Is a Customer Experience Strategy Critical for Transportation Companies?

By Brian Everett, ABC, Chief Executive Officer of TMSA and Senior Partner with MindShare Strategies, Inc., an association management company specializing in the management and marketing of associations in the transportation and logistics industry.

Did you know that 2020 will be year that Customer Experience (CX) overtakes price and product as key brand differentiators in B2B? A CX strategy can create a significant competitive advantage in a service-driven industry that continues to struggle to NOT be commoditized, according to Jeff Davis, founder of Jd2 Consulting and TMSA’s 2018 Conference Keynote.

This is the primary reason why the TMSA Education Committee chose to develop a focused theme around how to leverage marketing and sales strategy to impact CX to ultimately generate business results. But let’s put this in context. How do marketing and sales strategies have a directly connection to CX?

For example, you have an amazing new website and great capabilities presentation, the sales team has more leads than they know what to do with, and you’re bringing in new customers left and right. Then, you find out a new customer had to wait on hold yesterday to reach your company’s service representative for a whopping 82 minutes. Or that their shipment was never delivered and four days later, you’re still not able to tell them why. Or worse, they inquired about purchasing another service from you on your website, and never heard from anyone to get it rolling.

These are all symptoms many organizations in transportation and logistics face when tackling the critical topic of CX.

Consider these startling facts about today’s typical CX in the B2B world:

• Organizations recognize the need to take action regarding CX. Yet, 75% of B2B organizations engage in isolated, bottom-up initiatives, often with little data other than an innate sense that something is not quite working and needs to be fixed (Source: Gartner)
• Although most B2B companies realize that CX is important, fewer than a quarter of companies actually emphasize it. (Source: Forbes)
• 80% of B2B executives believe that offering outstanding CX is directly connected to generating better business results and ensuring the company has a competitive advantage. (Source: Accenture)
• Customers want to work with companies and brands that don’t just satisfy a market need, but make things easier. 

CX Is Relevant to Your Marketing and Sales – at any level!
Some enterprises in this industry have made CX a business priority to differentiate their services or products from others. Others have just begun to dip their toe in the water. Still others question if their corporate culture is even compatible to focus on any CX initiatives.

Based upon a global survey conducted by Genesys/Economist Intelligence Unit of 516 senior-level executives from various industries, these are top channels that can have an influence on CX. Note that most of these are channels typically managed by a Sales or Marketing function:

• Online assistance support (33%)
• Face-to-face communications (45%)
• Social media (27%)
• Web self-service (31%)
• Customer insight (28%)
• Automation of processes (20%)
• Email-based communications (23%)
• Telephone operations (20%)
• Proactive communications to customers (19%)
• Paper-based communications (6%) 

TMSA’s 2019 Annual Conference will bring you the knowledge and connections you need to break through the problems and find solutions for delivering outstanding CX in the transportation and logistics industry – at any level. From making investments in digital systems, leveraging data all the way to personalizing/customizing experiences specific to customer’s wants and needs. From Marketing and Sales to Customer Service, Operations and even HR, the impact of those who engage and deliver amazing CX is far-reaching.

This is an unprecedented opportunity to engage your entire team in becoming Customer Experience stewards who will drive results. But even if you're new to the CX concept, you'll walk away with many new ideas and market intelligence that will help to strengthen your marketing and sales initiatives - even if they aren't tied directly to any CX strategy or initiatives! So join us June 9-12 at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort near Jacksonville, Florida, to explore what CX can mean to your company’s successful path forward. See you soon! 

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