Andy Martin - YRC Logistics EU

With the holiday time now on us we recently had an interesting debate among YRCL EU management. The European legal requirement is a mandatory 28 days and in some EU countries it is even higher, this is very different to many of our own offices globally.

While our business leaders will often not take their full holiday allocation because they view this as their own company, which also means that when they are on vacation they will continue with their meetings, calls and general communication.

The argument can be that it doesn't give people proper time to switch off, but our clients never stop, so we also can never stop although we can scale down. It is also important that we have a team around us that ensures our clients do not suffer because of our holiday periods.

As I sit and watch a Spanish sunset with my family a few hours work each day is a small sacrifice. Modern technology give us the best of both worlds as had this been 20 years ago without a blackberry or similar technology I would not be here.

Labels: holiday, Service

Unfortunately for Mr Forwarder YRC Logistics has been visiting this client and had verbally agreed to trial in the near future, during a meeting with the client yesterday we were asked to quote on a DDU Air Freight to California. The GDM called the local Manchester office during the meeting and secured a price immediately in line with the Quote to Win Process.

The client also emailed Mr Forwarder for an ‘Urgent Price’ for the same job and received no response back. After half an hour the client called Mr Forwarder and said that the price was urgent and could they please get back to her as soon as possible as it was for a collection the following day.

After another 45 minutes and nearly close of business, the client called Mr Forwarder again. Her contact told her that they would not be able to get a price to her that day and it would have to be the following morning.

YRCL won their first piece of business from Mr Client as a result.

My summary would be: -

• Having a service failure is not good, but how you react is very important. Aside from monitoring the original delivery at the appropriate danger points, the airfreight shipment that followed the failed delivery should have been managed with 'gold plated service' to ensure the client knew where is was at every stage and to make sure it was delivered on time. The client should have felt before the shipment departed, comforted by the shipment planning.
• Replying immediately is a common courtesy but in our industry it is also a 'must do'. Nothing else is more important.
• Being chased by a client is a disaster, not replying after being chased is inexcusable.
• Freight Forwarding has many complications but some areas like replying immediately, managing shipment movements are actually fairly simple.

Aside from excellent (or even good) customer service, I believe that replying immediately to a request from a client, internal or external is just good manners that my dear old grandmother taught me every day some 40 years ago.

Labels: Communication, Minimum Service Standard, Quote to Win, Service

When I discuss moving clients goods from A to B to some of my friends they say 'what is difficult about arranging transport of some boxes'. The reality is we do not move boxes we manage our clients livelihood.

Often when a client asks us to move their goods from A to B via airfreight, we could be like most forwarders and just carry out our clients request. when in fact by asking basic questions such as:-

When is the shipment ready?
When does it have to been delivered?
What is the reason for the shipment?

We can plan a solution that could include consolidating the shipment or using an alternative airport or even amending the transport mode.

Asking a few pertinent questions allows us to find the right service at the right price to meet the clients delivery requirements. It also allows us to establish if there are additional benefits outside the physical movement such as taking advantage of customs regimes

Once we have this information we then build a clear solution on how the clients livelihood will be managed through each of the major danger points with appropriate communication.

Labels: Minimum Service Standard, Service

In time when all companies are driving new and creative campaigns to win business I get great pleasure when a two year trading client has just quadrupled their business with YRC Logistics. 

An extract from their letter is below

 “Our decision is influenced by price and the work Marcus has done for Andrew on getting competitive rates for us, but also heavily influenced by service. I wanted to repeat that we find all of the YRC team really helpful, responsive and easy to work with, and for Andrew and I this has been critical in our decision making. I know that when we can enhance this further with additional reporting and particularly PVPO we will be in a much stronger position to both understand our costs, but also work with you on making sure we are making correct decisions, such as additional consolidation.”

I would like to use my blog to personally thank our team as follows: -

• Vicki Farnden & Luke Davies for the day to day communication and operation. They are client facing but similar to accounts, warehouse, admin support, reception they are not always as high profile, but they are all just as important in looking after our clients.
• Richard Ferris for compliance excellence which rivals any outside specialist customs consultancy.
• Markus Higham and the procurement and implementation team
• PowerView Purchase Order, PVPO, development team.
• Dean Townsend for looking after this client overall and taking this client’s business personally and looking after their interests.  

I would like to make a special note of thanks to Luke. He is a young guy who probably has the most difficult travel to work via various buses & trains. It is a bit like a journey I recall my dear old grandmother talking about when she first started work in 1900.  He is always cheerful, prompt and efficient. I hear nothing but positive feedback from colleagues and clients alike. Great job Luke.

