How Feedback Improves the Supply Chain

Ken Blanchard, author of One Minute Manager and Raving Fans, coined the phrase, “Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” Though Blanchard’s field is management and leadership, feedback is especially valuable in transportation, logistics, and supply chain management.

These fields impact the cost of goods, and thereby the everyday life experience of billions of people around the world. The availability of the products we want, when we want it, at reasonable prices, has an enormous influence on the standard of living and the quality of life for all of us. And getting feedback—an honest, genuine evaluation of how we’re doing—helps transportation providers, logisticians, and supply chain providers improve their services.

At C.H. Robinson Worldwide, we’re glad that our customers—shippers, receivers, carriers, and suppliers—give us feedback every day. We recognize that customers can “vote with your feet” by going elsewhere if we don’t perform to high standards and provide the excellent service customers demand and deserve at competitive costs. And we pride ourselves on the way our people are in close, personal contact with customers so that we have a clear idea on where we stand, how we’re doing, and how things are going.

We also know that there’s a limit to how many people they can reach and how much time they can spend seeking that all important feedback. You have similar limits because giving feedback can often take second place on the priority list considering your many roles and responsibilities.

That’s why we at C.H. Robinson so strongly support the Inbound Logistics Annual 3PL Award. It provides a quick, easy format for you—our shippers, receivers, carriers, and suppliers—to voice your opinion on our performance. If we’ve done well, provided value for your organization, and met or ideally exceeded your expectations, we want to know. And contrarily, if we haven’t been able to make you or your team happy, we want to know that as well.

At C.H. Robinson, your feedback is vital to our success. It drives our organization, allows us to enhance our service offerings, and provide effective pricing. It gives hard-earned recognition to our people for a “job well done” and gives us insight into what we can do better. All that leads to improvement.

Yes, in 2011 our customers of all types voted C.H. Robinson the #1 3PL of the Inbound Logistics award. We’re proud and honored to receive such recognition from the people we work with each and every day. Our goal is to keep that top spot by keeping close relationships and providing service at the highest level. We believe you put us in first place because we listen to your point of view, we learn from you, and then we live up to your expectations.

I hope we’ve earned your support for 2012 and I hope you’ll vote for C.H. Robinson. But more importantly, I simply hope you’ll participate in the survey because of the positive impact it has on the global supply chain community to which we all belong.

C.H. Robinson
Third Party Logistics Provider
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