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We seem to have a new phrase in this industry. We have always had tiers of customers, so the idea is not exactly new. The phrase “customer of choice” if it is not new has become more prevalent. It is not just about the money. Don’t get me wrong. Rates matter. One of my favorite phases is when they say it is not about the money – it is about the money. Rates have risen over the last few months. A higher rate will cover a lot of blemishes, but the higher rate without the blemishes is better.
Companies need to look at more than rates when choosing a customer of choice. We have several customers in the Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati. Try finding a parking spot at a truck stop in Richwood or Florence without paying for it. Good luck with that! Having a customer allow us to park overnight is a big thing. It is a mutual benefit. Now, just let us come in there, drop our trailer and hook up to it – freshly loaded or unloaded after our 10 hour break – and everybody wins. That is the kind of thing that makes a customer of choice.
Ever been to a customer that does not let drivers use their indoor plumbing? I have. It can be below zero and they point to a port a potty. We have one customer that encourages us to park overnight. They have indoor plumbing available all night to us. I try to arrive more than 10 hours before my appointment. That way if someone is late for theirs the customer will unload me early. That way, I am ahead of schedule, and they are not behind. This customer is a customer of choice for me. This customer has several locations. One of them is about an 8 hour drive from Green Bay. They don’t allow overnight parking. They don’t have room. They will unload when we arrive. Most of the loads are less than 10 motor moves, and take mere minutes to get done. They found a way to be a customer of choice.
We have 2 customers that are about 5 miles apart. We drop loads in there. One of them allows us to drop 24/7. Often we will arrive at the customer in early evening with a couple of hours left on our clocks. Say it is 19:00 and we have 2-3 hours left on our clocks. We can drop there and get rolling towards our next stop. The other makes us wait until a “day of” delivery. So we are forced to take a 10 hour break before we drop – in a suburban area with a dearth of truck parking. Which one would be your customer of choice? Note that recently Wal Mart has change from a “day of” drop to where you can go in and drop early. The world is changing.
Maybe someday, we can get a complimentary breakfast. I am not holding my breath on that one – but it works for hotels. I settle for a parking place and indoor plumbing. Treating a driver as you would like to be treated goes a long way.