Customers are becoming more demanding – their requirements more complex, more comprehensive. Put simply, they expect more.
In part this is due to their world becoming more complex:
- More technology choices are available to them than ever before
- The regulations they need to meet are constantly shifting
- The internal resources they have available are also subject to on-going change
What do customers expect? And what does this mean for your business? Let’s take a brief look.
Real understanding of your customers
First and foremost, a client wants the confidence and reassurance that you ‘get them’ as a business, their unique requirements, and that you understand the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’ they’re asking for.
Such insights help build long-term trust.
The challenge of course is that the transport refrigeration industry (including your competitors) is getting better as a whole in meeting this need:
- Body builders increasingly offer integrated solutions
- Chassis OEMs are having a bigger say in the customer buying process
Try to rely on your knowledge and relationship to start the conversation, and offer your tailored advice.
Tailored advice
That said, what customers (typically) value above all else are insights into their specific situation. Think of
- Regulations specific to their industry or area of operation
- Operational concerns in specific industries (e.g. pharma)
- Their customers’ expectations and how to meet them
Such conversations quickly place the spotlight on the cargo being carried, the delivery routes and methods (long haul, urban distribution etc.), and the types of vehicle being used.
To know these factors in detail, what they mean in terms of options, and to offer tailored advice, is the ideal way to actually shape customer expectations – and to demonstrate subject matter expertise.
A variety of services
As previously stated, clients come to you in need of a fix – and that the scale and scope of their demands are growing in complexity.
- For some, they want vehicle maintenance performed on-premise
- Others are looking to buy or rent a complete insulated vehicle for a fixed price
- There is also demand for a broader range of services around and beyond the reefer
Such examples help take you into the world of ‘value adding extras’.
Added value
Providing a more integrated solution gives you the capabilities to inspire deeper customer connections. It also enables you to offer a ‘one-stop-shop’ where value is placed at the center of everything you do, which in turn leads to a variety of cross- and up-sell opportunities.
Value-adds that help ensure:
- An improved sales process – from installation and box painting, to financing, buy-back, and renting options
- Comprehensive maintenance and repair – including fleet servicing and mobile services
- Control and performance improvements – with fleet monitoring, preventative repair & maintenance, customer profiling etc.
- The sharing of general advice and expertise – to include fleet consulting and customer training
Then when you get into the detail, there are the host of options and accessories that can be added into the mix to help with fleet performance and protecting cargo.
