Combining multiple, smaller palletized loads into one larger freight shipment can really pay off in the long run. From saving on costs to increasing fulfillment efficiency, both your business and your customer relationships will benefit from well-planned freight consolidation.  

It's Customer Service Week and the time of year we like to especially celebrate our front line shipping specialists. Day in and out, these guys are making sure PartnerShip is giving the very best experience to every single customer. This year's Customer Service Week theme is "Excellence Happens Here" and it's a team value our reps demonstrate every single day. We played up the idea with a fun pirate spin for this weeks celebrations, because 'x' marks the spot for excellence at PartnerShip. And let's be honest--who doesn't love pirates?

In an effort to celebrate our PartnerShip Customer Service team, we've asked a few of them to share a bit about what inspires them to lead every day and what they've learned since they've joined the team!

What does a "good" customer experience mean to you?

• Helping customers in an efficient and effective manner while maintaining a professional disposition and considering the company's bottom line. -Amanda B.

What is the most important skill to have for a career in customer service?

• Excellent communication. -Andrea
  

What about customer service appeals to you?

• Working with a lot of different people to help solve issues. -Vince
  

What is the best way you can help put out a customer service fire?

• Listening, being empathetic and letting the customer know you understand their concerns. Follow up with the customer. -Amanda S.
  

How do you demonstrate that you are a team player?

• Being there for my co-workers when they ask me for help. I try to offer help when I notice others may need something. -Amanda S.
  

What's the best customer service experience you've given?

• A customer was leaving a tradeshow and failed to get a quote and shipment scheduled for the move- out. The customer called in a panic because the freight was going to be forced out and they were going to have to pay a very high rate. We were able to walk the customer through completing the material handling form and scheduled/arranged an emergency pick up. The customer was very pleased with the service and thankful for the discounts. -Amanda B.
  

What are you better at today than you were this time last year?

• Everything! Every day in Customer Service I learn something new about shipping from my management team, customers, and co-workers! -Amanda B.
  

PartnerShip has a passionate team of Customer Service specialists who are an indispensable resource to both customers and other members of our organization. Though this week is dedicated to recognizing all that they contribute to our business, we know that these guys go beyond expectations every single day to elevate the customer experience and help customers ship smarter. Thank you all!

“When the customer comes first, the customer will last.” –Robert Half

Our customer service professionals know this to be true and always make our customers their top priority. Every day they strive to provide our customers with the best service possible by working hard and being personable.

Our everyday heroes featured today for Customer Service Week know how to treat the customer the way they’d want to be treated. Following the Golden Rule comes naturally to the members of the PartnerShip customer service team. That’s what makes it so easy to celebrate each of them during this special week. Read below to find out more about our last two customer service heroes.

Customer Service Hero: Karen Magazzine
Superhero Identity: Scarlet Witch
The Scarlet Witch can really get in your head. She has an amazing strength of the mind that allows her to control events and connect with people she encounters. Karen connects to customers by being friendly and energetic. She can talk to anyone and knows how to turn a situation around when need be, making her a strong asset to the team. 

Customer Service Hero: Amanda Bixler
Superhero Identity: Agent Maria Hill
Shield Agent Maria Hill handles and processes massive amounts of information and is very skilled at directing several operations at once. Amanda exhibits the same ability to stay on top of her work. Being responsible for inbound calls, she's very efficient at organizing information for each customer she works with. Just like Agent Maria Hill, she's an important part of the team. 

If you’re looking to save money on your shipping and you appreciate working with professionals that make you a priority, PartnerShip is for you. Click here to get a free shipping analysis from one of our everyday heroes.

At PartnerShip, we’re celebrating Customer Service Week because we value positive customer experiences. Our customer service team is the front line of our business and we know how important their hard work is to the success of our company.

Did you know?

• 78% of consumers have bailed on a transaction or not made an intended purchase because of a poor service experience. 
• It takes 12 positive experiences to make up for one unresolved negative experience. 
• 3 in 5 Americans (59%) would try a new brand or company for a better service experience. 
• Almost 9 out of 10 U.S. consumers say they would pay more to ensure a superior customer experience.

