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.