Labels: Core Values, Minimum Service Standard, Service

Labels: Communication, Minimum Service Standard, Reporting Structures, Service

Labels: Minimum Service Standard, Service

Much of the first few weeks has seen my time focus on the 2009 sales plans for the UK. It was great to hear about several new clients trading with us already and it was really pleasing that as well as competitive freight pricing, other value added services like European Transportation, Purchase Order Management, Customs Compliance are being well received.

The biggest pleasure I get though, is when I hear that a client recently said during trial shipments that they have noticed a significant reduction in their shipping departments time in calling to ask questions about shipments, the reason for this is because the information has been received via our shipment audit system.

On a not so good point, it is disappointing that a valued, long term client with a good credit rating has been driven into administration. This client was not only good for YRC Logistics in terms of revenue but like a personal friend to the YRCL office so the sadness is doubled.

Labels: Powerview, Sales, Service

As part of the YRCL formal training we stress the importance of understanding the clients needs and making sure we confirm our understanding of their requests. This can be via a Memo Of Understanding (MOU) for sales and "confirmation of booking for shipments" by operations, but I think good customer service is really just also a sign of good manners.

This is an area I believe many industries miss a trick. For example this week I had an important visitor from YRCL USA. We booked him in the normal hotel we use and normally he gets a decent service. The key items he needs are a large bed (because he is 6ft 5') wireless Internet connection and a decent shower.

This visit he was given 2 small beds, a room that was outside the wireless connection area and a shower that didn't work. The attitude of the staff was 'you did not stress these were important'. Had the hotel employed a MOU culture (good manners) they may have avoided this and avoided losing a client.

Labels: Minimum Service Standard, Sales, Service

I have recently discused in the blog that I am particpating in a project about client loyalty. This is project that has been developing throughout 2008 and has been driven by our Jim Ritchie our CEO.

One of the many benefits are that it brings teams together from all over the world to discuss and plan how we can continually improve the way we bring value to our clients. This of course is a very broad subject and has many subsections, but I guess in simple terms it is about doing more than anyone else would.

The thing I really like about this project is that it does not have a finish line, for example, my section are working on how we empower, engage and enthuse our staff. What could seem small areas like employing and training staff to passionately believe that we do not just move boxes rather we are responsible for our clients livelihoods, their well being and ultimately their happiness are not small they are massive.

Anyway I was taking a nostalgic look at an old IFW in which YRCL UK, formed as Ultimex 15 years ago, was recognised in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 as the 41st fastest growing company in the UK. The article described the core values of Ultimex, and in short it could have been talking about the YRCL client loyalty initiative.

The only difference I could see was that as YRC Worldwide we have 66,000 employees & 1,000 locations worldwide, were as Ultimex we had 3 locations and 30 staff. Actually the other difference is some of the pictures in the article from a past era, very frightening how quickly time moves on.

Labels: Core Values, Minimum Service Standard, Service, Staff

I regularly talk about that fact we do not move boxes we manage our clients livelihoods. Today I received an internal message from a client we support by managing movement of aircraft parts.

Quote from the client "See what the wonderful airplane that you support so superbly accomplishes - the RAF performs very similar missions!! THANK YOU for helping us bring home heros!!!"

If you get a chance, take a moment to view the information on the below link. You will see a great video of a C17 mission to extract wounded soldiers from Afghanistan. It made me realise that sometimes we actually really affect lives not just livelihoods.

Click here to watch the video

Labels: Afghanistan, Feedback, Service

At YRC Logistics EU we have an online system which allows any client thank you message to be electronically filed, this allows us to use them for internal recognition and for training. Although we aim for perfection, I would not want anyone to think we are not also realistic, and we recognise that not every shipment goes to plan.

Whilst I do not enjoy reading bad news, I believe that we should not just share good news case study’s, but that it is just as important to share case study's of shipments that have not quite gone to plan, so that we show how we have applied the proactive & corrective actions, so that hopefully if a similar situation arises in the future, the risk of the same mistake being repeated is reduced to a negligible amount.

Anyway, I always try to end the day by reading the client thank you messages and one today was extremely satisfying because our recently launched European Transportation service has not only literally exploded but is adding real value to our prospective and existing clients.

The below client message sends me home happy today not only because it shows we are adding value, but the message is from a new client trading with us and have so far only used us for 3 full loads into Europe.

