Challenges in customer service for the transportation of goods in the transport and logistics industry

Thomas Cohrs

Thomas Cohrs ist ein ServiceNow-Profi und Geschäftsführer von Servistio. Er beschäftigt sich seit vielen Jahren intensiv mit ServiceNow und der Optimierung von IT-Service-Management-Prozessen sowie Customer- und Employee Workflows. Seine Expertise umfasst den gesamten Bereich des ServiceNow Portfolios in diesen Bereichen.

The transportation of goods involves numerous potential intermediate stations (“measuring points”) that are influenced and operated by various players, including the client, shipper, driver, freight forwarder and end customer.

While transport orders are digitally recorded and tracked in modern transport management systems (TMS), customer inquiries, complaints or customer service inquiries are often still processed in an outdated or manual manner. This is in contrast to the high number of daily deliveries, which result in numerous inquiries, problems and complaints. In addition, recurring, manual routine tasks place a considerable burden on the efficiency of customer service.

Areas in which more efficient customer service delivers decisive added value

Refusal of acceptance

Customers may refuse to accept goods for a variety of reasons, such as damaged, incomplete or duplicate shipments or due to a lack of storage capacity. Precise information and meaningful photo documentation are of central importance for the further processing of such cases.

Depending on the situation, there are various options for dealing with the goods in question: should the shipment be returned to the sender, temporarily stored, repackaged or redelivered at a later date? Structured and prompt decision-making is crucial here in order to make subsequent processes efficient and avoid customer dissatisfaction.

Differences

In transport logistics, the term differences refers to discrepancies between the planned or documented quantity of goods and the stock actually delivered or received. Such discrepancies can relate to both quantitative (e.g. underdelivery, overdelivery or incorrect delivery) and qualitative aspects (e.g. damage, packaging defects or deviating product specifications).

In addition, differences can also arise at various measuring points along the transportation process – for example during loading, reloading, interim storage or delivery. Incorrect recording, physical loss or damage can occur at any of these transfer points, which makes end-to-end traceability and precise documentation along the entire supply chain all the more important.

What all these processes have in common is that they require information from the site, TMS and possibly other system information, as well as contact with the customer regarding various options for further handling of the goods.

How ServiceNow CSM can solve this challenge in the transportation and logistics industry

As a platform-as-a-service, ServiceNow offers comprehensive options for automating processes and workflows, providing services and easily connecting interfaces to peripheral systems. As the platform works on a no-code / low-code approach, creating workflows or connecting peripheral systems is easier than you would expect from IT systems.

ServiceNow Customer Service Management (CSM) is ideally suited to solving the specific challenges in the transportation and logistics industry and transforming manual and reactive customer service into a proactive and efficient operation.

Optimization of processes for refusal of acceptance

Automated case creation

When a driver or recipient reports a refusal (e.g. via a mobile app integrated in ServiceNow or a direct call to the contact center), a case is automatically created in CSM. This eliminates the need for manual data entry and ensures immediate documentation.

Guided decisions and playbooks

CSM’s playbooks can guide customer service representatives through the necessary steps for each rejection reason. For example, if goods are damaged, a playbook can request photo documentation, escalate to a supervisor if the damage is severe, and offer the customer various options (e.g., return, redelivery, disposal). Guided Decisions can help employees choose the best course of action based on the specific situation and predefined business rules to ensure consistent handling and compliance.

Integration of knowledge management

Employees can quickly access relevant articles in the knowledge management system that describe procedures for different types of rejection scenarios, including the necessary documentation and possible solutions. This ensures that employees have all the information they need to make timely decisions.

Orchestration of workflows

ServiceNow can orchestrate workflows to involve relevant departments (e.g. logistics, finance) for the approval of returns or new deliveries, ensuring smooth follow-up processes. Automated notifications keep everyone involved up to date on the status of the case.

Handling differences in logistics efficiently

ServiceNow CSM brings clarity and efficiency to the handling of various types of differences in transportation logistics:

Centralized case management

All types of quantity, quality, position and time discrepancies can be logged as separate cases in CSM so that all discrepancies come from a single source.

Integration with TMS and IoT

Thanks to robust integration capabilities, ServiceNow CSM can retrieve real-time data from transportation management systems (TMS) on planned and actual quantities and delivery schedules, and even integrate with IoT sensors for temperature monitoring or impact detection to proactively detect quality deviations. This automation eliminates the need for manual data comparisons and speeds up the detection of deviations.

Collaborative workflows

For complex deviations, CSM enables collaborative workflows in which employees can easily involve drivers, warehouse staff and other stakeholders to gather precise information on site and document it with photos. This ensures a comprehensive understanding of the problem and a faster solution.

Proactive notifications and escalations

In the event of time-critical deviations such as late deliveries or unannounced deliveries, ServiceNow can trigger proactive notifications to affected customers and internal teams. Escalation rules can be configured to automatically notify supervisors or higher management when certain Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are compromised, minimizing negative impacts on supply chains.

Data analysis and reporting

CSM’s reporting capabilities provide insight into the root causes of recurring discrepancies, enabling T&L organizations to identify bottlenecks, improve operational processes and reduce future discrepancies.

Improving the overall efficiency of customer service

Beyond solving specific problems, ServiceNow CSM is fundamentally changing customer service in the transportation and logistics sector:

omnichannel engagement

Customers can interact via their preferred channels: Email, phone or chat. All interactions are consolidated in the CSM platform so that a complete customer history is available.

Agent productivity

By automating routine tasks, providing guided workflows and easy access to knowledge, CSM significantly increases agent productivity, allowing them to focus on more complex customer issues.

Customer Self-Service

A customer portal based on ServiceNow allows customers to track their shipments, log requests and access FAQs, reducing the volume of incoming calls and emails for the customer service team.

Mobile functions

In addition, the ServiceNow app extends the functionality directly to field staff. Drivers can use the mobile app to scan pallets during delivery, confirm acceptance or document reasons for rejection with photos and notes directly from their device. Warehouse workers can also use the mobile app for stock checks, scanning goods during loading and unloading and reporting discrepancies in real time, even without direct access to a computer. This ensures immediate data capture at the point of action, improving accuracy and speeding up problem resolution.

Proactive communication

Instead of customers having to call with issues, ServiceNow can use the TMS data to proactively notify customers of potential delays or problems, improving transparency and customer satisfaction.

Continuous improvement

The insights gained from the CSM data on case types, resolution times and customer feedback enable T&L companies to continuously optimize their service offerings and operational processes.

By implementing ServiceNow Customer Service Management, transportation and logistics companies can move from reactive, manual and often frustrating customer service to a proactive, automated and highly efficient system that builds stronger customer relationships and promotes operational excellence.

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