The events of the past couple of months have disrupted long-established work patterns and challenged us to re-think many of the fundamentals of work and life. The pandemic has given many of us a real wake-up call both personally and professionally, prompting us to reconsider how we navigate both our daily lives and our businesses.
For many of us operating in the logistics and supply chain industry, COVID-19 has accelerated the need to move systems online to have better visibility of our operations, support our teams, and provide real-time updates to our customers.
Come rain, hail, or a global pandemic; our industry is expected to remain agile, to maintain business continuity and to meet the needs of our customers, no matter what. For many, the goods being shipped are critical to the health and wellbeing of our people and the economy as a whole.
SalesForce recently commented that “in the face of this shifting landscape, companies with strong digital capabilities are turning to digital solutions to optimise their businesses, while others are introducing brand new technologies to transform, empower and future-proof their businesses.”
Given the challenges presented by border closures and social distancing regulations, it has been observed across all industries that customers are more anxious about their consignments and are demanding increased transparency with their logistics partners to facilitate accurate supply chain planning and revising processes.
The key is to stay in contact with the customer at all times and manage their expectations through open conversations and flows of information. I’ve spoken here before about how technology enhances our final mile service by enabling us to be more flexible and resilient.
Slawomir Pawlak (CIO at Raben Group) echoed “entire supply chains are in upheaval, and customers are struggling to regain visibility into the movement of their goods and what they can expect in terms of timing. Now more than ever, it’s critical that we give them the right digital tools to access the data they need”.
Over the past decade, ATC has held an excellent record for meeting delivery windows, consistently exceeding our SLA expectations. We put this success down to four key areas:
- Dedicated Workforce
- Investment in Technology
- Partner Network
- Personal Service
Dedicated Workforce
We are very proud to have a team who enjoy their work and are committed to exceeding customer expectations at every touchpoint. At ATC, we have always maintained an “Open Door” policy, even if that is more of a virtual door these days. We listen to our team to ensure they are happy and performing to the best of their ability with the support of ongoing training. Read our blog “One Man, One Truck” to find out more about what life is like for our truck drivers on the road, albeit it was written pre COVID, so things have changed slightly since then.
Investment in Technology
We continuously invest in technology to facilitate internal collaboration while delivering real-time information to our clients and a direct line to their driver.
Our trucks have built-in GPS tracking and communication systems which means that our clients can access the location of their goods giving them peace of mind and assurance that their shipment is secure and on track to be delivered within the allotted timeframe.
Also, our drivers complete electronic logs so we can monitor, in real-time, how many hours they have driven, fuel consumption and monitor their mental wellbeing which is imperative during these strange times that we find ourselves in.
We integrate with our customers systems so that all our information can flow through automatically, allowing them to automate steps further down the supply chain.
Partner Network
An essential element of our final mile service is the partner network that we have created. This network enables us to provide a ‘white-glove’ level of service to our clients, whether they are global logistics providers seeking a final mile service or cloud service providers. When combined with local knowledge and capacity, our training, experience and attention to detail help ensure on-time deliveries to the final floor position.
Personal Service
Last, but certainly not least, we always say that “We earn our customers’ trust by GETTING THE JOB DONE to the highest standards of safety, security, and reliability — every time”. It is critical to us that every one of our customers is satisfied with the service we provide. We value our client relationships and are very grateful to our data centre providers and our technology partners for enabling us to stay in contact and continue to provide a high-quality service – no matter what.
So, even in a pandemic, it’s business as usual at ATC.
Keith Young
Managing Director
