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Customer Experience in Transportation Industry

Customer Experience in Transportation Industry

Customer needs are being prioritised in every industry, which is exactly what they should be. This necessitates quick adaptation to shifting market demands. Changes in the transportation business are no exception. According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (USA) Annual State of Logistics Report released in 2019:

  • Rising online sales have steadily increased costs.
  • Aside from rising transportation costs, online sales have necessitated shorter delivery times. Many businesses now deal with next-day deliveries, which forces them to streamline operations in order to meet customer demands.
  • An ageing workforce is one of the more complex issues confronting the industry. Many drivers are elderly and nearing retirement, and they are difficult to replace because young people are hesitant to enter the transportation system.
  • Safety remains a concern for businesses. Strict rules and regulations ensure that drivers are rested and capable of driving safely, but they do not prevent accidents.

At such a critical condition, almost every company in the transportation industry is looking at Customer Experience Management (CXM) to be the long-term solution. Strategies that can help in planning and delivering services to ensure that there is maximized efficiency and nearly no delays.

Customer Experience in Transportation Industry

Challenges in the transportation industry

Customers are in constant contact with competitors in your industry. Because of the digital advantage, if you do not provide, someone else will, and they will become the customer's choice just as quickly as you will become invisible to them. Customers expect near-instant gratification for all of their requirements. AI and other relevant technologies have created a platform for businesses to demonstrate what they can do for their customers, and the pressure to perform is higher than ever.

It is time-taking and difficult to bring about change in a traditional system however; transportation companies must introduce some common digital methods of reporting in the industry to better suit the customer.

  • Online ticketing system.
  • Operator Walk Around Checklist.
  • Equipment Condition Report.
  • COVID-19 Daily Declaration.
  • Fleet Repair Request.
  • Vehicle Accident Report.
  • Pre/Post-Trip Inspections.
  • Vehicle Condition Report.

Each of these additions comes with its own set of challenges like whether or not the staff will embrace the changes with open arms, difficulty in training staff and overseeing management, upgrading all communication to the digital front and more, but what must be considered is the long-term customer satisfaction and savings. Ensuring that you are on top of trends and utilizing modern technologies is a major advantage. Your customers should be able to get what they deserve at the click of a button. Being digitally able also translates to being modern, and fast.

Customer experience strategies, analytics, surveys and metrics work towards finding the best practices that can be adapted to bring about such changes.

Another challenge is bringing in the human-digital balance. Companies should most definitely be digitally powered but they should also cater to those customers that need human-oriented services/solutions or be able to provide the same when need be. Being able to add a personal or human touch to your company’s services is always a benefit to sales and customer experience.

What companies in the transportation industry truly need is to understand what motivates their clients, be able to share real experiences with/for them, build trust with them and be incredibly open/transparent with them.

The Transportation industry has switched from paper-based tickets which were used for many decades to entirely on-the-phone ticketing systems to cope with digital trends. Convenience, cost-effectiveness, comfort and safety have become the primary goals of every transportation company that serves its customers. They are continuously working on personalization that can be attained through apt data collection. Companies are going the extra mile by showing their regular customers only the route they may take or attractive offers that can retain them, building on brand loyalty. Data collection can also help companies build on easy techniques that do not require complex modes of communication or interference – since customers like to work independently today without the help of customer service. However, this convenience brings about its own set of challenges.

The transportation industry is currently dealing with enormous amounts of data and information with digital platforms and blockchains collecting customer data and IoT sensors providing information about product shipments. The task at hand is how to use the given data effectively in the constantly changing market while gaining new insights into every single customer’s preference and updating them about their areas of interest. AI-enhanced automation and robotics surely allows a business to deliver fast, safe, and cost-effective services. Customers also enjoy being able to access information about goods or people’s movements through online tracking systems. Customers are able to receive and give personalized information to companies which brews a threat in the cyber security and privacy department. Businesses are being more tactful on how to provide a good customer experience in transportation while avoiding any type of data theft and misuse.

Customer Experience in Transportation Industry

Best CX practices in the transportation industry:

  • Providing a consistent experience across all channels and interactions.
  • Considering each touch point for a better experience.
  • An integrated system that allows employees to have a thorough view of every customer transaction that can help them to answer the customer’s queries better.
  • Offering multimodal mobility services and intelligent transportation systems (ITS) that provide information to passengers throughout the journey.

Customer experience management is the need of the hour in every industry. It is the only way companies have a chance to survive in this age of cutthroat competition. A personalized omnichannel approach that caters to the customer’s needs and also builds a connection with them is a necessity. Well strategized customer experience management in the transportation industry reduces the challenges in the transportation industry. It resonates with customer retention and also adds to the bank of potential customers through the best marketing: word of mouth. As has been proven, retaining an old customer always costs less than finding a new one and it does the job twice as well.

Our CX solutions are focused on transforming the total customer experience through surveys, metrics, analytics and auditing by using the CXM framework to combine physical measurements with digital Platformation™ capabilities. We are committed to finding the right customer experience strategy that can lead to a competitive advantage.

Sonata GBW is a global technology company specialising in customer experience CX measurement, platform-based digital transformation, supporting businesses to become connected, open, intelligent and scalable. Global coverage of more than 105 markets with over 27 years of market leadership through extensive measurement capabilities, powerful and intuitive reporting and analytics platforms give us the leverage to improve customer experience. It has presence across USA, Canada, EMEA and APAC regions. If you would like to know more about how we can assist you, please fill out the business enquiry form below.