No matter what business you’re in, as competition, economic conditions and market trends change — and they always do —it’s always helpful to find time periodically to reevaluate your strategy, anticipate the emerging needs of your customers and ensure your team is aligned so that every employee can contribute to your success.
During the past two decades at ICAT Logistics Detroit, we’ve learned to begin each year by asking ourselves a series of challenging questions that help us look ahead and plan accordingly. Answering as honestly as we can has helped us weather change, grow our business, hold on to our best employees and meet or exceed our customers’ expectations.
We start by reviewing where we’ve been.
Q. What did we do in the past year that set us apart from our competition?
A. We got personal.
We built lasting relationships by listening to, and where possible, participating in the success of our customers. By year end, they knew more of our team members by name, leaned more heavily on our knowledge of logistics and freight handling, and listened when we suggest approaches that will save money, ensuring timely deliveries and pleased their customers.
Q. What quality seemed to most benefit our customers?
A. We listened carefully to our customers’ concerns and focused on resolving any outstanding issues.
We want a business relationship where we learn from our clients and vice versa. For example, we listened when a customer told us they worry about their shipments throughout the shipping process until they arrive at the final destination. Now we offer regular updates — daily, if need be — so there’s no question whether an important shipment will arrive in time to keep a production schedule on track.
Q. Are we putting our employees in a position to succeed?
A. We think so. Our employees prove every day how valuable they are.
We’ve learned that if there’s a better way to get things done, please a client or resolve a documentation, customs or shipping challenge, the solution will almost always come from members of the team sharing their solutions, offering ideas and helping one another. We’re better together than each on our own.
Q. What can we do for our customers to save them time and money?
A. We can put ourselves in their shoes.
We’re at our best when we treat our customers’ budgets and clients as if they are our own. We look for efficiencies that will shorten delivery times, save money and eliminate the potential for loss, damage or last-minute glitches.
Q. What new skills do we need to do our jobs better in the coming year?
A. We need to continue our learning.
Each member of our team is encouraged to broaden his or her knowledge of regulations, legislation, changing documentation requirements, shipping trends and freight handling. Of course we keep an eye on changing trends in our industry, but we rely on each other for the day-to-day knowledge and skills that will ensure our customers a great freight shipping experience at a fair price.
We’re your custom shipping resource. Solutions to our customers’ most challenging issues are derived from decades of success in global logistics. https://www.icatlogisticsdtw.com/