(Source: Help Scout)

Those powerful statistics prove that the quality of your customer service can make or break your business. The customer service representatives we’re featuring today understand that and work hard every day for our customers.

Customer Service Hero: Shauntá Dennis
Superhero Identity: Black Widow
Black Widow is a quick and smart secret agent who often takes on missions by herself. Shauntá holds down the fort in our Cleveland office by herself during the late shift to support the California office. She’s also quick to adapt and learn new situations, making her incredibly valuable.

Customer Service Hero: Tyler Diamond
Superhero Identity: Quicksilver
Quicksilver has the ability to propel himself into the future. He is extremely speedy and can even dodge bullets. Tyler is a quick learner and has propelled his knowledge since starting here last month. He dodges issues by doing everything he can to help, all while still learning our business.

Want to chat with one of our customer service heroes about your shipping needs? Click here to contact us and see their super strengths hard at work.

This week we’re honoring our everyday heroes for Customer Service Week. We know how important a quality customer service professional is to an organization. Our customers tell us all the time what our level of service means for them; and we have our customer service team to thank for that.

Today we’re featuring a couple of our best and brightest customer service heroes! We appreciate everything they do for PartnerShip, and most importantly, our customers.

Customer Service Hero: Briana Zajac
Superhero Identity: Captain America
Captain American plays a very important role in the Avengers. He makes sure each superhero is getting their job done while also fighting his own battles. Briana is organized like her superhero counterpart, and knows how to get the job done – and does it well!

Customer Service Hero: Kim Overy
Superhero Identity: The Hulk
Everyone knows the Hulk for his super strength and intelligence. He’s also incredibly fast and can run and leap at super speed. Kim is one of the newest members of the customer service team. She’s been a fast learner and doesn’t hesitate to jump into her work, showing her true strength as a customer service professional.

Your experience with PartnerShip and our customer service team is important to us. To see what other customers are saying about us visit our testimonial page!

This week is Customer Service Week, an event that is near and dear to the heart of PartnerShip. We pride ourselves on our ability to meet the needs of our customers with exemplary customer service and support from friendly, knowledgeable staff. Our team of customer service professionals constantly goes above and beyond for our customers and we appreciate everything they do to make this company great.

In 1992 the U.S. Congress proclaimed Customer Service Week a nationally recognized event, celebrated annually during the first full week in October. The theme this year is Everyday Heroes, which is very fitting for our team. To help celebrate, we’ll be featuring a couple of our everyday heroes each day this week. 

Customer Service Hero: Julieann Fox
Superhero Identity: Hawkeye
Similar to Hawkeye, Julieann is focused and exact to the point. This superhero watches from afar and calls out where help is needed. When Hawkeye shoots his arrow, he doesn’t miss – and Julieann is the same way with her work.

Customer Service Hero: Robert Wirt
Superhero Identity: Iron Man
Everyone knows that Iron Man is witty and business oriented and Robert is the same way. He always sees the big picture, but also wants to understand how all the moving parts work and how they come together, making him an essential part of the team.

You can always expect personalized attention and unparalleled service when you work with PartnerShip. We’re fun, we’re personable and we’re totally committed to helping you and your business be a success. Want to learn more about our staff? Check out our employee directory!

The PartnerShip customer service representatives (or CSRs) play an important role for our company and our customers. Through telephone conversations, emails messages, and online live chats, they are responsible for helping our newest customers setup FedEx accounts, get LTL and truckload rate quotes, create online accounts, track shipments, and answer just about any and all types of questions you can imagine.

Once a new customer is fully on-board, they work closely with our sales staff to ensure each customer is personally introduced to the dedicated PartnerShip account representative with whom they'll receive the next level of support and consultation for their freight shipping needs. A few of our CSRs have worked so well with our customers and our sales staff that we moved them over to our sales department where they can build even deeper relationships with our customer contacts. As a result, PartnerShip has some new faces in our customer service area, and they are a terrific bunch! So terrific, in fact, that I'd like to personally introduce you to each one of them.

