#Movechat Digest: Corporate Move Management

Every Tuesday at 1PM Central Time, Portage Cartage moderates a Twitter-based "movechat" for movers and consumers looking for information on moving.  For the most recent chat, the topic was "Corporate Move Management." Below is the abridged transcript of the questions and the responses.


Q1 - Should movers treat corporate transferees differently from other customers? Why or why not?


RELORoundtable Once upon a time there was a law that said you couldn't. Then deregulation took hold in the late 70's and it became common place. 
GoodStuffMoving ...I plead the fifth, momentarily. 
jkmoving A1: You'd hope that a #mover ould treat ALL customers the same (like royalty!), however, corp transferees may get pref treatement. 
jkmoving Ha, now that's no good ... ;-) RT @goodstuffmoving: ...I plead the fifth, momentarily.  
RELORoundtable Repeat business is often rewarded with preferential treatment. However deep discounting and freebies have eroded the value. 
PortageCartage That's #movechat for ya - hard hitting questions. RT @GoodStuffMoving: ...I plead the fifth, momentarily. 
HolmanMoving Good movers will want to give all customers a good move and usually do. however, economics requires that repeat biz is nurtured. 
GoodStuffMoving @RELORoundtable It's become sort of a level field nowadays, hasn't it? 
HolmanMoving It's heading that way I think. RT @GoodStuffMoving: @RELORoundtable Its become sort of a level field nowadays, hasnt it? 
RELORoundtable Actually many companies are now handling their corporate relo programs thru lump sum distributions. The transferee is now COD. 
PortageCartage @RELORoundtable Yep, we're seeing that more and more. 
RELORoundtable Problem is that industry is handling transferees corporate expectations with COD quality standards.  


Q2 - What are some of the challenges unique to corporate moves?


GoodStuffMoving Q2 - Rare, but consolidation of multiple offices into one can often be a hurdle w/o good communications. 
jkmoving A2: the employee move dates are typically NOT flexible!
LHFAUTO Quality of third party services rendered very important. Don't want outsiders ruining your hard-gained momentum with an account. 
PortageCartage @LHFAUTO Amen to that! Movers definitely have to have partners they can trust for corporate moves. 
PortageCartage Even aside from 3rd party issues, ANY problems on the move affect more than just the person moving. 
PortageCartage @LHFAUTO As a 3rd party provider, do you find that you've been informed when you're doing work for a corporate move vs. COD? 
jkmoving @PortageCartage Agreed; could impact the mover's bottom line (i.e., ability to get future revenue from the relo co) #movechat  


Q3 - How are corporate relocations different today than they were in the past?


PortageCartage #movechat RT @LHFAUTO: Most of the time, thanks to our e-biz features, we are. But some remain pretty challenging. Often becomes reactive. 
jkmoving A3: I think there was an answer a bit ago: now companies give employees a lump sum vs. managing moves on their behalf.
HolmanMoving The lump sum trend is definitely a major difference from in the past. 
PortageCartage In most of the USA, real estate doesn't sell like it used to, often pushing move dates back.
HolmanMoving There's also a greater need for storage (sometimes more than 30 days) because of the housing market.  
jkmoving A3: also, for movers, there is a LOT of varied paperwork and processes to follow for each customer. Can be complex. #movechat 
jkmoving So true! RT @HolmanMoving: Theres also a greater need for storage (sometimes more than 30 days) because of the housing market. 
PortageCartage Saw a good article on how companies are funding less and less of the relo costs - http://on.msnbc.com/oANkIJ
jkmoving Also true! RT @PortageCartage: In most of the USA, real estate doesnt sell like it used to, often pushing move dates back. 
RELORoundtable Have your company changed its move management role in response to the surge in lump sum moves? If so, how? 
HolmanMoving Great piece by @careerdiva! RT @PortageCartage: Good article on how corps are funding less relo costs http://on.msnbc.com/oANkIJ
HolmanMoving @RELORoundtable The lump sum trend has definitely made us enhance our COD service model. 
PortageCartage @RELORoundtable For us, the biggest change is that the shipper is more motivated to downsize, so there's less revenue in the move. 
RELORoundtable @HolmanMoving That's what I would have thought most of the industry would do but many consumer don't seem to think so. 
PortageCartage @RELORoundtable We're still confident we can beat our competitors on service, so our pricing isn't too affected. 
HolmanMoving @RELORoundtable Consumers know so little about the industry-they would be hard pressed to pick up on the nuances. Will take time. 
RELORoundtable @PortageCartage Smaller moves mean more scheduling time but it doesn't appear that transit schedules have been changed. 
HolmanMoving @RELORoundtable What would convince consumers otherwise? 
PortageCartage @RELORoundtable Transit schedules are more of an art than a science though, especially in summer. #chaos 
RELORoundtable Corporate transferees left to handle their own moves seem lost. Their expectations don't match the capabilities of most agents.  
PortageCartage @RELORoundtable Yep. A move manager with excellent customer service skills is vital in these situations. 
HolmanMoving @RELORoundtable Great point. The third party relo company should be helping in that case.
jkmoving @RELORoundtable Agree - companies should go back to full-service relo process. Otherwise, what's the employee benefit?
RELORoundtable @PortageCartage I've heard from a lot of disappointed shippers that think the whole industry should go back to art school :-) 
PortageCartage @jkmoving @RELORoundtable It's becoming more about the *employer* benefit these days. Smart firms know the value of a relo pckg.  
HolmanMoving @jkmoving @RELORoundtable Straight cash. But, I agree. Full-service relo eases the transition to the benefit of all parties. 
RELORoundtable @jkmoving Problem is most can't afford the 'world class' luxury of full service movers.  
jkmoving @RELORoundtable Think about what happens when you use a "cut rate" mover though ;-) 
HolmanMoving True. Can't or won't anyway. RT @RELORoundtable: @jkmoving Problem is most cant afford world class luxury of fullservice movers.  


