Stunning client service: What does that mean really?

“The uniqueness of IL2000’s skills-first approach has attracted a team firmly committed to … stunning client service.” - Logistics company bucks the software-only trend, snags a 2022’s Top Workplaces win

“Jeremy is the very definition of stunning client service.” - Meet Our Team - Employee Spotlights

“Passion isn’t what we say we do; it's how we work – every day. And at the core are our values. … Positive spirit, stunning client service, continuous improvement.” -  In case of emergency, break glass

Hmm, do you notice a recurring theme there? That phrase: stunning client service; it gets a lot of air-time on our website. I mean, from a marketing standpoint, those three measly morphemes back-to-back are a bit of a no-brainer. What’s not to like about client service that is:

Stunning: Strikingly impressive! Causing astonishment or disbelief! (Thank you Webster's Online Dictionary.)

Who doesn’t want more astonishment in their life? But what does “stunning client service” really mean?

Stunning client service. And that means?…

“(Stunning client service) is what gives a (client services officer) their power. It's an energy field created by all living things (in IL2000). It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the (supply chains of our many satisfied clients) together.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master (slightly paraphrased).

OK, your skepticism is warranted. It is technically true that strictly speaking, Ben Kenobi was in fact talking less about logistics and more about The Force. But it’s a ridiculously useful metaphor to describe how we approach client service at IL2000. You see, client service doesn’t live inside one department, one workflow, or one service offering at IL2000. It isn’t a set menu of fancy add-on white glove concierge services you can have for an additional fee. Nor is it an obligatory bullet point on a long list of benefits our marketing team thought up as padding.

Stunning client service is everywhere all at once at IL2000.

It’s a mindset that pervades everything we do. It surrounds us and suffuses our team with a binding approach. Thus far we haven’t been able to use it to levitate inanimate objects, but we’re actively working on it.

The point is, that stunning client service is integral to IL2000. And from a supply chain management standpoint, that changes everything.

The IL2000 client service mindset

So let’s put some practical tires on this theoretical 18-wheeler.

Let’s imagine you’re an IL2000 client and you’ve just encountered a supply chain problem. Perhaps it’s an issue with a carrier’s online portal. Maybe you’ve encountered mysterious unexpected costs. Perhaps a colossal hurricane is bearing down on you and the profitability of a warehouse of spoilable merchandise hangs in the balance. (It’s been known to happen.) Whatever it is, you’d pick up the phone or drop an email to get in touch with IL2000 and talk to client services.

What happens next?

Well, would you look at that! We can break down what happens next for you into three conveniently alliterative headings. It’s nice when things work out, isn’t it?

Attention (the full, active, and undivided kind)

Whatever this logistics problem is when it hits three universally terrible pressures will be bearing down on you, your people, and your freight operation. Your time will be running short. Your reputation for delivering results will be at stake. Your people will be anxious. Organizational volatility will send swirling shock waves of disruption across your company, blood pressures will spike, and the situation will be ripe for accidentally dumb things to unintentionally happen.

Being heard in this moment isn’t “nice to have.” It’s crucial. Decades of experience have taught us that the first step to fixing a supply chain problem is to pay close and undivided attention as you lay it out for us.

The first thing that will happen when you call IL2000 is that an expert will pick up the phone, stop what they are doing, and listen to you. Every word.

By the end of that first conversation, your problem might not be solved yet, but you’ll know the right people are on it. Blood pressures will simmer down, a plan will be in sight, and your organization will take that crucial step back from compounding its supply chain problem with an ill-advised response.

Accuracy (threading needles, left and right)

It’s 5 minutes after that ^^^ first call. Let’s position the camera now right inside the beating heart of IL2000’s problem-solving nexus.

Smart people are talking.

That expert who heard you? Right now they’re coordinating a response with other experts across every corner of IL2000. LTL veterans, freight handling experts, business intelligence specialists — a pulsing network of logistics experience and problem-solving creativity is working on an answer for you.

And as that conversation works its way across our company, we’ll test our thinking against the one immutable constant of smart decision-making: data. A few important assets will be powering our data-driven insights. A customized transportation management system (configured by our own team) will be capturing exactly how your freight moves. A BI dashboard will help us scrutinize your supply chain from every angle. And most importantly, we’ll have someone within our company who has worked closely with you, who knows who in your company they should ask if they need more information.

And all of that adds up to accuracy. A crucial part of delivering stunning client service is that we aren’t just guessing or offering generic solutions. We’re dealing with hard numbers and road-tested understanding.

Stunning client service is a commitment to never guess at an approach when one can work with quantifiable.

Answers (fixing problems at the source)

Smash cut to your office (or home office if you are like most clients these days). A few hours have passed. We’ve been in regular contact to ask a few follow-up questions and to keep you apprised of our thinking, and a wave of relief is washing through your team. Things look set to be back on track, likely by the close of business.

A few viable options are now on the table.

They’re good options. We’ve analyzed each of these solutions against a wealth of similar experiences in your sector, and our team is confident that each approach resolves your immediate problem and gets your supply chain back on track.

But we aren’t done yet.

Of course, our goal is to see your issue through to a solution today. What we’re really looking for, though, is an answer — something that fixes your supply chain problem at the source. Here’s an example: Let’s say you were overbilled on a shipment. We won’t just investigate that isolated claim for you. We’ll also find out what we can change in your bill of lading and carrier communications to make sure the problem doesn’t appear again.

The heart of our client service mindset is our passion for finding answers.

By mid-afternoon, we agree on the optimal solution to your problem and set the wheels in motion. Everything goes off without a hitch and by late afternoon you receive confirmation that your shipment arrived and your customer is happy.

Whew! Mission accomplished.

Of course, this is just one course correction among many. One solved problem does not make a perfect supply chain. But as the months go by, you notice your supply chain has become “quieter.”

Fewer disputes need resolving.

Unexpected outcomes become infrequent.

And that’s why at IL2000 we believe that working with the right people makes the biggest difference. Our transportation management system (TMS) can make your life easier. Our BI dashboard can help you understand your data. But it’s our supply chain experts who bring that critical client-first mindset to the table.

What do clients say about our client service mindset?

Here’s what one of our clients, a mid-sized producer of duct sealant, adhesives and accessories for industrial and residential projects, had to say about our client-first mindset.

“You’re rockstars! Over the couple of weeks we’ve worked with IL2000 we’ve learned more about logistics than in the five years we worked with our previous 3PL!”

‘Nuff said. Want to be heard? Looking for evidence-based solutions? Seeking to fix your supply chain challenges right at the source? Talk to IL2000 today.