In this episode, we have invited Rob Light, founder and CEO of Carrier Source. Their goal is to give carriers a better marketing environment by providing a service that collects actual human reviews to ensure the benefits of the reviews. In today’s episode, Rob will talk about how Carrier Source started, the processes made, and the advantages it serves for freight carriers.
How Rob Started Carrier Source
[1:41]
Carrier Source collects reviews of freight carriers from shippers and brokers. The reason they do this is so that carriers can better build a reputation. Currently, carriers face many negative reviews and reports from mechanisms such as TIA watchdog reports and google reviews, which no one trusts. Thus, it hinders their business a little bit. That is the gap Rob is hoping to fill.
[2:25]
Rob worked at a company called G2 for a long time. They covered reviews of software products. They thought to bring this over to the logistics space and create the Carrier Source because carriers don't have an opportunity to gain positive recognition to share with the world who they are or market themselves.
Legitimate Human Reviews
[4:36]
Rob said that they take a lot of pride in their data quality. First and foremost, Google reviews can sometimes read a little sketchy, and you're not sure who's writing that review. On the other hand, Carrier Source has a pretty thorough moderation process. They have a human being read every review that comes through to ensure that the review is helpful to a potential broker or shipper looking to hire that carrier.
Incentivizing on the Carrier Side
[7:58]
A lot of the information that Carrier Source is collecting in these reviews could be found by anybody if they called up the carrier, especially regarding equipment, shipment, or where they're running their preferred lanes. It is just a matter of picking up the phone and giving them a call.
[8:54]
They do hope to unlock the data a little bit. It's considered proprietary in the logistics space, but it's not even the broker's data. It's the information on the carrier itself.
Freight Carriers Profile
[9:48]
Every freight carrier has a profile out there that is federally registered. It's free to come in and claim your profile page so you can sign up. Carriers can do marketing to start. You can input equipment and shipping type, any specialized services you provide, regions, states, or lanes you're running. Then you can also write a description of your business. It's a great way to promote the services that you provide, explain why you're a great carrier, and encourage brokers and shippers to give you a call.
Negative Reviews
[14:45]
Carrier source offers the opportunity to follow up and respond to reviews since a negative review is an amazing opportunity for any company. Because you can respond to it, you can show what type of customer support you have and what type of Customer Service you have, and in an industry where the power dynamics are heavy towards certain sides and specific times, it's a real opportunity to kind of take the high road in certain instances.
[16:19]
Only one response is allowed to avoid having a forum going back and forth. But you can have that one response, and it's your opportunity to shine through a potentially negative review.
You can check out Blythe on https://everythingislogistics.com/ or follow her directly on her socials: