Customer Care Team

At I.J. McGill Transport our aim is to save our customers time by taking away the ‘logistical nightmare’ and replacing it with a smooth transport operation that makes life easier.

As an extension of our clients’ businesses, we strive to provide excellent service levels and the very best customer care throughout the entire delivery process.

Regardless of the number of clients we have or the amount of vehicles on the road at any one time, our ethos of striving for excellence has always remained at the heart of everything we do, and will not be compromised.

We understand that, from time to time, technology just doesn’t have the answer and you need to speak with someone who knows what’s going on with your account/consignment. That’s why we have our proactive and dedicated Customer Care Team.

The team are constantly monitoring the status of our customers’ goods and are dedicated to supporting every consignment until they are successfully delivered. So, whether your system has gone down and you can’t access the online booking system, you have a query about the status of your freight, or you just want to check some details on your account, our expert team are well-equipped to deal with your request promptly and efficiently.

As our Investors in People motto says, the people behind our company are as important as the company itself and our Customer Care Team are no exception. We realise the value they add to the business on a daily basis, and are dedicated to ensuring each member of the team is motivated, fully trained (see more on our training programme here), and well supported by their manager.

Our personal approach and professional service is focused to exceed expectation every time.

Online Job Entry System

When a client has set up an account with us, they will receive a user name and password for our Online Job Entry system. This allows clients to enter their consignments online and view the relevant prices. This, in turn, creates an audit trail history for purchase ordering and POD retrieval as well as a complete job status.

In addition to our online job entry, we can readily import CSV files; and with long-standing partnerships we have EDI links too.

Mobile Working PDA Units

In order to reduce administration and improve electronic communication, we introduced mobile working PDA units in 2008. These units are fitted on every vehicle, giving us the ability to provide real time information and automatically update our clients’ systems, providing instant access to real time DSCs.

Over 99% of our customers now accept digital signature capture as a proof of delivery, which includes time of arrival on-site, GPRS co-ordinates, customer signature, printed name and departure time. We also have the ability to frame all the necessary customer information and graphics to replicate their delivery note.

Ongoing monitoring of jobs

From the very moment a job arrives on our system to the end destination, the Customer Care Team are constantly monitoring the status of each one and are able to provide instant updates to our clients. Using our real-time systems and PDA units, information about the whereabouts of every order can be viewed on a customer care screen at any given point in the process.

This sophisticated integration of our systems also allows us to measure planned activity against actual activity, enabling us to be proactive with any consignments experiencing delays/issues. As they are realised hours in advance, the team has plenty of time to ‘put it right’ and still process within the agreed timeframe.

Customer Guide

Ensuring a smooth delivery service is a process we have perfected, however, it does rely on a number of factors being in place, which starts with the information supplied to us by our customers.

When making a booking

At the time of booking, we ask for the following information to be supplied by our customers:

  • Number of pallets
  • Number of pallet spaces if oversize
  • Destination town(s) and full postcodes
  • Accurate weights and measures for each pallet
  • Service required – Next Day or Economy
  • Special instructions, e.g. timed delivery, tail lift, AM, PM, vehicle restrictions, book-in etc.

Collections advised before 12 noon are normally collected on the same working day. Every effort will be made to accommodate any collection requests after this time, but will not always be possible, especially during busy periods.

All of our vehicles come equipped with a tail lift. If you have requested the use of a tail lift for the delivery, you will need to check and advise of any vehicle restrictions.

All consignments handled through I.J. McGill are subject to RHA Conditions of Carriage and the standard cover is £1,300 per tonne. If you’d like to increase this value, please advise us at the time of booking as this MUST be arranged prior to collection in order to be valid.

It’s all in the preparation – points to remember

Prior to your I.J. McGill vehicle arriving to collect the goods, we ask that you package your items appropriately, by remembering these few easy pointers:

  • All goods must be clearly labelled with full delivery name and address details
  • Any changes to a booking should be communicated as soon as possible to avoid potential failure of consignment
  • Any fragile, non-stackable or other informative labels should be attached, please remember that all 1/4 pallets must be stackable.
  • If you are sending high value items, then please ensure that the pallets are sealed with security tape to ensure maximum protection.

Regular collections

If you are sending pallets frequently, we are more than happy to organise a regular collection time to suit you.

Palletising Goods Securely

Ensuring the safe transit of freight is paramount. Please follow these easy steps so that your freight is adequately wrapped and ready for collection when your I.J. McGill Transport driver arrives for collection:

If you dispatch bagged freight stacked on pallets, please protect the goods by guarding 500mm up from the base of the pallet with card and the top of the pallet with a cardboard layer card and shrink wrap.

  • Goods must be securely stacked and wrapped to a good quality, strong pallet. Pallets should be shrink-wrapped (including the top surface) and securely banded to the pallet to prevent movement during transit.
  • Any insecurely stacked and wrapped pallet will not be acceptable for transport.
  • This is the minimum requirement for security taping.

Pallet dimensions and manoeuvre

Our standard pallet dimensions are 1200x1000x2000mm with a maximum weight of 1,200kgs. Goods exceeding these dimensions are classed as an oversize pallet.

When packing your goods, we request that you use a four way entry pallet as when your freight reaches its destination, our drivers use a pallet truck to manoeuvre it from the vehicle to wherever it needs to be. It is worth checking that the ground at the delivery point is suitable for such a vehicle.

Pallets over 1,000kg cannot be handled using a tail lift, so if you are sending overweight pallets, please bear in mind that your delivery point will need access to a forklift.

Account set-up

We are happy to accept all major credit and debit cards for any one-off transactions.

For customers who will need to use our services more regularly, we can set up an account, subject to checks. To apply, please send the following information to Angie Hooper.

  • Full company name and invoice address
  • Company registration number
  • VAT number (if applicable)
  • Purchase ledger contact name and details.

Payment terms

Our payment terms to account customers are strictly 30 days from the month end. Payment can be in the form of a direct debit, BACS or cheque.

In the event of non-payment, I.J. McGill Transport reserves the right to place an account on hold without prior notice until payment is received.

If overdue accounts are transferred to external debt collectors, we reserve the right to pass on to you our cost associated with using their services, which is 10% of the total outstanding debt. In this instance, all unpaid amounts become due immediately.

Invoicing and queries

Invoices are produced on a weekly basis and are normally posted, however, they can also be emailed on request.

Invoice queries and requests for credit must be raised in writing within seven days of receipt of the invoice. Queries should be emailed to [email protected] clearly stating the customer name, job number and credit request details.

Online booking system

Online Job Entry

Our step by step online job entry guide is available for all customers to access. However, if you have a problem that cannot be rectified, simply give our Customer Service Team a call and they will be happy to provide you will all the guidance you need.

PODs

Following delivery, the real time digital signature capture is immediately updated to our computerised transport system and is made available via our Online Job Portal Screen. Your dedicated username and password will give you access to this facility.

If you are experiencing online problems, POD requests can also be made by emailing [email protected]

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