The client is always right – the core of client centricity

Expert Contributor by Jacek Mainka, Business Manager, Radial EU

In today’s highly competitive and interconnected marketplace, client centricity is no longer just a buzzword. It’s a strategic imperative. At its core, client centricity means placing the client at the center of every business decision, from strategy development to daily operations.

Radial operates in a very complex ecosystem. Here, understanding the needs, goals, and challenges of our business clients is essential. They depend on us, as their partners, not just for operational support, but for strategic contributions that enhance their own offerings and their own, end-customers’ experiences.

A client-centric mindset involves:

Radial exemplifies client centricity in ecommerce and omnichannel fulfillment. From offering personalized technology solutions to anticipating logistical challenges, we focus on empowering clients to meet and exceed their customers’ expectations. By doing so, we not only address clients’ operational needs but also help them build their own customer-centric capabilities.

At Radial, our approach goes beyond simply offering core services like fulfillment and transportation, services that many competitors also provide. What sets us apart is our unwavering focus on building these services entirely around the needs of each individual client. We dare to challenge the idea of standard solutions or fixed price lists. Instead, we craft tailored, comprehensive offerings designed specifically for each client. This client-centric approach allows us to deliver value that directly addresses the unique challenges and goals of our partner businesses.

Our process begins with a thorough analysis of the client’s business. We delve into their current operations, growth plans, and pain points—both present and anticipated. By understanding the full picture, we can identify how Radial’s solutions can address their specific needs. Whether that’s streamlining existing processes or preparing for future challenges.

From there, our Solution Design and Engineering teams get to work, developing a logistics process proposal with a focus on optimizing costs and boosting productivity. The result is a process designed to fit seamlessly into the client’s operations while maximizing efficiency and value.

Next, our Transport team builds a custom transportation process, whether the client requires B2C or B2B services, pallet shipments, parcel lockers, or any combination of these. The flexibility and precision of our transport solutions ensure that clients receive exactly what they need to succeed.

Finally, we ensure a smooth transition through onboarding and hypercare support. Our teams remain closely engaged during implementation, ensuring that the process functions effectively and addressing any challenges that arise during the critical initial period.

At every stage, our culture of client centricity shines through. By prioritizing tailored solutions and proactive collaboration, Radial ensures that our clients receive more than just services. They gain a true partner dedicated to their success.

At Radial, we believe that building strong, individualized relationships with our clients is fundamental to delivering exceptional service. Each client is assigned to a dedicated Account Manager (AM), who acts as the central point of contact for all aspects of the day-to-day business relationship. The AM oversees the contract, services, quality and pricing while managing regular communication to ensure seamless collaboration.

The Account Manager’s role extends beyond operational oversight. They participate in operational meetings, organize Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs), and present critical performance metrics such as SLAs and KPIs, ensuring transparency and alignment. For clients operating across multiple sites, the AM serves as a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) across Europe and the UK. This simplifies communication and provides a unified perspective on Radial’s services. Additionally, the AM takes the lead in presenting proposals for new products or services requested by the client and oversees their smooth implementation.

To further strengthen the relationship, clients benefit from a dedicated warehouse team. The team includes key personnel like Team Leaders and Logistics Coordinators. It ensures that the client’s operations are managed with the highest level of care and expertise, providing a tailored approach to their specific requirements.

Our commitment to client relationships goes all the way to the top of the organization. Senior Management, including the CEO, COO, and CTO, is actively involved in client relationships. They attend interim meetings and stay informed about each client account. This high-level engagement ensures that our leadership remains attuned to the quality of service, ongoing initiatives, and any challenges that may arise.

To maintain this high standard of client focus, Radial prioritizes hiring and investing in people who share our vision of client centricity. This ensures our teams are aligned with our philosophy of tailoring solutions, rather than adhering to a rigid, product-centric approach. We focus on continuously developing our team members, fostering a culture that thrives on collaboration, innovation, and a shared commitment.

At Radial, we embrace the ethos that “the client is always right.” This mindset permeates every level of our organization, driving us to adapt and innovate continually.

At Radial, quality is at the core of everything we do. As a leading logistics operator, we take pride in consistently delivering services that meet or exceed our clients’ expectations. This commitment is formalized through our contracts, where we guarantee the achievement of specific SLAs (Service Level Agreements) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) target levels.

To maintain the highest standards, we prioritize ongoing investment in both our operations and those of our clients. Our focus on development ensures that we stay ahead of industry trends and consistently improve the logistics processes we manage. Key areas of investment include:

Our ability to support client growth is unparalleled. We offer high scalability, ensuring that as our clients expand, their logistics operations remain seamless. Whether it’s additional storage capacity or increased workforce support, we’re always prepared to scale in response to their needs.

One of our standout achievements is the development of the Client portal. This cutting-edge platform provides clients with full visibility into their logistics operations. Through the portal, clients can access both current and historical data on:

As of this year, we’ve taken transparency to the next level by presenting real-time core SLAs, such as On-time shipping. Soon, additional metrics like Outbound Accuracy will also be available in real time. This innovation empowers clients to monitor their operations with unparalleled precision and respond proactively to any emerging challenges.

Quality at Radial isn’t just about data. It’s about dialogue. We engage in regular discussions with clients to review their performance metrics, identify opportunities for improvement, and align our strategies.

Combining innovative technology, scalable solutions, and transparent communication we consistently deliver quality that drives measurable results for our clients.

This year, we launched the Continuous Improvements initiative, a proactive effort to identify areas where we can enhance our services. By focusing on potential developments, we aim to boost productivity, streamline processes, and even create opportunities for cost optimization.

At Radial, client satisfaction is not just a metric. It is the cornerstone of our business philosophy and a key driver of long-term success. We regularly measure our clients’ satisfaction with the services we provide, our level of support, and the quality of daily interactions using Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys. The results are reported internally within the Radial group and externally to our parent company, bpost. In our most recent survey for Q3 2024, an impressive 41% of responses rated us a perfect “10,” reflecting the strength of our relationships and the value we deliver.

We firmly believe that achieving high levels of client satisfaction is critical for ensuring business continuity, financial success, and mutual growth. Satisfied clients are not only more likely to stay with us, they also form the backbone of our long-term partnerships. Many of our clients have been with us for over a decade, a testament to the trust and reliability we’ve cultivated. Remarkably, in our history, no client has left Radial due to dissatisfaction with service quality – a record we are deeply proud of.

This initiative underscores our dedication to exceeding our clients’ expectations. It’s a shared mission that unites our teams and drives our ongoing commitment to excellence.