In today’s society, it’s more important than ever to have visibility built into the operations of your moving business. With the 24-hour news cycle and social media, a single mistake can quickly spiral out of control and damage your company’s reputation.

That’s why it’s so important to have a plan in place to ensure that your customers always know what’s going on with their personal effects. With customers so accustomed to visibility in all they do (think Amazon, Uber Eats, and other last-mile tracking), consumers are demanding more visibility when it comes to moving. Here’s a look at why visibility is so important and how you can win consumer confidence by ensuring that they’re always in the loop.

The Foundation of Customer Relationships Is Trust—And That Starts With Transparency

Thanks to eCommerce and other “at your fingertips” services, your customers are now demanding the ability to track their belongings at all times. They also want estimated delivery dates so they can plan their lives around the arrival of their container.

This tracking should be available online and updated in real time so that your customers always have the most up-to-date information. By being transparent about the location of your customer’s personal effects, you’ll build trust and respect—the foundation of any good customer relationship.

Technology Can Help You Achieve Supply Chain Visibility—But It Takes More Than That

In order to achieve true visibility, you need to have the right technology in place. Gone are the days of including a GPS tracking device in your shipments to keep tabs on your containers. Now, the best way to track is by integrating your operations with an online platform that has built relationships with the ocean carriers and can aggregate the data received and marry it with your inputs for a clear, trackable packet of information that can be automated and delivered to your customers in real-time.

Technology alone isn’t enough—you also need well-trained personnel who know how to use it effectively. Your team needs to be able to quickly identify and resolve any issues that may arise. Automated workflows and notifications should be available on the platform you choose, so there is no double handling and direct 1:1 customer communications are kept to a minimum.

Visibility is critical for any business that values customer confidence and trust, especially in the moving industry. By being transparent about the location of your customer’s belongings and investing in the latest technologies, you are setting yourself up for glowing reviews, positive results, and a strong foundation to garner repeat work.