As National Customer Service Week kicks off, research conducted by technology solutions provider Microlise, has revealed the extent of customer service disputes faced by transport and logistics managers when processing deliveries.
The research revealed 62% of those questioned have been involved in a dispute with customers over the condition of a delivery, with no way of determining who was at fault.
Similarly, more than four-in-ten respondents have lost a proof of delivery (POD) document amongst their paperwork, which has then led to a costly dispute between the transport manager’s employer and the customer.
These claims about POD are outlined in Microlise’s industry report Standing at the Crossroads: A crucial moment for UK logistics.
The report also reveals that 65% of transport or logistics manager respondents have had to deal with customers who could not read the driver’s handwriting on the POD documentation which then caused problems, while 51% have delayed processing paper-based delivery documents, leading to further issues down the line.
More than 55% of respondents have also had to admit to customers that they do not know when a delivery will be made, causing further friction between both parties.
Problems with POD are not restricted to customer service. Microlise’s research also revealed that manually processing delivery documents takes an average of 1.7 hrs per day, costing those businesses impacted approximately £50,000 per year.
Microlise said that issues surrounding POD can be significantly reduced by using electronic solutions which remove any doubt over the statuses of loads and their locations.
As part of its research of the transport and logistics management landscape, Microlise also enquired about the tools that managers use to do their job, whether these were housed in multiple systems and if so, the difficulties that this caused.
It also examined the complexity of tracking costs, the environmental and regulatory aspect of fleet management and the impact that artificial intelligence (AI) is having on the industry.
Microlise CEO Nadeem Raza said: “Keeping customers informed and happy is just one of the many aspects of the transport or logistics manager’s job. While there are variables that are beyond their control, we understand that customer sympathies can only go so far.
“POD is an essential element of the logistics process, and these statistics should be a wake-up call to the industry. The more help that the transport or logistics manager can receive with recording POD, the better, for all concerned,” he added.
