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The logistics industry employs many tools to ensure the transparency of its supply chains: end-to-end tracking and tracing, RFID tags, sensors, and more. They all share the same goal, which is to inform the customer in real-time about the location of a product or shipment.
By Andreas Marin
(Wilen b. Wollerau) Logistics companies are the backbone of any supply chain. They ensure that products are moved efficiently and that everything runs smoothly. To do this successfully, they must know not only their own business inside and out but also that of their customers. They must act not only as logistics experts but also as customer experts.
Unfortunately, this task is incredibly challenging, especially when dealing with multiple tools that do not communicate with each other, or, even worse, with no tools at all. A simple solution is a customer data platform that consolidates all customer data in one place. No more isolated databases or spreadsheets are needed, but a data platform that provides a 360° view of your customers across all channels. A 360° view is much more than just a CRM. It is an overview derived from information and analyses from various systems that capture data along the customer journey.
The Key Components of a 360° Customer View?
Customer Profile
The process of creating customer profiles can be divided into several key components. The sales organization should take the time to go through these components and understand their customers’ needs, as this increases their chances of long-term success in this competitive market by offering a better product or service.
Contact Profile
Creating contact profiles is an important part of the visibility process, as it allows logistics companies to better understand what the contacts want, including when and how. Contacts have similar but also unique expectations when it comes to products and services. Creating contact profiles also enables personalized interactions with specific goals, such as announcing new events that may be important to the customer.
Customer Planning
A key component in achieving a 360° customer view is customer planning, which creates transparency by providing insights into the needs and preferences of the customer.
Customer planning is not a simple or straightforward process. It is primarily about setting the company’s customer goals and developing a strategy for how these goals can be achieved – among other things, in terms of volume or profit margins – and then implementing this planning with what works best in the individual departments of a company so that everyone works towards a common goal rather than against each other.
Sales Pipeline
The sales pipeline is the part that relates to understanding and reporting on upcoming business opportunities. It begins with an initial assessment of the current sales situation and then moves into developing strategies to achieve goals related to acquiring new business or securing existing business.
Service and Operations
Some logistics companies are not aware of how important a strong customer service culture and presence is. Customers are more likely to return and recommend your company if they feel their experiences were good. A smiling face always helps! This is not only important for customer satisfaction but also for building a 360° view, as it completes the picture with information that is crucial for marketing, cross-selling, and customer retention.
Transaction History
For logistics companies, collecting and analyzing transaction data is fundamental to understanding the status and performance of their customers, and when it comes to customer performance, no detail is too small. The benefits of having a detailed knowledge of customer transactions are immense. With this information, logistics companies can recognize how their customers interact with them and what might happen next.
Financial Aspects
The financial aspects of a 360° customer view include things like payment terms, invoicing instructions, the status of outstanding payments, and other financial KPIs. Financial aspects are integral components of any relationship, as they are relevant to understanding all potential costs associated with a customer. Long-term relationships typically also require a thorough understanding of the financial aspects between the two parties.
How to Achieve a 360° Customer View?
When it comes to a 360° customer view, every detail matters.
Gathering customer data from a variety of sources can be overwhelming and complicated. There is not just one dataset to take care of – it changes with each source, meaning that tracking all this information is difficult for both companies and customers.
When you have a unified view of all touchpoints with your customers, the various systems and processes of your company, such as marketing, claims and complaints handling, ERP, transport management systems (TMS), finance, etc., can synergistically work towards a common goal. The data collected from multiple sources allows for improved productivity and quick decision-making. Additionally, efficiency is increased in terms of
- Reliable data
- Accurate and quick RFQ/tender preparation
- Improved customer experience (CX)
- Preparation and execution of strategic customer discussions (SBR/QBR)
- Customer care and retention
Benefits of 360° Visibility
When you want to have a complete 360-degree customer view, you not only understand your customers better but also the decision-makers who may be behind your customers. Consequently, you are able to provide an exceptional customer experience (CX) and increase profitability by identifying their needs.
These are just a few of the areas where 360 customer visibility offers benefits. It is much more than just a CRM, as it connects all business functions such as air and sea freight, sales, operations, and back-office. Consequently, it provides you with valuable insights that can be used to increase revenue across the entire company.
Photos: © NX
Andreas Marin is the founder and managing director of Networcx AG. Previously he worked for over 25 years in leadership roles in the freight forwarding and logistics industry with global assignments. He has experience and key competencies in customer relationship management (CRM), sales planning, compensation and incentive management, performance management, key account management, managing sales application development, sales application administration, and reporting and forecasting.