"Morning Dawn,

I just want to take this opportunity to say that in the very short time we have used your service, I have noted the difference in the level of customer service you have provided as apposed to what we are currently receiving from our existing transport company.

The confirmations I have been receiving from you when goods are picked up and dropped off are extremely helpful and much appreciated.

As we can update our customer along the way and pre-empt them chasing us for information, which helps us offer a better quality customer service. One of our customers have commented on your service already. I hope we can carry on building a professional relationship and get more comments like this."

Labels: Case Study, Minimum Service Standard, Service

With such a dynamic and fast paced environment, especially in a difficult economic climate when resources are tight, making the most of internal talent is for me very important.

We have been developing Subject Matter Experts (SME) in many areas that support our core services such as international air/sea forwarding, customs brokerage and European Transportation. The SME provides support in many areas like Purchasing Order management via PVPO, Customs compliance, China Business Development, supply chain and trade management. Rather than conducting regional staff training seminars or have local power users (This did not work for us in the past) we have found that encouraging staff to travel to other offices to learn freom the SME's is more advantagous.

For example, a Global Development Manager from YRCL Glasgow recently spent 2 days in the YRCL Southampton with our SME for Purchase Order management. Not only did everyone share general ideas on how to serve the client better, they spent valuable time with a prospect showing the value of the system and then real time in the office watching how the system adds high value to the client. Although it was benficial for the GDM to learn more about one of our services, the real bonus was the teambuilding and the sharing of ideas on 'how to serve your client better'. If the results we see from similar days are the same then I am more than happy to encourage and fund these type of meetings.

Labels: Global Development Managers, Sales, Service, Subject Matter Experts

An area we encourage in our staff meetings and training is understanding the difference between moving clients cartons around the would Vs moving clients livelihoods.

I recall my early days in this industry, before my greying hair and expanding waistline, not really understanding what a carton going missing or damage meant to the client. The terminology I recall in the office was typically 10 cartons rather than 10 cartons containing 600 shirts needed for an order next week.

I was never encouraged to meet or understand the clients business and therefore I did not truly understand I was not just moving cartons but someones livelihood. I also did not understand insurance does not replace our clients losing an order and perhaps losing their client.

This hit home to me when, probably about 25 years ago, I saw a client in tears because a shipment had been lost in transit and she would lose an important order. Although sad for the client it was a great lesson for me and I would rather we train our staff to do 'more than anyone else to support our clients livelihood' than just move cartons.

Anyway the reason for me sharing this story from my past was no matter how much care is taken, unfortunately disaster can happen and it is very important that clients have adequate insurance in place, as most logistics companies conduct business using trading conditions that limit their legal liability.

To highlight this I can share a summary from a recent UK court case where an importer sought to recover £2,252,460 from their Forwarder for the theft, apparently by employees, of cell phones from the Forwarder's premises. The English High Court held the Forwarder vicariously liable for wilful default and negligence but further ruled that the BIFA Standard Terms and Conditions applied and limited liability to approx £25,000.

Labels: Freight, Insurance, Service

In any growing organisation the biggest challenge and perhaps biggest failures seems to be communication.

In our industry, you can have all the systems and training in the world, but if staff are disconnected and unhappy, that will be reflected in the way they answer the phone and deal with a client.

I am not worried to admit that at our HQ in London, we have experienced disconnects from senior management to supervisors and then to all staff. I would be worried if we did not recognise and try to rectify.

I believe the first place to look if this happens is the top and I realise that while I might be involved in lots of exciting projects and developments, I have to ask myself, have I shared these in a clear manner to my direct reports in order they can do they same within their areas. The answer is no, we have tried to rectify by some simple "open to all" staff meetings at HQ. The disconnect was mainly that staff were sometimes frustrated that they want to serve their client in line with their passion and the company ethos of "client first", but growing red tape with accounts set up, global forms, extra security, management, etc was causing difficulty.

The people that really know the score are the staff and we drew a smiling face on our white board as the objective for every supervisor to ensure their staff start and end the day with this type of smile on their own face. Some simple daily functions like a supervisor meeting at 1715 hrs each day to assess workload, what has frustrated staff today, what can we take away, what has stopped you serving the client has promoted much better communication.

This is not the end it is just the start and as things change we have to assess so we are running the business correctly, but nothing is more important than looking after our staff to then look after the client "better than anyone else would".

To summarise, we must never lose sight. The most important people are our staff and anyone in a supervisory or management position has a duty of care to ensure they have the best environment available to serve the client. Being assertive upwards, directly to me if necessary, is a key factor in company success and I am pleased to have experienced this over the past weeks from staff at all levels.

