Quarterly staff engagement surveys, together with international exchanges are helping us to create a better work place, with the most positive culture, while reducing staff turnover and increasing productivity. In building a better work environment, we are enhancing customer relationships, with fulfilled employees that are our best advocates.

When we are truly engaged at work we become more energised and effective, often going beyond what’s expected of us and positively influencing those around us, which includes both colleagues and customers.

Employee engagement directly impacts business operations and performance, but it also helps leaders understand their employees' needs, as well as identifying ways to improve morale and create better work environments, to better serve their customers.

Good employee survey response rates are between 70-80%, while anything above 90% is considered exceptional (source; PeopleInsight). Metro’s latest staff engagement survey achieved a 95% response rate.

Aggregated across eight work-related areas and 19 topics, Metro feedback ranked above industry benchmarks in every recorded area, with overall engagement scores 16% above benchmark and teamwork scores that are almost 50% above benchmark.

Site visits - and particularly international trips - provide insight, context, and understanding that cannot be achieved at the desk, and employees who know that management is concerned about them as a whole person are more productive, satisfied, and fulfilled, and satisfied employees mean satisfied customers.

Management, team leaders and operational staff from our new Chennai office have spent time at our Birmingham Global HQ, with three groups joining their UK colleagues for training and collaboration.

At the same time UK personnel have been embedded in India, to provide systems training, with further tranches following in the summer, to share best practice, insight and understanding. 

Paul Moss, Metro’s Head of HR, “Regular anonymous staff surveys help us to track and understand what our employees need, as well as identifying ways to improve morale and create a better work environment. Our engaged team work harder because they like what they do and really do care about customers, consistently going ‘above and beyond’ to ensure our clients have a great experience.”

“With 61 dedicated professionals now stationed in our Chennai office, our overseas colleagues have become an integral part of our service provision across various areas. Their presence allows us to provide round-the-clock coverage and assistance, ensuring uninterrupted support to our valued clients.”

“By nurturing a global network of talented individuals, we are proud to expand our reach and deliver exceptional service worldwide. This collaborative approach exemplifies our commitment to delivering unparalleled value and support to our customers, now and in the future.”

The UK’s only dedicated conference and exhibition for freight, logistics and supply chain – Multimodal – returns to Birmingham’s NEC centre on 13th - 15th June, for its 16th edition, with Metro a finalist in their trade awards.

The Multimodal Awards recognise excellence in air, road, rail, maritime, and freight forwarding (3PL), with finalists nominated and voted for by the industry, for the industry, through an independent awards nomination and voting system.

Metro has been shortlisted in the ‘3PL of the year’ category.

Grant Liddell, Metro’s managing director, “To be short-listed for any award, but particularly by your peers, is always a fantastic accolade. It is further recognition of our amazing team’s hard work, dedication, and expertise, all of whom are committed to delivering outstanding customer service and innovation.”

“Multimodal is an important event in our trade calendar, and we are delighted that Metro has been nominated for 3PL of the year, in their awards. It is a clear endorsement of our solutions and customer-centric approach, but we are acutely aware that nothing can be taken for granted and we wish all our fellow nominees the best of luck, while we very much look forward to the outcome of the public vote.”

Award winners will be announced at a gala dinner at the VOX Conference Centre located at Resorts Worlds, Birmingham, on the evening of 13th June, hosted by automotive journalist and TV personality Vicki Butler-Henderson on the first day of Multimodal 2023.

WE WELCOME YOUR SUPPORT AND WOULD VERY MUCH APPRECIATE YOUR VOTE FOR METRO, 3PL OF THE YEAR. SIMPLY CLICK HERE AND FOLLOW THE ON-SCREEN INSTRUCTIONS.

Our focus has always been on building long-term, mutually-rewarding relationships, built on understanding. Gathering regular feedback from you provides us with the insights we need to drive the future decisions that will help us maintain a truly customer orientated business.

Satisfied and happy customers are our complete focus, because that is the glue that keeps our relationship strong and regular customer surveys are not only an excellent tool to understand customer needs, they highlight issues that should be addressed. They help us differentiate the Metro brand and create and introduce new bespoke services and platforms, designed around our clients’ needs and requirements in an ever changing logistics market and global environment.

We understand how busy our customers are, which is why we make our customer surveys so quick and easy to complete, with the latest version comprising just ten questions, which could be completed in a couple of minutes.

Thank you for your time and considerations in answering ten questions that explore expectations for 2023, Metro’s performance and the relevance of these eNewsletters.

Your feedback will help us:

• Manage our carrier relationships
• Plan manning levels
• Launch new services
• Communicate effectively with customers
• Prioritise technical development 

1. Half of responding customers expect freight volumes to increase in 2023, compared to 2022, with a third expecting values to stay the same  and just 16% anticipating a reduction.

2. While it is gratifying that more than 83% of survey responders rate Metro’s service above competitors, we are not complacent, because we know that keeping our customers’ support is the most important factor for continued success. Our aim is always 100%, which we will endeavour to achieve. The balance of 17% of the responses to this question advised that we were equal to other providers.

3. Almost one in five customers scored Metro as the market Leader in technology, customer service and innovation, with 80% affirming that we are agile, professional and enjoyable to work with.

4. We are so pleased that no one is anticipating a big drop in demand, with a third of Metro customers anticipating stable business performance in 2023 and the remainder expecting increases in demand, market growth and new market expansion.

5. Our question on traffic flows for 2023 did draw a mixed response, with two thirds predicting a stable year, or demand spikes. A quarter expect a slow start to the year with a busy second half, or final quarter. Just over 8% expect a strong start falling away through the summer with a peak in the final quarter, and 4% think traffic flows will deteriorate if we head into recession. 

6. The Metro eNewsletter is read avidly by a quarter, while well over a half read stories of interest and 16% read the occasional article.

7. While two thirds of respondents said that eNewsletter content quality and relevance was about right, and just over 20% find some relevance and interest in all content, we are not complacent because 4% only find a story of interest and relevance very rarely.

8. We asked you where freight forwarding should be innovating and your responses provide valuable insights for our technical development plannings. Exactly half want to see enhancements in track and trace and predictive ETA’s, 20% see value in on-line pricing and document portals, 16% in on-line spot quote tools and booking confirmations and 12% would like to digitise and automate trade documentation 

9. Only 4% of respondents are not currently considering the environmental impact of their supply chain, with 80% considering the issue important and very important and the remaining 16% seeing it as a definite future consideration.

10. Our final question, which asked for feedback on our logistics platforms, knowledge distribution, client management, or overall performance, gathered 100% positive responses.

Haven’t responded? You can still have your say and participate in our latest customers survey, buy clicking HERE  

We would like to thank you for your participation in this survey and hope that you find the analysis as interesting and informative as we have. We value all feedback and comments and will use them to make necessary adjustments, so that that we continue to meet, and ideally exceed, expectations and requirements within your supply chain and logistics platforms. Through innovation, passion and our pride in what we do for you, we will ensure that your business continues to flourish.