Quality Customer Service - Real People, Real Trust

A customer needs medical equipment to travel from Europe to the U.S. However, the equipment is oversized and hazardous – and many people are quick to say that it can’t be shipped on a container vessel.

Jan van Seijen, an APL Customer Service Representative in Rotterdam, thinks otherwise. Working with APL’s hazardous cargo group, oversized cargo department and vessel-stowage team, he comes up with a solution – a flat rack container placed in a special spot on the ship. The result: the equipment arrives ‘just-in-time’ for installation at a hospital in the U.S., allowing the customer to achieve his business objectives.

The kind of commitment translates into close business relationships with customers. “I’m not the biggest exporter in the world, but APL makes me feel I am,” says Brian Autenrieth Company in Southern California.

Alicia Murphy explains her motivation as an APL Customer Service Representative in Denver, Colorado, “At APL, we really don’t want to let people down. I know I’m going to talk to my customer tomorrow, and he’s going to remember if I came through for him today.”

“We don’t have to deal with the same issue twice,” says Joe Discher of BDP, a freight forwarder on the U.S. East Coast. “If I ask APL to handle something, I can rest assured it will get done. I have nothing but praise for APL’s customer service.”

Take the case where a container of fireworks has arrived in Manila according to schedule, but the dangerous goods cannot be discharged as La Mancha Productions has not received official approval for the International Fireworks Display event it is organizing. If it does not get the fireworks in time, the whole event is in peril – and it’s just three days away.

Fortunately, Melanie Bitancur, APL’s Customer Service Representative in Manila, is there to save the day. She quickly makes arrangements for the shipment to go on to Batangas port and coordinates with her operations colleague to help the consignee get the necessary documentation. The container is discharged in Batangas and trucked back to Manila, just in time for the show – to the grateful thanks of the customer.

Each day, scores of APL customer service representatives like Melanie help customers with issues ranging from customs clearances to ‘hot’ cargo that needs expediting. They do it with commitment, efficiency and a personal touch that has long set the benchmark for this industry and is also the envy of many others.

K Nakamura, Managing Director of Sony Supply Chain Solutions Asia Pacific, shares his observations. “APL’s customer service is absolutely in a class of its own. We’ve been partnering with APL for over a decade and its representatives are always actively working towards ensuring that we meet our objectives, sometimes going beyond their responsibility.”

Ralf Struckman, Manager Logistics Material/Parts International, Stuttgart, Germany, echoes those thoughts, “DaimlerChrysler is a large multinational company with multiple business units and demanding service requirements. APL has consistently provided us with transportation reliability, excellent customer service, cutting-edge technology and a collaborative, partnership approach.”

Not only has APL’s excellence in customer service won praises from clients around the world, it has consistently emerged tops in industry studies and customer polls conducted independently by publications and research consultants.

APL also receives customer awards as recognition for delivering top service standards both in and outside of the industry. For instance, for over a decade, APL has consecutively been awarded the “Supplier of the Year” title by Baxter Healthcare SA, Singapore Branch. This is indeed a strong testament to our high and consistent level of service quality and our commitment to move your business forward.