ELEVATING CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS
W
e are almost two years into the Coronavirus pandemic. The logistics industry has proven how essential it is for our global economy and stability in supply with commodities and goods. Further, it has confirmed its important role in fighting the pandemic itself, transporting medical equipment, PPEs, medicines, and of course, vaccines. At DHL alone, we transported 1.6bn doses of vaccines to 174 countries globally as of today, while many other logistics suppliers also transported similar quantities themselves. We usually operate behind the scenes, but the pandemic catapulted logistics into the spotlight. Suddenly, it became visible how vital and critical our work can be, especially for the many unsung heroes working days and nights, weekends, and holidays to ensure that the shelves are not empty; this was a justified recognition. This, of course, it is a great success story. However, the truth is there is always room for improvement. That is why we, as managers and leaders in the logistics industry, need to reflect on issues. This is how we can learn and get better – delivering excellence.
Customer service deterioration My first observation is that customer satisfaction across the industry has currently deteriorated. Customer satisfaction is our license to operate. And many factors have to be suitable for it to work. Besides the actual delivery, it’s also about the service alongside it. We are currently observing that the price is disconnected from the service available. Capacity is tight both in air and ocean freight. In ocean freight, we saw up to 90 vessels and more queuing at the port of Long Beach and Los Angeles. Capacity and equipment were stuck, which was urgently needed in other parts of the world. This is partially driven by disruptions caused by the Corona pandemic, such as temporary, regional lockdowns. Although, schedule reliability at ocean freight slightly improved in the
42 FEBRUARY 2022
It is vital to raise customer satisfaction to pre-pandemic levels
In a first-person narrative, Tim Scharwath, CEO, DHL Global Forwarding, examines the parameters and factors relating to the what and why of lifting customer contentment to pre-pandemic standards in the face of the onslaught wrought by the pestilence.