Nicole Hardman

You could say Nicole is the "veteran rookie" of the bunch. Nicole joined PartnerShip as a customer service representative a little under a year ago. However, she was not entirely unfamiliar with our company at the time - her husband Brian has been a part of the PartnerShip sales staff for the past six years. When she's not helping PartnerShip customers, she enjoys spending time with her family, camping, reading, and watching movies.

Allison Passero

Allison joined PartnerShip nearly four months ago (on the same day as Julieann and Briana). Previously, Allison worked for Fifth Third Bank for five years where she held numerous customer service positions and was recognized for demonstrating Fifth Third Bank's Core Values and driving customer service results. Allison graduated from The College of Wooster with a Bachelors of Psychology. She enjoys crafting, music, hiking, and knitting.

Julieann Fox

As mentioned above, Julieann joined PartnerShip nearly four months ago. Julieann recently worked at Green Circle Growers as an Orchid Classifier and before that worked for Equity Trust Company as a Client Relations Manager. She is a graduate of The University of Toledo. Her outside interests include Zumba, parenting, outdoor adventures, weight training, Cleveland sports, and traveling.

Briana Zajac

Briana also reported for duty nearly four months ago.  Briana previously worked for Teletech for past six years as a Customer Service Representative helping clients with T-Mobile and Geek Squad. She also worked as an Inventory Control Administrator at Bonne Bell where she processed orders. She enjoys her family and friends, watching movies, doing Zumba, and attending parks.

Shauntá Dennis

Shauntá is our newest customer service representative. She just started with PartnerShip last week, so we're very excited to have her joining our team. Shauntá has worked for Teletech for the past six years. She started as a Customer Service Representative answering incoming calls from customers and assisted with general technical troubleshooting. Most recently she was the Technical Support Supervisor where she led a team of 30 agents and handled escalated customer interactions.

Jennifer Hammersmith

Of course, all of these new CSRs are managed by Jennifer, our outwardly friendly, but very professional, customer service manager. Jennifer has been with PartnerShip for eight years. She absolutely enjoys helping our customers, she is a student of shipping practices, and she directly manages one of our important shipping programs for a major non-profit organization. When she's not managing, training, and motivating her customer service staff, she enjoys spending time with her family, crafting, ironing (really?), and watching movies with her husband.

If you have a question for the PartnerShip customer service staff, they're ready and willing to do their best to help assist you any way they can. Just Contact Us and we'll take it from there.

By Scott Frederick

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, so we here at PartnerShip are feeling extra affectionate this week (in a business professional sort of way, of course). So as many of you convey a little love to your spouses, significant others or family members ... we'd like to convey a few things that we really love here at PartnerShip:

• Our Customers ... we really do love all of our customers, big and small, since we wouldn't be here without you! Thank you again for helping us reach our 25th Anniversary milestone this year!
• Small Businesses... although we cater to small businesses — in our minds, there is no such thing as a —small customer.' We strive to treat each customer as if they were our only customer by showing them respect, and helping them save time and money in all facets shipping.
• Freight Shipping ... from less-than-truckloads (LTL) to full truckloads - and everything in between. We have great freight carrier partners (such as UPS Freight, YRC Freight, Con-way Freight, and many others) and we enjoy working with them to provide great service and rates to our customers.
• Small Package Shipping ... when it comes to shipping small packages through express, parcel, and ground services - whether B2B or home delivery - we know how to help our customers save money. And we love the fact that we have a great alliance in place which helps our small business customers save on select FedEx® services. 
• Tradeshow Shipping ... having been founded by a non-profit association ourselves, we know how important tradeshows can be for associations, their members, and the suppliers that exhibit at them. With a quarter-century of tradeshow experience, we've learned a thing or two - including how to help exhibitors enjoy a successful, stress-free show by providing the industry's only Tradeshow Assurance Guarantee™ on every shipment.

