If you’re interested becoming a successful freight broker or freight agent you hear a lot about how to get your freight broker authority, how to get a job as a freight agent, how to find shippers, how to find carriers, how to get a your freight broker bond but you rarely if ever hear anything about customer service and how to turn your customers “Raving Fans”
So in this post I am going to share with you my thoughts on a book I read years ago called Raving Fan by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles. The book talks about the fact that “satisfied” customers are no longer enough and that in order to survive and thrive, companies will need to do more.
In my experience the logistics industry as a whole does not excel at customer service. It’s sad but true! Most companies are very average or even below average with their approach to customer service. Real customer service is intentional and requires vision, work and training.
But how?
First let’s start by defining what a Raving Fan is?
A Raving Fan is a customer that is so happy with your product or service that they would never consider going anywhere else and is willing to go out of their way and tell everyone they know about their experience.
In the book Raving Fan, they take a very simple and logical approach to improving customers service that involves 3 primary steps!
Step 1 – Decide what you want. This is where you create your vision of perfect customer service at your company. When doing this you have to take the time to think of every detail. Just imagine the perfect” customer experience and then write down everything including even the smallest details. Once you have a clear vision, then and only then should you move onto step 2.
Step 2 – Discover what your customers want. This is where you find out exactly what the customer wants. But how? You need to find out who your customers really are and then ask questions and listen intently to their answers. NOTE: Sometimes what is not said by your customers is just as important as what is. After being asked a question about your service they respond with “fine” or something similar, then you are definitely going to want to dig deeper to find out the real story. Once you understand what your customers want, you may need to adjust your vision from step 1.
Step 3 – Deliver your vision plus 1%. To implement, avoid setting yourself up for failure by limiting the areas you are looking to impact to just a few. “First meet. Second exceed.” When implementing your vision it is important to realize that consistency is the key. You can’t just do it sometimes, in order to create Raving Fans you need to deliver all the time.
Last but not least, it’s important to be flexible. Over time things change and evolve including your vision, your customers vision, products/services, technology, competition, industry etc. So it’s very important to remain flexible so that your perfect customer service experience can evolve too.
Did this article help you out? If so, I would greatly appreciate it if you would comment below, SHARE on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and be sure to click the g+1 logo and let Google know too!
P.S. Did you know that I offer a 60 day 100% money back guarantee to students that enroll in my online Freight Broker and Freight Agent training program? Give it try and if your not happy for any reason…I will personally refund your money!!!!
Cheers,
Dennis Brown
Owner, www.FreightBrokerBootcamp.com
Freight Broker Trainer / 6X Inc. 500 Fastest Growing Freight Broker
