Service quality in warehousing

Challenge

A leading third-party warehousing and distribution company faced uneven service quality to its customers, across a network of 30 facilities. Customers were dissatisfied. Management identified the need for a program aimed at raising service quality and increasing consistency across the country, particularly in order to delight large national accounts.

Approach

  • Methodology: Used leading-edge service quality approach, involving root cause analysis, process mapping and solution development.
  • Client team: Identified, mobilized, trained and led a 25-person cross-functional, multi-location client team to carry out the project.
  • Focus groups: Organized customer focus groups, so senior management could directly observe the feedback from their valued clients.
  • Workshops: Conducted a series of team workshops across the country, to engage associates and ensure buy-in to the results.

Results

  • Developed new processes in specific operations areas that drove the greatest benefit against the most important client metrics.
  • Raised customer service levels and consistent delivery across the network.
  • Left associates feeling empowered and able to conduct continuous improvement on their own.