Labels: Core Values, Service, Staff

I have a day booked at our Southampton facility on Friday 3rd Oct, as we are conducting some internal and client training on our PowerView PO System.

It is good timing as I have just seen a 30 day review on a section of new business they handled for a massive global company.

By offering daily air uplift the client has seen an immediate benefit in terms of their turnaround by 1.5% which has significant cash advantages as well as improve client satisfaction.

That seems for a good reason for an evening at Southampton Marina to celebrate.

Labels: Air Freight, Communication, Consultancy, Freight, Service, Staff

One of YRC Logistics' key initiatives is to build more support for our clients in mainland Europe, as always, this is driven by our client needs.

To that note, I am very interested in speaking with highly talented professionals that have a deep knowledge in the German logistics market.

We can offer a really exciting future with a massive client base to develop in the region for the right person or team.

For more information please contact: uksales@yrclogistics.com.

Labels: Core Values, Email, Global Development Managers, Logistics, Recruitment, Sales, Service, Staff

YRCL Argentina secured a large project movement recently.

If any YRC Logistics EU staff are interested to view details of a recent air charter project they can view via the company intranet.

The project consisted of 20 tons/6 units of over-sized mining equipment from China to Argentina by a chartered flight. The biggest piece was as large as 5.4m x 3.6m x 3.8m.

The flight departed Tianjin, China on July 31st and arrived at Comodoro Rivadavia Airport, Argentina on August 2nd.

Labels: Air Freight, China, Freight, Service, Staff, transportation

Dean Townsend, one of the brightest talents at YRC Logistics is a guy that started working with me 13 years ago when we were an independent UK freight forwarder.

He has worked in a number of departments and management roles before moving becoming a senior business development Manager. When Dean secures a client he always follows the standard implementation process, but he also always takes extra care to make sure the client is more than satisfied. Recently he secured a forwarding and distribution client, which we are very excited about developing more with. There have been some challenges, especially in the warehouse and distribution side. Dean has rolled his sleeves up and worked night and day on the floor to help through some initial dangerous situations. I am so proud that we have guys like Dean who really do care about their clients; it is not just a job to them.

Below is a section of the thank you letter received from the client to Dean

Cool thanks Dean

Dave will let you know when to dispatch Czech, Italy, Sweden and Denmark which should be early next week. And I will arrange for Dubai and Russia to be collect early next week also

Despite the few hiccups (mostly our suppliers fault), i think you handled the whole thing really well, and we really appreciate the work you've put in.

Let make the review meeting down the Pub, because i owe you a beer


Cheers

Labels: Communication, Core Values, Service, warehouse

Before I went on Holiday, I ordered 2 new tyres for my car and arrived at 0820, 10 minutes before opening, to try and beat the queue at a well known tyre specialist. lets call them Fit Fast.

A middle age guy came in to the Fit Fast after me explaining he had some work completed yesterday, which took hours, and had order another tyre to be fitted today. He advised to Fit Fast he was told to arrive at 0830 and he would be given immediate service. Guess what? There were already 10 people in front of him. In an open reception he blew a gasket (excuse the pun) and after much shouting asked for his money back on the tyre he had ordered and duly drove away, presumably with his bald tyre.

I could understand his anger but actually felt very sorry for the receptionist. They obviously were not trained in how to deal with this guy, there was no private area to discuss the issue so it was very public, very embarrassing and the receptionist obviously did not have the power to change anything. To me, as I am sure to everyone in a service industry, it is very simple - communication.

From a customer point of view a timed booking system would be ideal but I can understand in this environment why that may not viable. How about clear information on how the walk in system works, some visuals to show the peaks each week/month so customers can make informed decisions on the best time to avoid large queue (this would actually help with Fit Fast's own time management), a private room to escort clients in case there is a problem, training and empowerment to staff to solve these type of simple problems. Like I said as well as feeling sorry for the angry customer I did really feel sorry for the staff member as he obviously had no chance of solving this and I am sure the same could happen tomorrow. How long is he going to stay at that job?

Labels: Communication, Service, Staff

My customer service 'beef' today is one that happens all the time to me. I had an early flight from Heathrow Airport and as always for me after check in and security, time is short. I have no issue with security as there is nothing more important than getting it right in this area. Once through I wanted to grab a couple of newspapers, quickly and while speeding to my flight. As usual, no matter what time I fly at, the queue to buy a newspaper was miles long as it is mixed with buying other items. I didn't bother. The lost sales would be about GBP 2.50. I am sure millions are lost due to this. In the USA they have vending machines, if they had the same in Heathrow even if they had a surcharge added, they would have gained my custom.

