Despite years of investment in customer experience initiatives, customer satisfaction across industries—especially in logistics and freight—is at a historic low. In the world of project freight, this disconnect presents both a challenge and an opportunity.
Many members of the Project Freight Network (PFN) are grappling with this very issue. After years of deploying Customer Experience (CX) strategies—CRM tools, automated client journeys, feedback surveys—their clients often still feel underwhelmed. One project logistics manager recently put it plainly: “We’re working harder than ever, but customers just expect more each time. When we meet expectations, it barely registers. When we fall short, it stings.”
This shift in perception is known as experience inflation. It’s when the exceptional service of today becomes the basic expectation of tomorrow. For PFN members, this means that unless your value-added service keeps evolving—even in small, low-cost ways—you risk being seen as stagnant.
Take, for example, a logistics coordinator who used to call clients personally after cargo delivery to check on satisfaction. The gesture was memorable—at first. But after several shipments, the call became routine. Eventually, when the client didn’t receive a follow-up, they felt ignored. Nothing about the service delivery changed—but the expectation had.
So, what’s the solution? According to experts, we need to move from customer experience to customer experiment.
This isn’t about massive overhauls or expensive upgrades. It’s about empowering every team member—planners, drivers, customs agents—to add a consistent “plus one.” A small extra: a clearer email, a more precise ETA update, or simply a proactive heads-up before a disruption. These “+1s” cost nothing, but when repeated, they elevate trust and satisfaction.
And it’s not just theory. In a corporate setting, a business services firm was dealing with rising client frustration over delayed project updates. Instead of following rigid reporting structures, one account manager decided to test a different approach. They sent a personalized, informal mid-week update with just three bullet points summarizing key progress and risks. The response? Clients felt more informed, less anxious, and stopped escalating concerns. Over the next quarter, client complaint levels dropped significantly without any additional resources or formal processes added.
Now apply that mindset to project freight. What if, when a customer calls frustrated about a customs delay, the response wasn’t just procedural, but also human—“Would it help if we got on a quick three-way call with customs and your warehouse?”
That’s not policy. It’s a +1.
But it also highlights a hidden truth: customers often say one thing and act another. They may insist on lowest cost, but reward reliability. They’ll demand digital updates, yet pick up the phone when it really matters. That makes customer experience inherently unpredictable.
As AI tools grow in freight operations—from route optimization to virtual assistants—expectations will only get murkier. What feels impressive today (real-time tracking, paperless delivery, proactive alerts) might feel “just okay” tomorrow.
PFN members looking to stay ahead must adopt a culture of small, ongoing experimentation. Because in a volatile global supply chain environment, the real edge won’t come from being perfect. It’ll come from being curious, quick to test, and quicker to learn.
