First, a thank you and some information. Transporeon wants to thank carriers for their exceptional performance and high-quality service – in fact, we want to go further than thanking you; we want to offer tangible rewards for your efforts. Our Carrier Loyalty Program is part of that plan, a unique scheme of incentives aimed at helping you grow your business further and build unbreakable relationships with your customers.
There are no complicated joining instructions or catches. It’s simple – if you are a carrier on the Transporeon network, you’re automatically enrolled as a member of the program. Based on the number of spot and contract transports you carry out, plus your visibility performance, you’ll receive points, and your scores will be updated each quarter. There are four tiers: Starter, Advanced, Expert and Pro. Every time you reach a new level, we’re there to help you with new rewards and incentives.
So, two questions: how do you achieve the kind of high-performance that puts you in the Pro tier, and what are the key qualities your business needs to help you attain that category?
Stripped down to its core, a winning strategy revolves around flexible solutions, transparent communications, reliability, and a continuous pledge towards improvement.
1: Make a commitment to excellence
A serious commitment to excellence in customer service and delivery really matters in reaching, and then maintaining, Pro tier. Those companies that achieve the top level recognise that the award can play an important role in expanding their portfolio and polishing their brand image. Such businesses are also open to new ideas and initiatives within the program.
If you are rigorous in your planning and operations, and by extension, across all aspects of your business, you are on the right path.
Zugvogel Speditions GmbH, an Austria-based international carrier founded as recently as 2015, has already reached Pro status, thanks to its consistent performance with its customers on the Transporeon platform. Traffic Manager, Tristan Young, believes that the company’s emphasis on quality is a key factor in their success. “This mentality is recognised by our ISO standards, which were achieved by very rigorous external audits,” he says. “We believe that reaching the top tier underscores that our approach is the correct one and we are dedicated to keeping it that way.”
Such commitment offers opportunities across the wider network, because it elevates standards and fosters a culture of collective merit shared by all participants. This leads to superb service levels for clients, as well as more robust reliability. Tristan explains that it also functions on another, more supportive level – as a rewarding mechanism for those striving to deliver superior quality when competing against those offering a low-cost model.
2: Build great partnerships with subcontractors
Pro tier in the Carrier Loyalty Program means paying attention to your relationships with subcontractors. “Subcontractors are the cornerstone of our operations,” reveals Tristan. “We have a fleet of over 500 trucks, supplied 100% via our partners.”
Attentive partnerships with your subcontractors enable you to deliver operational efficiency both for the trucks and your clients. For Zugvogel, it starts with a meticulous selection process for subcontractors, aimed at finding companies that fully share a vision for premium-quality service levels. Once that process is complete and the subcontractors are onboard, the company maintains fully open lines of communication with carrier management teams, fostering an all-round understanding of the carrier’s operational standards and expectations.
Regular performance reviews and feedback sessions – in both directions – are integral to the relationship, because they allow carriers and partners to address challenges promptly and to reinforce successful practices. The subcontractor relationship ought to be beneficial to both parties, with priorities focused on good service level maintenance, constant communication and technological integration. “It’s about working together with our partners rather than only for ourselves,” explains Tristan.
3: Use technology to boost communication and visibility
Investment in new technology will bring the combined benefits of streamlined communication and the priceless opportunity to track shipment progress in real time. You enjoy much greater transparency with your clients at the same time as achieving a forensic level of supervision over your service capability. Tristan expanded: “Our dispatchers work closely with our partners to align schedules to routes and to proactively address potential problems before they actually happen. This ensures high service levels for our clients and efficient cooperation with our carriers. This commitment to quality is what I hope sets Zugvogel apart from other companies in this very competitive market.”
4: Treat no two customers in the same way
Achieving and even surpassing customer satisfaction is the goal of every carrier and this is where flexibility comes in, because every client is different – a ‘one size fits all’ approach will only work at a certain level for a short period. “We understand that every client has a unique requirement, and we tailor our solutions to accommodate these specific requirements, providing a personalised experience for each client,” reveals Tristan.
5: Be transparent at all times
Most carriers will cross borders at some point to work with international clients and partners from other territories and cultures. The demands highlight the importance of flawless communications. Offering clients the opportunity to communicate in their native language heightens trust and breaks down barriers.
In Zugvogel’s case, a diverse team of 22 nationalities, with fluency in 14 languages guarantees strong interplay with clients in what has organically grown into a multilingual business.
Transparency and proactive information flows should be front of mind in the entire transport process, “starting from when a client books a transport with Zugvogel and not stopping until the PoD or CMR or delivery note,” says Tristan.
Further devices you can use to assist in this effort include fleet visibility tools that enable clients to track every shipment and receive status updates according to criteria they set themselves. It drives home the earlier message that every client has different priorities and needs.
6: Meeting deadlines wins trust
Meeting deadlines is at the core of earning a reliable reputation in the transportation industry. Use technology to help bring about a meticulous planning process. In the event of a delay – which can always happen at any time in the unpredictable arena of road transport – it will often make a difference to the client to be informed straightaway by your team, rather than discovering the fact for themselves.
7: Transporeon is your best friend
Tristan adds that enjoying a great working relationship and ongoing dialogue with Transporeon itself has helped the carrier achieve Pro status. He recommends the workshop offered by Transporeon (which, incidentally, is open to all carriers reaching Expert status) and that was enjoyed by everyone at Zugvogel Head Office. “It reinforced the cooperative spirit that defines our relationship,” he concludes.
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