Labels: Service

I have just received a copy of an email from one of our sales managers directed to London Operational staff.

I'll just quote his message, thank our staff and go home happy.

" I just had a conversation with new client of YRCL. The client started trading unexpectedly 3 days before my 2 week holiday, which was not ideal preparation.
The SOP was still not fully completed and as with any new client there is sometimes limited knowledge of all the minor requirements. The client was blown away with the service levels received from both London and Amsterdam.
They acknowledged the somewhat limited knowledge of all their needs as the start was earlier than expected, but I am pleased to say they were blown away by the attention and service received.

Thank you to everyone involved , you are the best. Working in sales can be lonely sometimes but it is times like this make me very proud to work for YRCL."

Labels: Amsterdam, Freight, Service

In a previous blog I talked about the most important part of moving a clients goods is to find out what they exactly need and want before any arrangements are made. Sometimes this is not always apparent without asking key questions such as: -

What is the reason for shipping? As there may be a duty reclaim or reduction opportunity.

What delivery date is required to ensure we get the service & price right.

Do you require marine insurance? As the standard insurance might not cover the cost of the shipment.

Getting this right sets you up to provide good service. Get this first part wrong and you are always going to be fighting an uphill battle. This does not only apply in our industry and I had first hand experience during two recent business lunches this week. The first one was perfect, polite contact, explained the specials and choices, REPEATED back what we had ordered and provided some additional information which actually lead to me changing my mind, then good service and finally a desire at the end to make sure the whole experience was positive. I will definitely go back. The second one was very similar but the waiter did not repeat back the order and a side dish was incorrect. Now I am not 100% sure if it was me or him but the end result I got something I didn't really want.

It was not that big a deal but if we ship £100,000.00 stock item that is exported to be processed and returned and we do not get the customs procedures right both sides then it is much worse that getting saute potatoes instead of boiled new potatoes.

What I am waffling on about is no matter what industry and what method is used, anyone who is in the service industry should know what their client wants and by repeating back or confirming the order in writing is a simple way to do this.

Labels: Core Values, Minimum Service Standard, Service

I needed to get directly involved in some important freight movements this week. It served as a great reminder to me how important people are. Some of the challenges I faced included amending air waybill destinations, terminating a through air waybill at the transit point, express freight and call China export shed at 4am to make sure a shipment had been loaded.

All areas that are bread and butter to move a shipment around the world especially when the reasons for airfreight are just in time because of a factory break down or similar emergency. I probably irritated some of our UK and global team with constant questions, but I saw again that our industry is a people industry. People in London talking to people in China to make the difficult happen. Even my 13 year old son, who thinks everything I do is boring, said "It was cool that I was talking to people around the world". When our best asset is our people, we must work hard to make sure that we look after it.

Labels: Service, Staff

In line with a recent blog of mine 'moving freight around the world - it is easy?' I read with great interest a recent IFW article by BIFA's director general, Peter Quantrill headed 'Obsession with cost ignores our quality'. I hope none of us take our clients for granted in terms of delivering value for service, not matter what the industry but I do sense the complexities of transporting freight is not always fully appreciated.

I am sure that everyone in the forwarding and logistics industry has at some time met with a client and explained why a shipment was late or damaged. For example most international shipments are covered by milestones that sound simple, origin booking, carrier selection, collection, origin customs clearance, delivery to carrier, loading, carrier transportation, arrival, unloading, customs clearance and delivery.

The reality is there is great danger behind all of these and proactive management with contingency planning is of course very important. My personal opinion is that many times a problem in the freight movement can be attributed the the beginning and not reading between the lines on what the client required in terms of speed and costs plus any value added areas like pick and pack. I find this subject fascinating and it would be great to get some thoughts or feedback.

Labels: Freight, Service

I am part of a global drive focusing on adding value to our clients. The project that I am involved with is empowering employees. These initiatives are being driven by our President and CEO, Jim Ritchie and to ensure that they stay on track, once a month Jim and other senior executives meet to review the various projects.

My (the EU team's) project has four objectives as below and we are discussing how to formulise and implement these globally. In reality much of these are in place and part of our every day, but not part of a formal process and therefore perhaps not so robust as we grow. Of course it is of massive importance for our clients that our staff are motivated and I would love to have hear what others think on this subject.

