customers tell us that the way we do business gives them confidence that they are in the right place ,” he says . “ It even helps us when we make mistakes . Every courier company makes mistakes . Communicating those mistakes and telling the customer as soon as possible helps us retain their trust , especially in those difficult situations . They know they ’ ll hear from someone in our company if there ’ s a problem . They ’ re not going to have to call some 800 number to find out what ’ s going on and not get a live person or get someone in some remote place who can ’ t fix their problem . We believe that communicating when there ’ s a problem is just as important as every other piece of the puzzle when it comes to retaining customers . Because problems are what ultimately lead customers to look at other options . And if you handle yourself well and you deal with the problems , telling them what you ’ re going to do to fix things , it gives them confidence , and there ’ s no reason for them to look for another carrier . All that customers want to hear is that you ’ re not going to make the same mistake again . Trust me , they run businesses ; they make mistakes . This is the hallmark of what we do when things are not going right . Anybody can be good when things are going well . But when things are not going well , can you still communicate well ? Can you still be professional and respectful , solve problems , and get things done ? That ’ s what sets the good companies apart from the not-so-good companies .”
A Lot of Work . Worth the Effort
Cocchia is aware that this is a lot of work . It ’ s about your culture . It ’ s about your systems . He says it ’ s worth the effort . “ This is all about growing and keeping customers . You don ’ t lose customers when you communicate well with them and when they feel there ’ s a true , deep partnership . They know it ’ s not a one-sided relationship . It ’ s hard to get upset with somebody when they communicate this well . It ’ s easier to yell at somebody when you don ’ t think you ’ re being heard and don ’ t think they understand how big the impact is . But when you ’ re communicating and saying , ‘ We understand the impact this has on you , and we ’ re doing everything we can moving forward ,’ there ’ s no yelling and screaming because they already know you get it . That fosters strong , long-lasting relationships .”
The approach must be woven into how you do business and message your team . “ It ’ s all about your company ’ s culture ,” asserts Cocchia . “ Once you cultivate an open communications approach inside and outside your company , then it ’ s a matter of leveraging the right tools and technology . These must support a culture of communication by helping you communicate effectively with each other . It comes down to the little things like making sure you ’ re not duplicating emails and replicating communication . Our systems allow us to see what others are doing internally , so we don ’ t waste our time communicating if someone else is already working on an issue . We have visibility across responses to see that somebody is working on a response to an issue . If person A knows person B is handling an issue , this allows them to move on to the next thing that needs to be done . We have an internal chat within our email streams . That means we can have internal conversations before someone is formulating a response to a tough situation to make sure they have the right information . It ’ s the combination of technology , culture , people and attitude , and that starts from the top . Everybody ’ s got to do it . Otherwise , you ’ re going to have breakdowns in the process . It ’ s a culture of communication . It has to be the way you do business .” CLDA
summer 2024 I customized logistics & delivery Magazine 55