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Introduction
Many people are involved with the business at DHL. From the customer service representative who takes the order from the customer, to the employee who delivers the parcel, to the management team, many people are involved in ensuring packages are delivered efficiently and on time. The front-counter personnel are responsible for ensuring the customer gets what they want, and they need to answer all the questions the customer has. The delivery personnel are responsible for ensuring the package is delivered quickly and safely. Management in the human resources department ensure employee relations are sound. [Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]
The customer base at DHL falls into two primary categories. These are the individual customers and those who run a business. While the businesses provide steady deliveries and are the most frequent customers at DHL, the individuals are also a priority and contribute to the overall profit of the company.
Human Resources Policies Evaluation
Human resources at DHL demand an “active, open corporate culture which helps us attract and retain highly talented people,” (Our Culture, 2012). The company strives to be the Employer of Choice in its sector. It also possesses an Employer Value Proposition, which was set up in 2010 to define the employer and brand that the company strives to be.
The three key elements as outlined in the Employer Value Proposition include:
· Growth; The company aims to provide its employees with a variety of opportunities to grow personally and professionally.
· Impact; DHL strives to employ its employees to bring their skills, ideas and influence to generate a successful company.
· Pride; At DHL, the company wants to provide employees with a way to be involved with a company that is a benefit to society, (Our Culture, 2012).
At DHL, they have a policy to make the first days and weeks on the job as comfortable as possible. “New responsibilities, new colleagues, new rules – perhaps even ties to private changes, including the move to a new city,” (Our Culture, 2012). So the company aims to make employees feel at home by providing assistance from the first day. An orientation plan is created so that the employee will be navigated through their responsibilities and expectations during the first several weeks of employment. The general information about DHL is contained in the orientation package. The role of the new employee is outlined, and policies and processes are laid out.
The company’s policy is also to provide new employees with several resources, such as e-learning, trainings and ways to build a network to establish working relationships, as well as providing the opportunity to create a development plan and customized learning with a team. A manager is also assigned to plan each employee’s career path with the company.
Policies’ Impact on Service
This type of detail with training new employees will likely benefit the customer because the quality of service will likely increase. When employers take care of their employees, it usually transitions into them being happier and working harder. When employees are happier, the customer service increases. Plus, initiatives such as discussing with employees about their career provides a working environment where employees could be more interested in a career, rather than just making a stop on their path to a career. When employees know the potential award for their hard work, such as a promotion, they will likely work harder.
Effective Customer Service Delivery vs. Ineffective
The customer service at DHL is pretty basic. An example of failed customer service would be if the delivery was late, lost or broken. The failed customer service would have likely gone wrong because of an employee not being able to get the package to the destination on time and fully intact. This could have been prevented if the employee had more pride in their work.
An example of a good customer service is if it arrived on time and fully intact. This is likely because the employee went through an orientation provided by the company, and this facilitated the employee taking more pride in their work.
Successful Strategy vs. Unsuccessful
Discussing a career with DHL is likely a successful strategy because it would encourage employees to work hard and to take special interest in their work, due to the potential of a promotion for a job well done.
A strategy that needs improvement with the company is working with a team right off the bat. Many people won’t feel comfortable working on a project with a stranger right away. However, this practice could be beneficial to many people who thrive while working in a team. I would make this portion of training an option of team or individual training. Some people work better as an individual and this option should be provided to those. Their role with the company could then be determined based on whether they chose to work with people or alone.
Policies’ Effect on Provider Gap 3
The HR policies are narrowing Provider Gap 3 because the policies teach the workers how to be effective in the company. As mentioned, part of the policies involve teaching employees how to function under the company’s policies. The company’s policies aim to provide the best customer service possible, so it would follow that training employees to be in line with this goal would improve customer service relations.
Analyze Customers’ Roles
Customer Comprehension of Roles
Based on my observation of the firm, the customers know their roles well. They aren’t required to do a lot. All they need to do is provide the customer service representatives with all the information they need to know to be able to ship the product. However, after noticing the lineups at the actual DHL location, I think there could be better knowledge about the fact that the company can pick up the delivery and then ship it. All payments can be made at the door or online. The Internet can also provide the means by which the customer can enter the details. A move to online, which DHL provides, would decrease lineups.
The information that the customer should know, which can be communicated via online or in person, include: the destination of the package, whether they want express or regular delivery, what they are mailing and they must have a way in which to pay for the delivery.
Fictitious Customers
Customer A is ready to participate in the service DHL provides. He visits the company’s website and places his delivery order. He enters the destination where the package will be delivered; he enters his address for pickup; he enters the items that will be delivered; he specifies if he wants express or regular delivery; and then he provides the payment. He is then at home when the customer service representative from DHL arrives to pick up the delivery.
Customer B arrives to DHL to deliver an item. He doesn’t have the item with him; he knows which country the package is going to, but he doesn’t know the address; he has no money; he doesn’t know what type of delivery he wants (in fact, the customer service doesn’t get this far because it becomes obvious Customer B is not going to be able to pay); he also doesn’t know the weight of his parcel. Customer B won’t receive service because he isn’t providing the DHL staff with the necessary information.
Customer A will receive better customer service because he is a qualified consumer. Without the necessary information to provide the service, and without the means by which to pay for the service, Customer B is a liability and should be given information by which he can try to attain service again.
Firm Managing Customers
I believe DHL provides adequate information for the customer to be fully informed, so that the customer service experience can run as smoothly as possible. For the customers who are incompatible with the firm, there doesn’t seem to be any documentation about the way in which these people can be dealt with. However, based on the information provided in a brochure at the place of business, as well as online information, the customer would likely be given a brochure or web address to find the information necessary to take part in the customer service process.
