What does it take for your loads to be taken first by the best drivers? A great online reputation.

We’ve consistently heard from brokers that once a facility gets a bad reputation among drivers, it’s challenging to get those loads assigned and many times requires a financial bonus. You need your loads to be in demand and for your jobs to attract top drivers. That’s the best way to ensure shipments are on time and delivered efficiently.

So how do you manage your reputation to get that result? Here are some tips.

Provide Excellent Driver Service

If your team treats the drivers who deliver to your dock poorly, you’re going to get a well-deserved bad reputation. The first step in fixing your reputation is to start providing excellent service for the drivers who come to your facility.

Start by ensuring that everyone knows exactly how to handle an incoming load. Drivers should know how to approach the facility, which entrance to use, where to check-in, and which dock to go to. Your team needs to know the process to get a driver in, dropped off, and back on the road as quickly as possible.

After that, consider providing some amenities that drivers appreciate. Something as simple as a vending machine and easy-to-access bathroom is a great start. You can go even further by offering a thank-you snack box or another valuable freebie.

How do you let drivers know your facility treats them well? Word will spread eventually, but you can be proactive by claiming your facility on Dock411 and updating your information to showcase your information and customer service.

Respond to Comments

Dealing with comments about your facility in public forums can be challenging. If a driver has a bad experience, they can quickly get their friends to flood your profiles with negative reviews and comments. This is frustrating, and it’s easy to respond in anger.

However, it’s important to stay calm. When it comes to who people are going to believe, shouting and being rude are not going to play in your favor. Instead, reply honestly saying, “I realize [name] had a bad experience at [facility], but that has been handled. We’ve apologized and will do better moving forward.”

That will help bystanders understand that only one person was affected and that you didn’t have a problem with 50 different drivers. At the same time, it shows that you’re taking responsibility and will ensure future drivers don’t have a concern.

Are you being hit with false claims? While you don’t want to argue online, you can clear the air if you keep it direct and simple. One option is to reply to the accuser, “[Name], we’d like to talk to you more about your experience. Our understanding of it is very different. Please contact [info].”

To everyone else, you can say, “We have a different understanding of this incident. We are working with [name] directly.”

Keep Everyone Up to Date With Changes

Once you’ve established excellent driver service and done your best to manage negative comments and reviews, you’re well on your way to improving your online reputation. The final step is to make sure unexpected events don’t derail your hard work. A road can be closed by construction, there can be a flooded area, or perhaps an accident has closed one of your lots. It’s essential to ensure everyone knows.

The best way to do this is to use an app like Dock411 to share information about your facility quickly and easily. Not only do direct Dock411 users benefit from the information, but so does everyone who uses technology that’s informed by our database. It’s a great way to spread information widely.

We know how important it is to be able to react to sudden changes in routes and delivery information without spending hours on the phone. Our app makes it simple to update new information in just minutes.

You can’t afford to have something derail the hard work you’re doing in building your reputation. Claim your facility on Dock411!

Your Reputation Matters

You deserve to have the best drivers on your loads so you can get deliveries efficiently and on-time. The only way to do that is to develop an excellent reputation.

By using Dock411, you can share information about your facility and any unexpected changes quickly and easily. That will reinforce your reputation as a warehouse that understands the importance of driver customer service!

To learn more about how Dock411 can help your facility, contact us today.