Even with an exceptional team and a top-notch system in place, no freight brokerage or agent can have extended success without keeping shippers happy. Here are 3 reasons why customer relationships can never be neglected.
Trust and Loyalty
It’s a simple equation. Customers + services = your business. When one of those components falters, it all falls apart. In other words, strong relationships between you and your customers are the backbone of a freight brokerage.
Freight agents must earn shippers’ trust, which leads to loyalty — and loyalty is what keeps clients coming back again and again. Consistent on-time delivery and constant communication are sure-fire ways to cultivate both trust and loyalty.
Reputation
Many people value The Golden Rule: Treat others the way you want to be treated. In customer service, there’s another important rule: Treat customers the way other customers want to be treated.
Word of mouth is especially important in the transportation industry, where there are millions of truck drivers and seemingly limitless companies looking to ship goods. With fewer than 20,000 freight brokerages in the U.S., competition is fierce and word of mouth spreads quickly.
Agents who neglect customer relationships either don’t fully understand or simply don’t care about the ramifications of a poor reputation in the freight industry. Prospective clients can become someone else’s customers in the blink of an eye.
It’s the Most Important Task
There are many essential elements to a successful career as a freight agent. They range from operating capital and insurance to software platforms and tedious administrative work, but the most important factors are about creating and improving customer relationships.
All of those “other” tasks and responsibilities can be addressed by becoming an independent agent with a freight brokerage like Freight Tec. However, nurturing healthy, lasting customer relationships is a task that must be handled by the agents themselves.
Learn About Becoming an Independent Freight Agent
Learn more about how independent freight agents at Freight Tec are empowered to better serve their customers. Explore our infographic here.