value of History

There are pros and cons to operating brand new and emerging haulage companies. On the one hand, there is a freshness to your image and a chance to structure your business to meet any evident gaps in the market; on the other hand, you lack an aura of respectability in an industry that values history and reputation more than most. Customers find greater satisfaction in companies that can not only provide them the services they want, but can also show they have been offering these services successfully for some time. It is therefore vital to give customers a sense of confidence by showing your experience in the industry at least and your experience as an organisation at best. This, combined with a positive rapport and top quality services, gives greater support to the view in the customer's mind that you are reliable and trustworthy, and is likely to not only end in referrals but also garner repeat business.