Supply Chain

Who Do You Trust With Your Stuff?

Oct. 26, 2006

The Customer Respect Group, a research firm, recently did a study of how well the transportation, distribution and logistics industry performs when it comes to managing their websites. With more and more customer service tasks being pushed to the web, it becomes extremely important to know whether or not you can get quick answers to your questions, especially when it comes to logistics. You know, questions like, "Are you going to pick up my order when you said you would?" or "Is my stuff going to arrive at the dock on time, or am I going to get dinged for a late shipment?"

This research firm compiles what it calls the Customer Respect Index, which measures three basic things:
* Site Usability -- Is the web site easy to access and use?
* Communication -- Will the logistics company actively engage with you to answer your questions? Are they responsive?
* Trust -- Can you trust them with your personal data, especially when it comes to privacy issues?

So which logistics companies got the best scores? On a scale from 1-10, with 10 being the best and 6.1 being the industry average, the top 5 performers were:
1. Yellow Corp., with a 7.8
2. USPS, with a 7.7
3. UPS, with a 7.0
4. UPS Freight (the former Overnite), with a 6.9
5. Neopost, with a 6.7

According to the study, that 6.1 industry average is 0.4 higher than the cross-industry average (they also study industries such as consumer products, food & beverage, high-tech, pharmaceutical, retail, and telecomm). One key finding: No transportation/logistics company shares data with third parties, compared to 10% for the all-industry average. You can read more about the findings here.

So, the good news is: Logistics companies -- or at least, their websites -- are actually ahead of the curve when it comes to respecting their customers.

About the Author

Dave Blanchard Blog | Senior Editor

Focus: Supply Chain

Email: [email protected]

Follow on Twitter @supplychainDave

Call: 216-931-9794

Contributing Editor Dave Blanchard provides the IndustryWeek audience his expertise in lean supply chain, reporting on topics from logistics, procurement and inventory management to warehousing and distribution. He also specializes in business finance news and analysis, writing on such topics as corporate finance and tax, cost management, governance, risk and compliance, and budgeting and reporting.

Dave is also the chief editor of Penton Media’s Business Finance and editorial director of Material Handling & Logistics.

With over 25 years of experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2010), and is a frequent speaker at industry events. Dave is an award-winning journalist and has been twice named one of the nation’s top columnists by the American Society of Business Publications Editors.

Dave received his B.A. in English from Northern Illinois University, and was a high school teacher prior to his joining the publishing industry. He is married and has two daughters.