Ownership & Autonomy
Staff to receive monthly reports on the clients they handle with number of shipments and revenue. A matrix designed to ensure staff work with management on formal business reviews, positive or negative trends plus make sure a once per month courtesy call is made. IE Mr Client is it possible I could take a few minutes to discuss our service to you, is there anything not meeting your expectations etc. Each staff member to make 1 x courtesy call per day.

Access to Information / Learning Tools
Ensure there is on the desk training by using clear reporting structures to identify danger areas and coach for world class results and provide on line access to case studies and training courses.

Escalation Channels; Openness; Impunity
A clear guide to staff from management as to what situations must be reported up. No blame culture just a 'solve together and improve' mindset.

Measurement, Reward, & Recognition
A system to encourage clients to send thank you messages and ensure that they are shared internally, recognised and appropriately rewarded.

Labels: Core Values, Minimum Service Standard, Service

Small staff frustrations can result in failing a client. It could be as simple as a staff member needing some guidance to serve their client but not knowing where their supervisor is, which could result in a delay in answering the client or even worse, an incorrect solution being provided.

Not telling your direct reports where you are may seem minor, but I think it is important and I know that I have been guilty of not always telling people where I am in the past, so starting with me, I have promised my direct reports plus other key staff that may need me, that I promise them that if they do not get a message from me to say I am out of the office and where I am, as well as ensuring that if i am not contactable I advise who they should speak to instead, I will make a charity donation. I have asked all my direct reports to join me in this initiative and look forward to seeing the results.

Labels: Minimum Service Standard, Service, Staff

I firmly believe that technology is critical to assisting our clients, but more importantly I feel it is that staff must make sure that there is a need for technology and if there is, that the fit is acceptable.

After analysing the internal procedures for a prospect client, a solution was suggested to utilise our internal web based purchase order management system called PowerView, the system requires almost zero training and provides full supplier disciplines and controls as well as excellent management reporting. PowerView would be very low cost, quick to implement with minimal disruption to the clients business and would enable internal resources to be reallocated.

Unfortunately the prospect decided to select a company offering a more complicated solution which included vendor interface, optimisation as well as additional benefits similar to PowerView. 18 months later we have re visited this prospective client to be advised the system was never implemented as it was too expensive, would impact their business and was too complicated.

We are now discussing again how to transition their business to PowerView as stage one so that they can receive the benefits of using a PO Management tool and then plan towards implementing them to our newly developed system “WorldView” which will enable full vendor interface, optimisation in addition to the benefits currently provided by PowerView.

We need to ensure that we implement any recommendations to our clients in a considered way to work positively and creatively with the business model and in this example if that means that the client should use a system that does not achieve all their goals to begin with, then we should be bold enough to make this recommendation, because as happened to the current incumbent, the solution will only be a false promise and ultimately a client lost.

P.S. Have you looked at our news feed lately? it has up to date information about Seafreight Surcharges, Strikes in S. Korea as well as details onthe cheapest fuel in the areas surrounding our offices. www.yrclogistics-rss.info

Labels: Communication, Service, Technology

In researching the best way of sharing key industry information without becoming a junk email contributor we have found that our rss newsfeed has become a valuable tool.

I had a great story shared by one of our sales professionals in that a prospect client was having difficulty obtaining information from their supplier on why their shipment from Asia was delayed. By coincidence the prospect was reading a YRCL newsfeed which explained the reasons for the backlogs but importantly advised what YRCL contingency plans are, they have since managed to move their freight out of Asia after using the knowledge they learnt from the News Feed.

For up to date industry news please visit http://www.yrclogistics-rss.info/

Labels: Communication, Freight, Service

As the Managing Director of a company that has undergone a number of external changes in ownership, but actually very little change internally in respect to key management and service standards. I wanted to share how I feel embracing global cultures can help local staff and therefore local clients.

YRC Logistics (YRCL) has some very important core values and if you read my Blog in the future you will no doubt see reference to these on a regular basis as I believe they are at the centre of every good company.

The YRCL core values are Exceed Client Expectations, Act with Integrity, Value our People, Demonstrate Good Citizenship, Work Safely, Embrace Teamwork. I like the fact that, while these values may not have been documented in this manner when we were a private UK forwarder, they were a key part of our DNA.

For me if our staff are not motivated to 'do more than anyone else' for the client then all the systems in the world are a waste of time. On that note I am proud to be arranging our attendance to the 13th IFW Award night on 18th June with YRCL a finalist in People Development and Business Improvement. Without our staff and our culture we would be at home watching Coronation Street rather than attending this prestigious event.

Labels: Core Values, Service