Q4 - If you could wave a magic wand and change anything about corporate moves, what would it be?


PortageCartage @RELORoundtable That's a global trend: companies care less about the employee as a person than about metrics. 
HolmanMoving That transferees are more educated about their relo packages in general - and that they know we don't make the rules! 
RELORoundtable The arrogant and unrealistic expectation that the agent and driver will do everything for free! 
LHFAUTO I would make sure customers actually compared proposals & investigated before they questioned a 5% or less difference on a service over $1K
jkmoving A4: more companies to use a full-service relo process to help their employees with the transition. 
HolmanMoving That times were less stressful. Moving is stressful enough without the real estate crisis. Transferees are more reluctant,cranky.  
PortageCartage Personally, I'd get rid of competitive bidding on each relo. Trust us with your business and go to tender if we lose your trust.  
RELORoundtable @PortageCartage Great idea! Chow all. Its been fun! See ya next week.  


Next week we'll talk about: Red Flags When Choosing A Mover.

#Movechat Digest: Customer Service

Every Tuesday at 1PM Central Time, Portage Cartage moderates a Twitter-based "movechat" for movers and consumers looking for information on moving.  For today's chat, the topic was 'Customer Service.'  Below is the abridged transcript of the questions and the responses.  Consent to have tweets collected in this transcript is given by participation in the chat.

Q1 - How do you define good customer service?


GoodStuffMoving Just a reminder everyone that April 26 is Richter Scale Day and National Pretzel Day. Just...FYI.
xpressmovers A1: Good Customer service can't be defined with one word. It starts with communcation throught the whole service.
GoodStuffMoving Q1 - Putting the customer first. Remembering we are here for them, calming their fears, and providing a satisfactory experience.
xpressmovers GoodStuffMoving Then Happy Pretzel Day :)
GoodStuffMoving Q1 - I'd also say it's being available at all times for any questions. Hence, open channels of comm, social media, etc...
AllwrightMoving A1: Customer Service is showing that every person in the company cares, knows what is going on and is willing to make the effort
PortageCartage GoodStuffMoving If you drop a heavy pretzel, does it cause seismic waves?
MovePoint A1: Giveing the customer more than they expect
GoodStuffMoving PortageCartage No, it naturally absorbs the energy into its pillowy crusts. Then the salt becomes diamonds.
PortageCartage GoodStuffMoving Hah! That pretzel is #winning!
seamlessmoves A1: Agree with GoodStuffMoving AllwrightMoving & MovePoint, plus we keep in mind we are a SERVICE business.
myBekins Q1-Listening is also key to good customer servic
GoodStuffMoving Q1 - Could we also include setting appropriate customer expectations as part of good customer service?
PortageCartage In my experience, the key to good customer service is being proactive
myBekins Always better than reactive! RT PortageCartage: In my experience, the key to good customer service is being proactive.
movinggal Good customer service is what sets you apart from others
AllwrightMoving PortageCartage Being proactive stops the need to be reactive and shows our control of the situation, whatever that is...
PortageCartage myBekins Agreed! Nothing gives a customer more confidence in you than when you're ahead of the inevitable problems.
movinggal Tx. I think good customer service is going beyond expectations.
PortageCartage movinggal Interesting point. GoodStuffMoving brought up setting realistic expectations earlier too.

movinggal The best exp we had was when the guy came to gave an estimate gave my son a moving truck toy. He loved it and still plays w/it.

PortageCartage movinggal I thought that giving away toy trucks went out with the 50's. Nice to know it's still being done.
movinggal PortageCartage True. Like the toy exple. We didn't expect it but it made easier on my son because he was fixated on that toy.#movechat
GoodStuffMoving PortageCartage movinggal My grandpa used to give out John Deere tractor toys to everyone as a gift...nice to see movers do it
PCHousing Big part of good cust.service is accessibility. Things may not always go smooth, but being available to listen/help/explain is key
PortageCartage PCHousing Thanks for chiming in - great point!

Let's flip it around for Q2 - How do you define bad customer service?


