getting the right basics, right

The creative façade of a Japanese restaurant triggered my muse as I was thinking about how the company was shaping up in the new year. Using the simplest of items to create an eye catching storefront and interior design, it gave me inspiration on how to put into words what the Alien team was going through in order to maintain our promise of providing service that’s out of this world in an ever-challenging environment.

​It was about getting the basics right. It was about knowing what the basics are, in order to get them right in the first place.

​​So, what was I eating at the Japanese restaurant? Rice. And some other items… but the most basic ingredient was rice. What would “basic” mean for us in the logistics industry?

Give me an “R” for ready

​As no-brainer as being ready is, getting ready the right way is harder than one can imagine.

​I like it when I get a reply to my enquiry that’s professional, knowledgeable and practical. This sort of customer experience gives me confidence with the company I’m dealing with and makes me want to go to their Facebook page and “Like” them so badly.

It is miles away from a polite “I’ll check and come back to you”, even if it were said with a smile. ​​​This is because it gives the impression that they were not ready to deal with my enquiry – either they had no idea what my enquiry was about or if they did, they did not know how to answer me.

​ “Responsiveness” was the buzzword in the service industry before “Disruptive” took over. But responding without being ready would make for an even worse impression than having a satisfactory reply come in good time.
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"...responding without being ready would make for an even worse impression than having a satisfactory reply come in good time.​

So what does being ready entail?

A new customer is only taken on when we have the skills, capacity & network to support them

Our mise en place for 2018 has been going on since our Mothership decided that unparalleled service would be our key differentiator. A new customer is taken on only when we have the skills, capacity and network to enable us to competently provide advice, service and competitive rates so that they in turn are able to stand out in their chosen field of business. If one of the legs are shaky, we have the strength to say “Not yet” because we want to be able to maintain the service levels that our existing customers are accustomed to when they first joined us; and when we take on a new customer, those who supported us through the years should be treated even better as time goes on. That means that we have to be ready to take on new customers, and ready to serve those who believed in us enough to stand by us through time.
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And so, our team is always encouraged to look inwards for outward progression – skills are sharpened, capacity is balanced out, staff morale is buoyed up and wider foundations are grounded.  We’ve taken out the Big Boss on Level 2017, and we are smokin’ hot ready to take on the coming year. C’mon, 2018… show us what you’re made of!