Despite huge efforts to enhance reliability, container shipping lines are confronted with complaints by exporters, importers and freight forwarders about the quality of their services.
Nearly all of the liner carriers put a lot of efforts in the reliability of their service netwo[ds_preview]rk, knowing that this is one of the most important factors in todays fierce competition. However, this is obviously not as successful as planned. A survey of maritime consultancy Drewry and the European Shippers` council (ESC) reveals that the service quality is described as poor to average. Furthermore, it has deteriorated in the past year, it was announced today.
The ESC and Drewry contacted several hundred shippers and forwarders from all over the world in March 2017 and asked them how satisfied they were with 16 price and non-price related attributes of the services provided by ocean carriers. The survey also looked into areas most in need of improvement and how quality varies by type of carrier.
»We see that shippers want to be treated not only as customers, but also as partners. In times when supply chains are becoming more and more complex, partnership is of key importance and unfortunately it is missing,«
Fabien Becquelin, Maritime Policy Manager at ESC.
According to the survey, on a scale of 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied), customers on average did not rate carriers higher than 3.3 for any of the 16 service attributes. The three areas of service or price in which shippers and forwarders were the most dissatisfied with were »carrier financial stability«, »quality of customer service« and »reliability of booking/cargo shipped as booked«. At the other end of the spectrum, the three areas where they were the most satisfied were »price of service«, »accurate documentation« and »quality of equipment (containers)«.
»We see that shippers want to be treated not only as customers, but also as partners, when discussing their container transport requirements. In times when supply chains are becoming more and more complex, partnership is of key importance and unfortunately it is missing,« said Fabien Becquelin, Maritime Policy Manager at ESC. »Comparing transport modes, the air freight industry is suffering from similar problems to the container shipping industry, but it came to the conclusion that partnership is the only way out and is reaching out to the shippers,« Becquelin added.
»Shippers and forwarders clearly see the necessity for the carrier industry to invest in IT and to balance the needs for cost competitiveness and for more predictability and reliability,« said Philip Damas, head of the logistics practice of Drewry.