AllwrightMoving A2: Bad customer service is easy to spot! It is not having ANY communication that actually deals with the situation at hand.
GoodStuffMoving Well said! RT AllwrightMoving: A2: Bad customer service is not having ANY comm that actually deals with the situation at hand.
movinggal Q2 I think the danger w/ bad service is that it is a lot harder to gain credibility once u lose it.
PortageCartage Bonus points to movinggal for her good service example. Anybody got bad service examples?
GoodStuffMoving Q2 - Not having specific answers to specific questions. Or any comm at all. Not being reachable.
seamlessmoves A2 Bad customer service includes "that's our company policy" and "we've always done it that way." (Yikes!)
movinggal Q2 I had a 3rd pty contractor call me something that rhymes with witch but starts with a b. That was the worse
PCHousing Bad cust.service can be defined a lot of ways. I agree w/ allwrightmoving though, communication breakdowns can be the downfall
AllwrightMoving Before I worked in the biz, a local company told me they did not have time to deal with me...
movinggal Q2 What surprised me was that all I was asking him to do was his job.
movinggal Q2 I have had movers sunbathing in my front yard because they did not want to wrap up fast & be sent on another job.
AllwrightMoving Whenever some one says "that's company policy" I assume that means the attitude not what they are telling me
MovePoint Q2: Doing what is easiest for the company way before whats best for the customer
movinggal Q2 I think making sure that your standard of customer service trickles down to all makes a big difference.
PortageCartage Simple things like not replying to VM/emails/tweets can be very destructive to your credibility.
myBekins Agreed. RT PortageCartage: Simple things like not replying to VM/emails/tweets can be very destructive to your credibility.
movinggal PortageCartage So very true. Your reputation online can be damaged if you do not keep up with it.
GoodStuffMoving Q2 - Let's also throw in continuing to rely entirely on outdated modes of communication, such as snail mail...
PortageCartage GoodStuffMoving Yes! Most dreaded phrase: "Can you fax that to me?"
GoodStuffMoving PortageCartage ugggghhhh
PortageCartage seamlessmoves GoodStuffMoving Although... the same people who request faxes today were often the early adopters of their day.

Q3 - Is the ability to provide good customer service a natural trait, or can it be learned?


GoodStuffMoving Q3 - I'd say good cs is a learned trait, but learned *when* is the key. It becomes natural if u can adapt to new ideas.
movinggal Q3 I am a firm believer that it can be learned. Some folks personalities are more predisposed to it but others can be trained.
AllwrightMoving A3 - It is a natural trait but seems to be easily developed with a person's confidence in the business.
myBekins Q3 -Good customer service can be learned b/c sometimes it's a matter of trial and error
KingsTransfer It's easy to train people in how to please a customer, but you can't make somebody care. Key is hiring people that care.
movinggal Q3 I think when training it needs to cascade and be put in terms that it reflects on them as well as the company.
PortageCartage I was a manager in a call center before I had this job. Met a few people who I think will NEVER know how to provide good c/s.
AllwrightMoving KingsTransfer I also think that if a person cares the customer knows! That is half of what customer service is, showing you care
movinggal PortageCartage Unfortunately, there are a few exceptions out there....
seamlessmoves Q3 It's also important to empower good c/s employees to help customers as the situation warrants. Witness @zappos and @AlaskaAir.
PortageCartage seamlessmoves Excellent point!
PortageCartage AllwrightMoving The reverse is true too - if the c/s rep truly doesn't care, that's impossible to hide.
KingsTransfer allwrightmoving Showing the customer that you care is the biggest part IMO. Has to be there whether things go right or wrong.
GoodStuffMoving PortageCartage call center is only job I've ever walked out on. 3rd party collections.
PortageCartage GoodStuffMoving Fortunately, I was in a strictly inbound cs & tech support call center. Completely different world than outbound.

Q4 What tools do you use to stay on top of your customer service issues?


GoodStuffMoving Q4 - For social media, Tweetdeck. For managing projects, Basecamp. Then lots of calendars and email apps for everything else..
PortageCartage We have a proprietary intranet page that allows scheduling of follow-up activities. I'd be lost without it.
myBekins Social media is a big tool for us to monitor certain customer service issues
AllwrightMoving A4 - For one a small office allows all of us to be on top of situations good and bad. We also watch our online reputation.
MovePoint Hootsuite, Google Alerts
myBekins AllwrightMoving that's a very good point. It's easier to keep communication open with a small office
PortageCartage We also make proactive (there's that word again) contact with clients through the move to ensure the cs dept catches issues.
PortageCartage myBekins AllwrightMoving It's important to develop a method that's scaleable for peak seasons and to handle biz growth.
AllwrightMoving It really boils back down to communication, whether it is internally or externally.
PortageCartage AllwrightMoving Yes, plus another habit I picked up in my call center days - rigorous note-taking. In case you get hit by a bus.
GoodStuffMoving Don't forget a good analytics package as well. It's always interesting to see how people find us...
AllwrightMoving PortageCartage Texting, emailing and instant msgs started during peak seasons because it made communication short, and sweet!
PortageCartage That about wraps it up for today. I'll post a transcript shortly. Thanks everybody for a really great discussion!
PortageCartage And remember - use the hashtag throughout the week if you see URLs worth sharing!