ACI Logistix Customer Service — Expert Guide for Shippers and Partners

Customer Service Philosophy and Organizational Structure

ACI Logistix customer service should be designed around rapid resolution, operational transparency, and partnership-driven continuous improvement. In mature logistics providers, the customer service function integrates tightly with operations, IT, and sales to ensure a single source of truth for shipment status, billing, claims, and performance reporting. Expect dedicated roles such as Customer Success Manager (CSM), Operations Coordinator, Claims Specialist, and Technology Support, with clear responsibilities mapped to client SLAs.

Structurally, a best-practice approach separates tactical tickets from strategic account management: a 24/7 helpdesk or distributed follow-the-sun support handles immediate exceptions, while the CSM manages quarterly business reviews (QBRs), KPIs, and contract amendments. For mid-market and enterprise customers, firms typically allocate a named CSM for accounts above a revenue threshold (commonly $30k–$100k annual spend), ensuring proactive improvement plans rather than purely reactive ticket handling.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

KPIs translate customer service activity into measurable outcomes. Good logistics customer service uses a mix of operational and service metrics to balance speed, accuracy, and customer satisfaction. Metrics should be reported weekly and consolidated into monthly and quarterly scorecards for transparency and action planning.

• First Response Time — Target: urgent inquiries within 1 hour; standard inquiries within 4 business hours.
• Issue Resolution Time — Target: 80% of exceptions resolved within 48 hours; 95% within 7 days for non-complex cases.
• Order Accuracy — Target: ≥99.5% (picks, labels, and documentation correct on first pass).
• On-Time Delivery — Target: ≥98% for contracted domestic lanes; international deliveries tracked against carrier ETAs with exception windows.
• Claims Closure Rate — Target: 90% of claims acknowledged within 48 hours and settled or escalated within 30 days.
• Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) — Target: rolling average ≥4.2/5, with Net Promoter Score (NPS) monitored quarterly.

Operational Processes: Onboarding, Order Management, and Issue Resolution

Onboarding should be project-managed over 4–8 weeks depending on complexity. Typical onboarding milestones include data mapping (SKUs, barcodes, dimensions), EDI/API or portal integration testing, SOP documentation, insurance and compliance verification, and a pilot period (usually 1–2 weeks or 100–500 orders). Expect written runbooks covering exceptions, returns handling, routing rules, and billing methodologies before go-live.

Order management best practices emphasize automated exception detection. Rules-based alerts should notify teams for missing PODs, discrepancies in weight/volume, or delivery refusals. ACI Logistix customer service should maintain a centralized ticketing system (e.g., Zendesk/Jira Service Management) integrated with WMS/TMS so each event has an auditable lifecycle: created, acknowledged, investigating, resolved, and closed with root-cause coding for continuous improvement.

Technology, Tracking, and Self-Service Portals

Modern customer service is enabled by layered technology: WMS/TMS, a cloud-based Customer Portal, and integrations (EDI/API) to customer ERPs. A strong portal provides real-time tracking (carrier statuses, PODs, invoice line items), downloadable reports (CSV, XLSX), and self-service functions such as booking changes and returns initiations. For enterprise clients, SFTP or API endpoints for automated daily manifests and invoicing are typical deliverables.

Tracking granularity matters: event timestamps (pickup, in-transit, delivered), scan point locations (lat/long), and proof of delivery imagery or signatures reduce dispute cycles. Vendors should also publish an incident dashboard during major disruptions (severe weather, carrier failures) with estimated resolution windows and mitigations to support customer planning.

Pricing, Contracts, and Billing Transparency

Logistics pricing is multi-component; customers should expect transparent bills that break out each cost element. Common pricing components include base freight, fuel surcharge, accessorials (liftgate, inside delivery), storage, handling, and special services (kitting, labeling). Contracts typically specify base rates, surcharge formulas (e.g., fuel index tied to national diesel price), and annual rate review windows.

• Storage & Warehousing — Typical pallet storage ranges from $8–$40 per pallet per month depending on geography and service level; short-term, high-touch warehousing commands the higher end.
• Pick & Pack Fees — Per-pick fees commonly run $0.25–$2.00 per item plus a packing fee of $0.50–$3.00 depending on packaging complexity.
• Transportation Rates — LTL and TL rates vary by lane; expect a mix of base linehaul plus fuel and accessorials; request lane-specific quotes and historical freight spend analysis.
• Billing Practices — Ask for invoice line-level detail, audit rights, and a dispute resolution window (commonly 45–90 days to raise disputes).

Escalation Matrix and Contact Protocols

An effective escalation matrix is explicit: list primary support channels (portal ticket, email, phone hours), then secondary contacts for escalations (CSM, Operations Manager, VP of Operations). Define SLA-based escalation triggers — for example, any unresolved high-severity exception after 6 hours moves to the Operations Manager; 24-hour unresolved cases escalate to executive sponsors. Documented SLAs should specify response and resolution time targets and credit or remediation terms tied to missed SLAs.

Use standardized templates for escalation notices: incident summary, affected orders/POs, impact assessment (financial and customer-facing), mitigation steps taken, and next steps with ETA. For high-volume clients, schedule weekly exception review calls and monthly QBRs to analyze root causes and implement corrective actions.

Measuring Success and Continuous Improvement

Continuous improvement combines data analysis and structured problem-solving (e.g., DMAIC, PDCA). Track trends by SKU, lane, or customer segment to prioritize interventions that yield the highest ROI—examples include automation for high-frequency picks, inventory reorganizations to improve pick-path efficiency, and carrier mix optimization to lower transit times and costs. Quantify improvements: a 1% increase in order accuracy on a 100k orders/year account prevents 1,000 exception events and saves handling and claims expense.

Establish metrics for process change effectiveness: before/after KPIs, cost per order, and customer satisfaction scores. Integrate regular feedback loops—post-implementation surveys, root-cause workshops, and software release notes—to ensure service maturity advances over time rather than reverting to firefighting.

How to Evaluate or Engage ACI Logistix

When evaluating ACI Logistix or any logistics partner, request a written SLA, references with comparable volumes and SKUs, and a detailed onboarding plan with timelines. Ask for sample reports (weekly scorecard, invoice detail, claims log), access to a demo portal, and a test integration window. Confirm insurance limits, data-security practices (SOC 2 or equivalent), and disaster recovery policies for continuity of operations.

Practical engagement steps: 1) run a 30–90 day pilot covering representative SKUs and lanes, 2) require a kickoff with an agreed runbook and acceptance criteria, and 3) schedule a 30/60/90 day review cadence with measurable targets. These actions protect both parties and establish a measurable path from go-live to mature, predictable service delivery.