What Should Technology Do for the Agent?

Just like in the broader economy, the mobility industry is being disrupted. Shipments are getting smaller, reducing revenue potential; consumers spoiled by Uber and Amazon have higher expectations for a moving service; mobility patterns are changing due to disruptions caused by COVID-19. What is clear is that operating the same way as we did 10 years ago is going to have a negative impact on your profitability and on your customer’s experience.

In this new changing landscape, you can work less and do better by using technology as leverage to increase profitability and provide a customer experience that reflects well on your brand. The software solution you choose should not just be a line expense on your P&L. Your technology solution must include ways to book more volume, reduce headcount and enable new low-cost models for staffing sales and operations. Selecting the right technology and provider will enable you to reduce escalation, prevent mistakes, improve productivity and create trust with transparency.

Technology creates an opportunity to rethink how you prepare your business to handle change. With technology, you can transition from an expensive outside sales model to an inside sales model, while improving close rates. For example, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to cube your pre-move surveys saves time for your most valuable resource—your best sales agents and bookers. Those agents are now able to work on more leads, have more time to focus on customer communication, and increase bookings. Sending self-survey links via text message and email for all leads coming through your website reduces the no-contact rate and increases opportunities for booked jobs.

Data entry errors cost time, energy, and money. In today’s operations, information for a single shipment is fragmented, which leads to increased headcount just to handle deficiencies. The data and documents are held in numerous places with different suppliers. Technology that incorporates AI can provide consistency by sharing shipment data seamlessly to improve efficiency and be an arbitrator of truth.

Data becomes transparent—it is visible to all parties and is updated in real time. Supplying the driver with accurate information and the necessary pre-planning tools to determine crew and equipment requirements helps reduce problems. The right technology (e.g., a clear audit trail through the chain of custody) should also provide you the ability to measure, monitor, and track all core metrics of your business and enable continuous modification to improve these metrics.

Achieving the benefits of such a technology is not complicated. You need to be receptive to experiencing the efficiencies that strong AI technology can have on your moving process, be willing to replace and update legacy systems with an integrated approach, and have the desire to grow your business while enabling your team to do more with less.

At Yembo, we strongly believe the right technology partner should be able to deliver on the following:

• Incorporate AI throughout the move process to run your business more efficiently and enable lower-cost staffing models;

• Vertically integrate the various parts of the moving process and provide an audit trail through the chain of custody that eliminates mistakes; and

• Provide a modern experience that not just meets but exceeds customer expectations.

This is the sure-fire solution to future-proof your business. With the right technology partner, you allow the transformation currently happening in our industry to work in your favor and put yourself in the driver’s seat to reap the rewards.