4 CX Winning Moves in Supply Chain
As demands for speed, visibility, and convenience intensify, customer experience has moved from a nice-to-have to a defining market advantage. Here’s how to boost your CX score.
Supply chain stakeholders are zeroing in on customer experience (CX) as a key way to stand out in an uncertain and volatile marketplace. “Leaders across the supply chain are putting more focus on customer experience because it has become a key differentiator in today’s unpredictable market,” says Kent Williams, executive vice president, sales and marketing, at transportation services provider Averitt.
“At the same time, shifting tariffs, global trade disruptions, and rising customer expectations are forcing companies to think differently about service,” he adds.
From providers who support shippers, to shippers who serve business customers and consumers, to technology companies that provide solutions to retailers and carriers, companies across the industry are putting customer experience front and center.
Averitt’s Centralized Customer Service at its Cookeville, Tennessee, call center, provides around-the-clock service to shippers, responding to calls in an average of four seconds.
“In today’s market, rising customer expectations, digital transparency, and the demand for faster, more personalized service are pushing supply chain leaders to rethink their approach. CX is no longer a nice-to-have, it’s a competitive differentiator,” says Sanjee Vethanayagam, president of 123Loadboard, which counts carriers as well as shippers and brokers as their customers.
Here are four ways to boost CX in your supply chain.
1. Embed CX in your core Mission.
“Customer experience must be at the heart of any strategy,” says Vethanayagam. “Steve Jobs famously built the iPhone and its ecosystem with the customer experience as the guiding principle. When we begin by solving real customer problems and build ecosystems that deliver genuine value, revenue follows.”
In short, start with the customer as your why.
For example, Cardinal Health OptiFreight Logistics, which provides healthcare shipping and logistics management strategies, “operates in a customer-first mindset,” says Emily Gallo, senior vice president/general manager with the provider whose clients include labs, pharmacies, and hospitals.
“Our customers are at the center of our strategy from the beginning,” she says. “We invest the time to listen to our customers and uncover new challenges they’re facing, whether that be through research, our annual customer survey, or gathering real-time feedback as part of our agile product development approach.”
2. Emulate Amazon.
In addition to aiming for Apple’s CX design mindset, set your sights on Amazon-like visibility into shipments.
For example, in rail transportation, different carriers, schedules, and unexpected delays have historically hampered visibility. But “the rail industry has long aimed to deliver an ‘Amazon-like’ experience, giving customers full visibility of shipments from origin to destination with accurate arrival times,” says Leah Windell, customer service manager at the Louisville & Indiana Railroad, which is improving visibility with its new transportation platform.
“The solution brings us closer than ever to that goal,” she says. “While still evolving, it has already improved shipment visibility and enhanced the customer experience.”
Like transportation providers, manufacturers must deliver “Amazon- and Uber-like experiences—easy, transparent, and predictable” for industrial buyers, says Klaus Andersen, CEO of buyer-engagement platform provider Tacton.
“Adopting a buyer-centric model is a full-scale transformation. It requires cross-functional collaboration, connected systems, and a mindset that places the buyer experience at the center of every decision,” says Andersen.
He recommends integrating systems and data across sales, engineering, production, and logistics so decisions align with the buyer’s priorities (reliability, speed, and transparency); using AI and analytics to move from reactive operations to proactive, data-driven planning; and collaborating with suppliers and logistics partners across the value chain.
3. Adjust offerings in response to input.
Refining your products based on customer feedback and market trends is another surefire way to boost CX. And one thing customers want is convenience.
“Shippers make it clear they want self-service payment options that allow them to pay by credit card or ACH without needing to contact customer service,” says Ben Wiesen, president of Carrier Logistics Inc.
In response, the provider of freight management software launched FACTSPay, an online payment tool integrated within the FACTS TMS, enabling self-service, less-than-truckload (LTL) freight payments. While improving the payment experience for shippers, the solution can also streamline billing and collections for carriers.
Digital freight matching marketplace 123Loadboard also takes customer feedback into account. “We continuously refine our platform based on user feedback,” says Vethanayagam.“For example, based on recent feedback, we improved load filtering and enhanced mobile functionality to make the experience more intuitive.”
While convenience and ease are mainstays on the list of top customer wants, reliability and flexibility joined the list in 2025. “Regardless of size or scope—from small and mid-sized shippers with straightforward moves to large enterprises managing complex global supply chains—our customers all look for reliability and flexibility,” says Averitt’s Williams.
“Recently, we acted on feedback from customers seeking ways to navigate tariff uncertainty by opening up more of our distribution and fulfillment space,” he says. “This allows them to pull inventory forward, store it closer to demand, and ship product as orders drop.”
Another recurring customer request is guidance on artificial intelligence. “Our customers tell us they need to deploy AI fast and at scale, but they also need trusted data to ensure confidence in AI-driven insights,” says Jen Chew, vice president of solutions and consulting for Bristlecone, which serves enterprises across CPG, retail, manufacturing, technology, and life sciences.
“These organizations, which see supply chain as a true differentiator, are looking for guidance on how to redefine processes and rethink organizational structures to capture that value,” she notes.
4. Use technology to be more human-centric.
“Companies must take two seemingly opposing actions simultaneously: deploy more advanced technology while becoming more human- and experience-centric,” says Chew.
“On the technology side, this means greater investment in data, advanced analytics, and customer-specific insights,” she says. “On the experience side, it means more personalization, AI-driven anticipation of delivery issues, proactive resolution, and human follow-ups powered by AI-enabled context from recent interactions.”
For example, DHL Group is accelerating its enterprise-wide AI strategy through a new partnership between its contract logistics division, DHL Supply Chain, and AI startup HappyRobot. DHL Group is deploying agentic AI to streamline operational communication and enhance both CX and employee engagement.
DHL Supply Chain has already utilized HappyRobot’s AI agents across several regions and use cases, including appointment scheduling, driver follow-up calls, and high-priority warehouse coordination. These agents autonomously handle phone and email interactions, enabling faster and more consistent communication. By automating high-volume workflows, AI agents help DHL employees deliver more customer-centric services.
“It’s about understanding customers’ goals, pain points, and challenges, then building solutions for them,” says Williams. “For us, that means being easy to do business with, communicating clearly, and delivering consistency across every solution so customers feel supported no matter what’s changing around them.”
Aiming to boost CX and employee engagement, DHL Supply Chain expanded its partnership with AI startup HappyRobot to automate routine communication across global operations.
A Customer-Centric Supply Chain Is…
“…one where every stakeholder in the logistics process is treated as a valued customer.”
–Sanjee Vethanayagam, President, 123Loadboard
“…a demand-driven system that aligns a complete end-to-end solution from sourcing and production to distribution in delivering maximum value through convenience and responsiveness to the end user.”
–Michele McGinnis, CEO, MiKargo247.com
“…designed from the customer’s perspective. It shifts focus away from purely quarterly sales and operations planning cycles and instead works backward from customer expectations.”
–Jen Chew, VP, Solutions and Consulting, Bristlecone