Service Freight Systems Raises the Bar for Customer Service in Trucking

Trucking and delivering merchandise may seem like a simple process from the outside. Goods go from point A to point B, and if any issues should arise, there is nothing the delivery company can do about that. Randy Stanbury, though, sees things differently.

Randy Stanbury, president and owner of Service Freight Systems and Warehousing in Burlington Ontario, Canada, knows that what separates the average trucking company with this fatalist mentality from a quality business is one simple factor — customer service. Stanbury ensures that one factor in his company, but he does so through a variety of different ways.

Customer Communication is the Key

More than anything else, Randy Stanbury values communication. Throughout his career, he has noted that the one element that clients say they wish they could change about the industry is communication, and he has made sure that change is made. Instead of simply delivering the goods for the client and hoping it arrives when it should, Service Freight takes a proactive approach. The staff constantly tracks and traces the shipment and looks ahead for possible delays or changes to the schedule. This helps on a number of fronts.

First, it allows drivers and the company to make adjustments to mitigate any lost time in travel and to avoid major delays before they happen. This helps ensure that no issue is entirely unforeseeable; nothing is out of their control. Secondly, it helps guarantee that magic word so many clients wish they could improve — communication. Stanbury and his staff know that things happen.

Drivers get sick or have emergencies arise. Inclement weather appears and makes travel difficult and slow going. Any number of issues can arise that might delay a truck or even make it late. These are issues Stanbury and his staff cannot control. What they can control, however, is how it is communicated with the client. Service Freight’s staff will follow up, stay in touch, and keep the client informed every step of the way.

Not only is this what the client wants and expects from a quality company, but it helps business growth as well. When major clients work with a number of different companies, Stanbury knows his customer service and communication will set him and his company apart from the competition. It may not be as clear cut as delivery times, but it is clear to the clients, and when they are not used to communicating and a proactive company like Service Freight Systems, then the difference are quite clear.

Service Freight’s Customer Service Department Stays Overstaffed

Stanbury ensures quality customer service in a couple of other ways too. For example, he tries to always overstaff his company. This may seem counter-intuitive, but Stanbury points out that this practice ensures that his company is never bogged down if delays occur. Clients of his company know that they will always have a staff member attentively watching their shipment and problem solving as issues arise.

What’s more, Stanbury does not just simply overstaff his company with unknown entities. Instead, he seeks out staff members from that are caring, strong of character, and from a diverse array of backgrounds and not just shipping and trucking. This helps greatly in the customer service front as his staff always handles situations with a concern for the client and the company. Furthermore, the diverse array of backgrounds means that staff are better equipped to solve problems in creative ways and from different perspectives.

Finally, Stanbury also ensures quality customer service by looking to the future. He does this by not simply looking at his future or his company’s future but by looking at the future of his competitors, the industry, and society at large. By constantly looking at ways to better ensure success for him and his clients and joining like-minded individuals together, even if thy may be competitors in the market, Stanbury can help motivate a better experience for all of his clients and greater success for the industry as a whole. Whether it be through the lens of new technology, better working practices for drivers or customer service models, Stanbury’s eyes are always on down the road, and that benefits his clients just as much as it benefits him and his company.

For more information about Service Freight Systems visit www.servicefreight.com or call 800–693–9119.