There aren’t many bells and whistles on Roberts Express’ Web site (www.roberts.com). In fact, if you’re looking to log on to order a pick-up or to get a price quote, you may be disappointed.
But most of Roberts’ customers are far from disappointed. The company prides itself on satisfied customers. That’s because the $200 million company has poured its IT resources into technology that its customers won’t ever see on a computer screen. But they will be aware of it when, for instance, their phone calls are answered in less than two seconds.
In fact, sales dollar for dollar, Roberts spends twice as much as its competitors do on technology, says Joel Childs, Roberts’ vice president of marketing.
“The question is not, ‘Are you state of the art?’” Childs says. “The question is, ‘Do you have the right systems, from the standpoint of customer needs and cost structure?’”
Roberts Express specializes in providing fast, precise transportation services to a wide variety of mostly infrequent customers. Unlike UPS, or Roberts’ parent company, FedEx, there is no typical Roberts customer.
“A good customer for us is 10 to 12 times a year,” Childs says.
An average shipment size is 4,000 pounds. Examples of shipments Roberts has made include emergency NASA deliveries, automotive parts needed to keep assembly lines running, and once, a forgotten slide carousel needed for an important presentation.
Roberts works with a network of independent contractors who operate more than 2,000 vehicles throughout the United States and Canada. Roberts’ intricate computer systems allow its customer service agents, based in Akron, to give customers an exact pick-up time (deliveries are guaranteed to arrive within 15 minutes of the quoted time) and price when the order comes in.
Roberts’ trucks are installed with satellites and computers, so dispatchers know where each truck is at any given time. When an order is placed, a dispatcher sends a query to the computer-selected driver, complete with a job description, including what the job will pay. If the driver accepts the job, the dispatcher follows up with directions and special instructions. Every transaction is made via computer.
The average call time for the customer is 3.5 minutes.
Joe Greulich, Roberts’ MIS director, explains the company’s investment in that crucial behind-the-scenes technology: “You’re having a heart attack. I’ll give you my PC, or I’ll give you my phone. You can choose which one to use to get the ambulance. I’d say, get on the phone and dial 9-1-1. And our customers are largely telling us that, too.”
“Some of our customers measure their downtime in thousands of dollars a minute,” adds Childs.
In 1988, when Greulich left Wang Computers to lead Roberts’ IT department, there were seven IT employees. Now, there are 30 in his department, and technologists in several other departments.
Roberts’ management has always understood the importance of investing in technology, Greulich says.
“In the ’80s, when I first came here, there was a phone and computer on every desk. That was not common then — but it showed their commitment to technology.”
Now the company has 500 computers, or 1.1 per employee. In one room, 16 test computers are set up for IT employees to experiment with new technology.
It’s not that Roberts’ management doesn’t see the advantages in having a useful Web site. In fact, the site now offers Web-based tracking services for customers through its Customer Link Tracing System. With a password, customers can click on and get real-time status reports on where their shipment is.
Greulich’s department is also testing a program that will quote delivery prices on the Web. He expects it to be up and running within a few months.
The key, emphasizes Childs, is to offer Web-based services that respond to customer needs.
“If it’s not customer-driven, it’s not smart,” he says. “Just because I think it’s a great way to do it, what’s it going to do for the customer?”
Childs gives the example of the Web site and the voice response unit offered by his bank.
“I know who’s efficiency was considered when they designed the system. It was not necessarily the customer’s,” he says.
“The challenge for us, to put things out on the Internet, is to make it very simple for our customers so they don’t have to know a lot,” says Greulich. “The program can know a lot for them. That’s what we’re struggling with now: To make it simple for our customers.”
As far as the Internet is concerned, Childs says, “It’s going to be a longer process for us. A lot of things have to happen. The key is, the customer is where it matters. The customer is going to have the choice.
“If you want to do it by phone, that’s fine. If you want to do it through the Web, that’s fine, too. You pick.”
How to reach: Roberts Express, (800) 762-3787 or www.roberts.com
Connie Swenson ([email protected]) is editor of SBN.