Oh No! My Vendor Went Corporate. Will Customer Service Suffer?
It seems like it’s happening more and more frequently: a small business you’ve relied on for years for their personalized service and attention has been bought by a big corporation. That small business assures you that nothing is going to change at a service level, but can that really be true?
When it comes to the logistics industry, the answer is likely no. Here’s why.
How Acquisitions Affect Company Culture
At a small business, the core values tend to be employee- and customer-centric. The focus is on retaining great staff who do a great job for their customers. Larger corporations, on the other hand, tend to prioritize earn-outs and executive salaries.
So, when a small, family-owned business is acquired by a larger corporation, company culture is bound to change. Sales and service positions may get eliminated, staff could be left without support, and employees may start to feel like the company doesn’t care about them. When employees feel this way, it’s not surprising that they’d no longer feel loyalty to the company.
Why Does Loyalty Matter in Logistics?
In the logistics industry, your team is everything. Why? Because though logistics is just one of many moving parts that make up a successful trade show or exhibition, it’s the part that tends to pick up the most slack from other vendors. It’s imperative to have a knowledgeable team who can handle any hiccups on the road to exhibition.
Exhibitors need an experienced trade show logistics team with years of working with other vendors under their belt. Experienced employees are loyal to the companies that care about them, and at big corporate operations, that’s just not likely. So eventually, great employees who take pride in their ability to help customers, get fed up and leave.
As a result, one of the first things to suffer after an acquisition is the customer service. It may stay the same for a brief period of 6-months, but then things start to fall through the cracks. For example, with a large, corporate logistics outfit, you’re not guaranteed to get the same representative each time you call, especially if you’re calling after hours for emergency support.
Choose Expert Show Logistics for Excellent Customer Service
As a small business, Expert Show Logistics relies on repeat business and referrals to help our company thrive. We know that the best way to take care of our customers is to train and retain fantastic employees who love doing a good job. We’d love to show you the difference of working with a detail-oriented, agile logistics team – reach out to get a customized quote.