When it comes to carrier and shipper relationships, in all too many circumstances, there is none. At least this was the case years ago before capacity tightened, which has caused shippers to search for a carrier partner of choice. However in many instances, for shippers without a carrier attempting to build a relationship in these current circumstances is likely too little too late. Companies have long memories of who was and wasn’t there for them, especially when times were tough. Yet shippers need to get their goods to customers too, so here are a few steps for shippers in need of deepening their relationship with their carrier.
One of the areas in determining a carrier that can help you is to evaluate their predictability and reliability rather than price. Getting your goods delivered to customers is top priority right now. Carriers who maintain agility and responsiveness by communicating with their customers, informing them about their orders every step of the way win the loyalty of their customers. Once you’ve found a carrier of choice that can handle your shipments, there are additional ways to deepen your relationship with them.
One area to improve relationships with carriers is by making life as easy as possible for their drivers. Respecting the driver’s time and treating them as people will speak volumes about a company, because drivers talk to one another and word gets around. If your company is disrespectful to drivers by making them wait a really long time in order to unload their shipment, word will spread and you will inevitably be in a capacity crunch. Drivers often rate companies on Google based on their wait times. The better you can treat a company’s driver, the more you’ll be appreciated.
Opening all lines of communication with your carrier is another vital means of building the relationship. Setbacks can and do occur, and when one side informs the other of such setbacks, trust is built. Open communication also signals that you’re both doing the best you can, which is all companies can ask for when dealing with one another. Open communication is also a signal of honesty with one another since neither side is trying to hide information and such honesty inevitably leads to trust in one another and a dynamic relationship. Such a relationship will help both companies flourish and happy customers that will keep wanting your business.
Here at Zip Xpress, we understand what it means to be the carrier that will work with you, no matter what. We have a long history of helping customers overcome their logistical challenges and partnering with our shippers to ensure their shipments will arrive on time and undamaged, no matter what. Relationships matter more to us than anything else, as we treat every customer’s problem as one of our own. No matter what the situation is, we have a custom carrier solution that will work for your business. To see for yourself, start today with Zip Xpress!
