An emerging market in an already established industry can make some tentative to take up the challenge to make a change. I would like to tell you about my experience evolving from working for a company with 1000+ drivers to working for a freight company with 0.
The most common challenges whilst working for a carrier
- Sell Sell Sell
- Whilst working for a carrier the sales process I was taught was, even when the profile is “not ideal” get your foot in the door, once the foot was in the door I was incentivised to “win all available work”. This would lead to a 40% turnover in customers as after 6 months the customers would see where the carriers’ downfalls are and would pull all the work from the carrier because of this.
- 3 and 12-month marks
- Whilst working for the carrier there are two major drop-offs in service for the new customers. Firstly the 3-month mark, at this stage the new business team member will hand over the daily operational activity to the customer service team whilst still being involved in the background as an escalation point. At the 12-month mark is when the great drop-off will occur, 80% of accounts will remain with Customer Service with the remaining 20% being issued to an Account Manager, what this means for the 80% of accounts is that they will lose their escalation point and be forgotten about.
How do these challenges differ now being a Freight Manager?
- Sell the best solution
- The feeling of knowing you are offering a solution that has holes is completely gone. When I am speaking to customers, I now know I have 70+ carriers in my arsenal which I can use to create a custom solution, whilst knowing the solution will have one portal and there will be one point of contact no matter how many carriers are required for the freight solution.
- Focus on Account Management and having the escalation point
- The biggest surprise I have noticed since transitioning to a Freight Management Company is the focus on the customer. Gone are the monthly DIFOT templates. Now each customer gets an Account Manager whose focus is to constantly look for a solution that meets the changing needs of the business.
The best part of your day working for a carrier
During my 5 years working for a carrier, I always enjoyed problem solving. Whether it was operating a truck size jigsaw worth of freight, customising a warehouse to accommodate a new customer profile, or getting freight to the end customer domestically or internationally.
The new challenges
My new day to day has changed significantly but the amount of problem solving and the enjoyment from it has not. I face the new challenge of building relationships with carriers, using multiple carriers to reduce cost, reduce damages, and reduce transport delays.
Go anywhere as long as it is forwards
As a Freight Manager, I am able to help both the carriers and the customers by exploiting each carrier’s strengths to make the freight industry more efficient as the world continues its transition from physical shops to online shopping with products delivered to your door.
If I can provide any advice to those who have industry experience with carriers and are considering a change, “go anywhere as long as it is forwards.” Freight Managers are a big part of the future of transport and my move has spurred the flame of passion that brought me into the problem-solving industry that is transport.