There you have it. Five (5) things we love here at PartnerShip. Although we could name many more things that we love, we'll stop there so that you have some time to show a little love to that someone special yourself. Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

PartnerShip LLC has been selected for the 2013 Excellence Award amongst all its peers and competitors by the Small Business Institute for Excellence in Commerce (SBIEC). PartnerShip is a freight management company based in Cleveland, Ohio and is a leading shipping solutions provider to small businesses nationwide.

Each year the SBIEC conducts business surveys and industry research to identify companies that have achieved demonstrable success in their local business environment and industry category. They are recognized as having enhanced the commitment and contribution of small businesses through service to their customers and community. Small businesses of this caliber enhance the consumer driven stature that is renowned for.

PartnerShip has consistently demonstrated a high regard for upholding business ethics and company values which is a trait seldom found in its industry. It has more than 20 years of experience developing and managing LTL freight, small package, tradeshow, and specialized shipping programs and services for over 100 association groups and thousands of customers nationwide. Founded in 1989 as subsidiary of the National Association of College Stores, today it has offices in Cleveland, OH, and Irvine, CA.

As part of the industry research and business surveys, various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the selected companies in each category. This research is part of an exhaustive process that encapsulates a year long immersion in the business climate of the transportation and logistics industry. This recognition by SBIEC marks a significant achievement for PartnerShip as an emerging leader within the transportation and logistics industry.

On June 27, I blogged about how customer recommendations (i.e., testimonials) and business referrals are important to PartnerShip as we look to grow and expand both our brand reputation and our business relationships. Over the past month, we've collected some nice testimonials that I thought I would share here (we also post them to our testimonials pages on the PartnerShip.com website).

"PartnerShip has been one of the benefits for being a member of SDRA that I initially did not think I would use. That is until it was going to take 4 days to ship some food items from New York to Mrs. Murphy's, and at a cost I considered excessive. Since I wanted frozen foods as part of the shipment, 4 days was too long to arrive by truck still frozen. So I would have to take off those items from the shipment. One call to Partnership got me a quick quote -$200.00 less than the 4 day shipping, and it would arrive in just 2 days, which meant the frozen items would also be coming our way. Great customer service and definitely a cost savings to our small Irish gift store. Thanks to PartnerShip!" -- Dick Murhpy, Owner of Mrs. Murphy's Irish Gifts

"We're a small company, and don't ship freight all that often, but when we do, Mike has quickly become my first (and only) phone call. Quite honestly, Mike has been providing us with some of the best customer service I've experienced over the last 5 years New Vintage has been in business. What I think says even more is we do so little business with PartnerShip, but he treats me like we do many freight shipments a day! Shipping freight was always a scary thing for us, since we do it so little of it. On top of that, most of our customers aren't "normal" freight recipients (residential addresses, music venues, etc...). Mike always goes above and beyond to make sure not only our shipments arrive on time, but also makes sure that things go smoothly for our recipient and us There's been occasions where we've had time-critical shipments, traveling cross-country, and he took the time to track the shipment first thing each morning and send me an email, letting me know on its progress." -- Nic Patullo, President of New Vintage Amplifiers, Inc.

"I will be ordering again very soon. We usually have a lull in the middle of the month. Thanks. I am glad to be doing business with you. Your website is easy to navigate and the service is fabulous. I don't usually throw out compliments unless it's well deserved." -- Laura Tapp, Owner of Vintage Bee

"I have no control over how our exhibit gets to (our show), but once there, PartnerShip ships it back. They are friendly folks how, over time, have become friends. I recommend them highly and will continue to utilize their services." -- Jim Ball, sales representative with Texas Art Supply.

"We lean heavily on PartnerShip to help us out with our marketing, and they do a great job. They do postcards, they do emails, videos; they send us white papers, and information on what's going on in the shipping industry ... that's a crucial component when you're looking to select and endorsed provider, like PartnerShip, is to ensure they are truly able to be your partner in your marketing needs." -- Causby Challacombe, director of membership for NAMM

Once again, we're so fortunate to have such wonderful customers that have already gone out of their way to say good things about us. We invite more of our other customers to do the same - and we want all of you to know that your support is greatly appreciated by our entire team!