May 28, 2021
The Logistics of Customer Experience with Scott Perry
Scott Perry and Joe Lynch discuss the logistics of customer experience. Scott is the President of the Suddath Companies, Suddath has been a trusted name in moving and logistics for over a century. From humble beginnings in 1919 as a moving company in Jacksonville, Florida, The company has grown into a $600-million global transportation, relocation management and logistics company, serving 180 countries with 2,000 employees around the globe.
About Scott Perry
Scott Perry is the president of moving and logistics at Suddath, a leading moving and logistics provider for over a century. At Suddath, Scott leads multiple lines of business, each of them responsible for thousands of ground, air and ocean shipments carrying millions of products on any given day. Scott is an astute leader with more than 30 years’ logistics experience, including international freight forwarding, domestic transportation and freight management, warehousing, distribution and fulfilment, as well as more complex domestic and global supply chain management. He is experienced with next-generation technology, including product management, strategy and integration of new technology into existing systems. Prior to joining Suddath, Scott served as Chief Operating Officer at Nikola Motor Company. Prior to that, he was Chief Technology and Procurement Officer for Ryder System, Inc.’s Fleet Management Solutions division, where he worked for more than 26 years in various operational and functional leadership roles in logistics and transportation. Scott holds an MBA from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Liberal Arts degree in sustainability from Harvard University.
About Suddath
Suddath, a trusted name in moving and logistics for over a century, has grown into a $650 million diverse and global company of brands. Our 2,000 passionate employees provide tailored solutions and expert insights with the highest levels of customer care in more than 180 countries around the world. With 58 locations and 3.5 million square feet of warehouse space in the U.S., Suddath moves more than 84,000 households annually, including 38,000 military families, and is North America’s largest commercial mover.
Key Takeaways: The Logistics of Customer Experience
- Companies are increasingly trying to differentiate their product or service by delivering a superior customer experience.
- That customer experience is often outsourced to transportation and logistics companies, who traditionally have not focused on customer experience.
- Customer expectations have risen dramatically in recent years because of Amazon doing such a good job on home delivery.
- Suddath’s unique heritage in both logistics and residential moving has given them practical insights into the customer experience.
- In the interview, Scott Perry explains what it takes to deliver a customer experience that meets and exceeds expectations.
- People and culture - The customer experience is delivered by the frontline people in the organization so those people must be taken care of. At Suddath, they have developed a culture that truly values employees. The values are reflected in the company’s commitment to employee health & safety, sustainability, social responsibility, and community development.
- Technology – Customers expect to receive updates and visibility via technology whether it is a full truck delivering to a retailer or a shipment delivering to a home.
- Resources – The logistics provider needs to a certain level of control over the resources (people, trucks, and warehouses) that are responsible for delivering the customer experience. While Suddath has many valued partners, they also own their own trucks and warehouses so they can be counted on even in difficult times.
- Resilience – The pandemic has reinforced the importance of resilient supply chains. Many shippers who focused on price alone found that their carriers could not be counted on when things got tough. Suddath has been in business for over a century, through economic turmoil, wars, pandemics, regulatory changes, etc. so resilience is in their DNA.