We reach out to a lot of people who have a less-than-ideal relationship with their freight forwarder (don’t worry, they’re not Interlog customers!) It’s not that there’s anything wrong – their freight forwarder is (usually) accurate on shipping times, has reasonable rates, and never does anything worthy of being fired.
In essence, they don’t want to switch transportation providers because they are “content” with their freight forwarder.
But that doesn’t mean they are happy with the current situation. And they often aren’t willing to switch for one of two reasons: 1) they are afraid the new situation will be worse than their current one, or 2) they don’t truly understand what they are missing out on by sticking with their current freight forwarder.
Content vs. Happy: Freight Forwarder Relations
Most people aren’t going to stick with a terrible freight forwarder – if your forwarder is out of line by failing to deliver on promised deadlines, hosing you on rates, or failing to communicate with you, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be fired.
But we all know that.
What most people don’t know is that settling for a “content” partnership with a freight forwarder may be costing you more money than you think. Here’s what we mean:
Content
A content partnership is one in which your freight forwarder doesn’t cross you, continuously fail you, or do anything else that would be considered outlandish or fire-worthy. Essentially, they do the bare-minimum necessary to keep your business moving, stay out of your hair, and avoid getting fired. They may be very frustrating from time-to-time, but it’s always just shy of the termination line.
There are a whole slew of things that a content partnership misses out on – original thought, building a genuine business relationship, service options, and tons of other factors. However, since these are always out of sight, they are never brought into question.
Happy
A happy partnership, on the other hand, is one built on the concept of continuous improvement. We all have our own ways of doing things. Contrary to what you might expect, a happy freight forwarder partnership often breaks the status quo.
When we work with new customers, we often attempt to devise unique, unorthodox solutions to help them get the most out of their logistics costs. Whether than be buyer consolidation, supplier consolidation, intermodal transit, or a whole myriad of other possibilities, we believe that a happy partnership comes when our industry experience meets our customers where they are at.
Conclusion
Take the time and legitimately assess if you are truly happy with your current freight forwarder relationship. Just because your current freight forwarder “stays out of your hair” doesn’t mean they are offering the best solutions for your particular business model.
Search for a forwarder that uses their own industry expertise to devise unique, clever solutions that can streamline your logistics and bring value to transportation.
If you want to learn about how Interlog USA brings value to our customers, reach out to one of our team members! We would be excited to hear about your current logistics process and what you hope to be better. Don’t settle for a ‘content’ freight forwarder relationship.