Disappointing current and prospective clients is one of the top ways to lose clients in the transportation industry. Customer service fails lead to more broken professional relationships more than anything.

How to maintain a strong business relationship:

  1. Make your client feel valuable. When a client feels that you care for their company and the loads you are hauling for them, they are more likely to stay with you longer.
  2. Clients needs to feel like they are being heard. When a client is talking to you listen more than you speak.
  3. Your clients are not replaceable. Don’t treat your client as if they are just another load to haul.

How to fail as a customer service representative:

  1. Break your deadline. Whether your promised deadline has been written on paper, spoken, or implied; your customer is counting on you. Fail to meet a deadline without a legitimate reason, you will more than likely lose their business.
  2. When you are hauling your clients load, make them your #1 priority. No one wants to feel like the second best in any area of life.  If you’re working with a business, be sure to give them your full attention when they request it.
  3. Don’t forget to be professional. When you are speaking to a company regarding a delivery, always remember they do not understand trucker lingo. Just like the saying, “dress for the job you want, not the job you have”, same concept goes for the language you choose to use.
  4. Do not share your client’s private information. Third party companies crawl the gas stations looking for truckers to leak information. It is very important that you do not share information that is not yours. This is not only wreck your relationship with your client, but possibly your entire trucking career.
  5. Hold true to your word. If you are locked into a contract, do not break it. Contracts varying from your clients to your freight bill factoring company, keep your word and follow the written guidelines.
  6. Stay connected with your clients, freight factoring company, and friends via social media and newsletters. As a truck driver, constantly on the road, it is crucial to stay on top of industry news.

As a trucker, it is important to maintain a healthy professional relationship with your clients and freight factoring company. Follow the six tips listed above and you should not have any issues!