Describe Intermediaries and Electronic Channels
Two locations accommodate the service delivery channel: in person, over the phone and online. During the in-person option, the customer provides the relevant information, which was outlined above, and then the item is shipped. This option has proven efficient for DHL and other delivery companies, as it is the only in-person way to ship. The item(s) are given to DHL in exchange for money and then the product is sent to its destination.
The phone service is made easy. After calling DHL, the customer is given a quick response by a representative who can take down the information needed to make a delivery. This information is the same that is listed above. The payment is then collected over the phone with a credit card.
Over the online service, the customer has to open an account with DHL. This will contain the customer’s address, credit card information and other contact information. (Start Shipping, 2012). At this point the customer is able to place an order by entering the item that will be shipped, when they want it shipped, the destination, when the item can be picked up for shipment and then the customer has the option to make the payment online or in person. Ordering services online has become a big way among many firms to do business because of its efficiency, and DHL is not different. However, DHL receive 1.2 out of 5 stars and was only recommended by just over 10 per cent of customers in a survey that included 388 customers. This rating applies to both the in-person shipping and online shipping, (Latest Review, 2012).
DHL has several intermediaries with which they work. While the company does have its own vans and airplanes, the company relies on trains, ships and other aircrafts, too. The only airline with which DHL discloses doing business with is Gulf Air. The airline is the largest in the Middle East. The agreement is designed to “provide key global partners with incentives to boost its cargo traffic volumes on a yearly basis and facilitate its inclusion in the partner’s core carrier programs,” (Golden, 2007). The airline is the first company to be signed as a partner, (Golden, 2007). This indicates DHL either switches the companies it uses based on rates, or it doesn’t disclose other companies with which it operates.
Provider Gap 3 may be hindered if DHL isn’t locked into long-term agreements with more intermediaries than just Gulf Air. Companies of which the track record isn’t known can’t be trusted as much by DHL. Furthermore, the companies wouldn’t likely feel a responsibility to work hard to maintain a contract with DHL if there was none. If there are more intermediaries that DHL isn’t disclosing, then they should be known to the public, so the public knows exactly who they are dealing with. < Click Essay Writer to order your essay >
It should also be noted there are other intermediaries that DHL works with and these are border security and other government organizations, which have authority over DHL and may seize parcels that are suspicious. This is an element out of DHL’s control and could potentially harm Provider Gap 3.
Manage Demand and Capacity for Services
Demand
This is an area where DHL can improve. Judging by the lineup when I went to the DHL office, there was an overabundance of people waiting for service. Also, judging by the aforementioned 388 responses from customers, the service isn’t quick enough. This indicates there isn’t the means by which to accommodate all the delivery requests in the time that is set out by the company. This creates a Provider Gap 3, because the business isn’t always able to keep its service standards to its targets.
Constraints
The firm utilizes many offices throughout the world to manage the intake of business. The company prides itself on having trained employees in these countries so that information about the requirements of each country are met. For example, if there are issues with border security on a certain day of the year, the company might put off sending packages on that day. However, the changes in each country’s policies provide a massive challenge for the firm. Many companies find only dealing with their domestic government challenging enough, but to deal with the bureaucracies in multiple countries would be daunting – and it would be even more challenging without the help of informed employees living in those countries. If employees aren’t “in the know” in these countries, then the service delivery can be impacted by not being able to import packages.
Capacity:
While the firm’s volumes are already high, it can’t deliver an unlimited number of packages. The company already has a solid fleet under its command and the co-ordination of efforts has become efficient over the company’s long history. However, during certain occasions, the company is able to boost its fleet. For example, “DHL Global Forwarding chartered three aircraft to help fly in flowers from Latin America into the US for Valentine’s Day,” (DHL Boosts, 2011). So while the company does have limitations on its fleet of vehicles, it does have the option to outsource work to intermediaries. By chartering additional vehicles to meet the transportation demand, DHL is able to meet the expectations of customers. This is a vital component of DHL’s service because much of it depends on special occasions and if it is unable to meet the demand, it can lose its customer base very quickly.
Creativity such as chartering aircraft is a sound way to meet the standards set out in Provider Gap 3. Customers, especially those who have worked with the company on other occasions, are relying on DHL to meet the service delivery needs.
Conclusion:
The training at DHL helps the company deliver its service nearly to best of its ability, given the demand for service. The employee training program helps workers be involved with their task so that they will be more likely to stay and, thus, more knowledgeable in their profession. This helps them meet the expectations of the customers to get fast service that is comparable to same-day or next-day delivery that is found at similar companies. The demand of business on certain occasions puts pressure on the workers to get the job done by their deadline so that the Provider Gap 3 isn’t compromised. However, the company can do a better job at matching employees with the roles that would suit their personality type. There is no content in the orientation pertaining to individuals who work better on their own. These employees could be better suited to accommodate online orders, and there would be a greater number of people-oriented staff dealing with customers. . [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
Works Cited
DHL Boosts Air Fleet to Cope With Valentine’s Day Demand. (2011, Feb. 14).
Post and Parcel.
Golden, L.L. (2007, Sept. 9). Gulf Air Ties Up With DHL Express to Introduce
Global Incentive Agreement Programme.
Latest Reviews. (2012). Review Centre. Retrieved from
Our Culture. (2012). DHL. Retrieved from
Start Shipping Online Today. (2012). DHL. Retrieved from
