5 Customer Service Skills for Truck Drivers
When you really think about it, it is quite surprising how huge of a role truck drivers play as brand ambassadors to your company. Company executives aren’t interacting with partners in-person every day, but you can guarantee that your truck drivers are. With truck drivers representing so much of your company, it is extremely beneficial to bestow some customer service skills on them to ensure they are best representing your business. Here are the top five customer service skills all truck drivers need to know to shine the best light on your brand.
When arriving with a shipment to your partner’s location, truckers should be professional and timely in all communication methods. Whether over the phone to provide courteous updates, or making small talk when unloading a shipment, professional communication is a customer service skill that can reflect well on your brand. Truck drivers should practice keeping lines of communication open so that partners know when to expect them. They should also practice using clean language when interacting with partners, and know that their communication is representing an entire company!
After countless hours driving, the last thing some truck drivers are going to want to do is make small talk when they arrive to a partner location. However, some basic skill building in small talk and effective communication can make all the difference in gaining further business. Have truck drivers partake in training on how they should be interacting with partners when loading and unloading. A simple “hello, how are you?” can go a huge way in developing rapport and encouraging partners to work with your company again.
It’s easy to fall behind on personal hygiene when driving a truck. Showers might be few and far between, but that can actually have a huge impact on your driver’s quality of life and how they represent your business. Develop hygiene and cleanliness protocol for all truck drivers, including guidelines on regular showering, grooming, brushing teeth, sleep, and keeping their truck space tidy. This will show that your company cares about all employees, and it also will not be off-putting to customers when your drivers are interacting with them. As the faces and brand ambassadors of your company, ensure they are showing the best version of themselves to improve customer service and company relations.
This is a conversation every person in your business needs to know, but truck drivers often get left out of: how to deal with a difficult partner or customer. Customer service has a lot to do with managing difficult personalities and people who seem to never be satisfied. How a company deals with this will largely affect whether or not a first-time customer becomes a returning customer. Provide truck drivers with best practices for dealing with difficult partners. This should include always listening, working to get to a solution, guiding customers to someone that can address issues they have, and never escalating a situation. Teaching truck drivers these skills will help them stay calm in difficult scenarios and will reflect positively on the company.
Did you know that truck driving requires proficient organizational skills? Helping your truck drivers develop these organizational skills is always an excellent idea if customer service is important to your company. Teach truck drivers to keep organized files with documents for loading and unloading shipments. This will reflect more positively on your company than a wrinkled piece of paper or missing documents. Truckers should also be organized about their time and should update partners if they are not on schedule.
National Retail Systems is a leading 3rd Party Logistics Provider (3PL) in North Bergen, NJ. We proudly work with a fleet of truck drivers with the customer service skills that act as positive brand ambassadors for companies. Learn more about what we do and how to apply to work with us, or contact us today to get in touch.
National Retail Systems, Inc. (NRS) includes Keystone Freight Corp. & National Retail Transportation, Inc. (NRT). NRS is an asset based 3PL that has been providing logistics services for the World’s leading retail companies for 60+ years. Our hub locations include: New York & New Jersey; Los Angeles, CA; Inland Empire, CA; Savannah, GA; Columbus, OH; Greensboro, NC; and Baltimore, MD.
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