Manufacturing – Cincinnati, Ohio

CLIENT FREIGHT BROKERAGE PROBLEM
  • Unique niche within customer return process not working as desired
  • Customers expressed frustration at lack of clarity
  • Client spent significant time and effort supporting niche process
  • Process failures prevented employees from performing other higher value tasks
DISCOVERY
  • LOTH Logistics met with client logistics team to define niche return “as is” and desired “to be” state
  • Numerous on-site meetings with client logistics and customer service teams to develop a process map
  • LOTH Logistics created a new SOP to address existing process flaws
  • Client agreed to implement new process with substantial LOTH Logistics involvement
OUR APPROACH
  • Once new SOP implemented, niche return requests were forwarded to LOTH Logistics for action
  • LOTH Logistics proactively contacts customers, clearly defining steps customer needs to take for an efficient return and subsequent credit
  • LOTH Logistics tracks all assigned RA’s to ensure prompt pickup and final delivery to client returns department
  • Weekly activity summary sent to client, reconciled with actual returns received at client facility to ensure all delivered returns were properly credited
THE RESULTS
  • Significant increase in niche returns received and properly credited
  • Customer complaints about niche return process dropped to almost zero
  • Client employees time freed up to perform more value-added tasks
  • Freight costs associated with niche return process decreased 15 percent