As a driver there is a lot to worry about on the road. You are in charge of getting high value freight to customers, being safe on the roadways, and representing the company in a professional way. For most drivers unless they are on a dedicated run they often think of a delivery as a one off type of program. The thought process is that I’ll never come back to this customer again so it doesn’t matter how I treat them. Any of you that have been on the road for a while know that it is very likely even in an open board situation that you may return to the same customers over and over again, the only thing you don’t know is when that will be. So it makes sense to try to deliver the best customer service you can at every delivery because you just may return again soon.

So if it is important to have good customer service then as a driver it is important to do your best to get along with that person that is your specific contact. In most cases that is the shipper or receiver of a company. So your goal as a driver is to get that person to like you or your company. Not to the point where you are having coffee together, but to the point where you become part of their world and a positive relationship starts working to your benefit. If that is your goal then try these three things.

First being on time and having the proper equipment for the job is number one. If the company is always late or they show up with equipment not right for the job it won’t matter how nice you are the customer will never get comfortable enough to work with you and you will always be apologizing or making excuses. Things happen on the road and it may cause you to be late once in a while. If so, communication is your best friend. Either contact the customer directly or have your office do it, but make sure you give them an estimated time of delivery and do it early enough should other arrangements be required. This brings us to the person that is your contact. Everyone likes to hear their name so practice learning people’s names whether it is the waitress at the coffee shop or the receiver at your customer. If you learn a person’s name it goes a long way to help them feel comfortable dealing with you. The last piece of the puzzle is to learn the type of person they are. Are they the controlling type that needs to be in charge? Are they easy going to the point that they don’t even care if you have arrived? Are they a thinker and agonize over every situation, such as where you should drop your trailer? Are they outgoing and ready to talk about the latest sports event? If you can figure out the type of person they are it can go a long way to how you deal with that person and getting them to be part of your team and hopefully unload you in a timely manner. Try these ideas and see how they change the way you are treated from customers. If it gets you out the door quicker it may be the best program you ever tried. If you want to give good customer service; start with those three things.

About the Author

Bruce Outridge has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years and is author of the books Driven to Drive and Running by the Mile. Challenger Motor Freight Inc. is one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies (platinum member) and is looking for quality team members. To learn more about opportunities with Challenger visit their website at www.challenger.com