LeanLogistics

Company: LeanLogistics, Holland, MI
Company Description: LeanLogistics provides clients with technology and services to manage their Supply Chain. Their On-Demand TMS® provides complete logistics planning and execution, improving business processes, increasing operating efficiency and reducing transportation cost. Clients typically recoup their investment in less than a year. Clients include Barilla, Meijer, Ace Hardware, Rich Products and Unilever.
Nomination Category: Customer Service Department Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Customer Service Department of the Year - Airlines, Distribution & Transportation

Nomination Title: Lean Logistics Customer Service Department

1. Tell the story about what this nominated department achieved since the beginning of July last year (up to 500 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

LeanLogistics has cultivated customer satisfaction levels that would make any
company envious: 90 percent of existing clients are planning to renew or
expand their service; 92 percent of existing clients are willing to provide
referrals for LeanLogistics.

These incredible satisfaction numbers can be attributed to LeanLogistics'
tenet that the entire account team is part of the Customer Service Department.
Each team members is held accountable for customer service, and a percentage
of their compensation is based on client-satisfaction survey results.

Service-oriented business model
This approach is a byproduct of the LeanLogistics Software as a Service (SaaS)
business model. Unlike traditional technologies that are purchased for a one-
time fee, LeanLogistics clients pay a monthly subscription to access a suite
of Web-based services. Accordingly, there isn't the traditional transition
from a "sales" to "support" relationship. Instead, LeanLogistics SaaS products
and services must provide consistent value to the client throughout the
relationship.

That relationship begins with the new-client sales process, where the Sales
and Marketing teams develop an in-depth understanding of the client's business
and objectives. The Development and IT teams then tailor solutions to meets
the client's needs. Finally, the Account teams provide ongoing support, and
share benchmarking and best practices to ensure that clients realize the full
value of their transportation management system.

Employee incentives
Because of the ongoing, service-based nature of their business, the
LeanLogistics executive team recognized the critical need for all employees to
be engaged in customer service.

Accordingly, the executive team developed a compensation structure based on just
two questions from the customer-satisfaction survey: Do you plan to renew your
LeanLogistics service next year? Would you be willing to provide a referral for
LeanLogistics? Performance bonuses are based on a metric that rewards employees
if more than 90 percent of clients answer "yes" to both questions.

With a strong focus on customer service, and a powerful incentive for team
members, the LeanLogistics team expects to beat its own industry-leading
customer satisfaction numbers in the near future.

2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

LeanLogistics named to Food Logistics magazine's Top 100 Logistics Suppliers
for the fourth year in a row Food Logistics Magazine selects the Top 100
Technology Suppliers

LeanLogistics named to Inbound Logistics magazine's Top 100 Logistics IT
providers, for the fifth year in a row
http://www.leanlogistics.com/show_pressdetail.asp?pressID=27690090

3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography about the leader(s) of the nominated customer service organization:

Chris Timmer, Vice President of Customer Solutions, is responsible for sales,
customer relationships, and the development and deployment of solutions for
the customer base. Chris has nearly 20 years of experience in transportation
and logistics management. Prior to joining LeanLogistics, Chris held multiple
positions with Third-Party Logistics companies, from transportation operations
to Supply Chain management , where he developed solutions for clients in the
food products industry. Chris has served as President of the Western Michigan
CSCMP Roundtable for many years.