Letters
This month's Letters highlight Saia employees or departments that have received special thanks from some of our customers or the public.
Below is an email that was sent to us recognizing one of Saia’s customer service team members. It was shared with us by ACO National Account Executive David Pulliam who also said these kind words, “I’m not sure who I needed to send this to, and I know Donna is very humble, but I feel this should be put up in lights! Chewy can be difficult and the service Donna provides to them every day is remarkable.”
To Whom It May Concern,
I would first like to introduce myself, my name is Dane Robertson and I am a transportation coordinator for Chewy LLC. I have spent seven years with the company and am currently responsible for the LTL network on the inbound transportation side of the supply chain.
As Chewy has grown exponentially, year-over-year, we have brought in a preferred LTL carrier network, which includes Saia. The day-to-day management of the Chewy account with Saia has been ACO Special Accounts Representative Donna Tanksley and she has been a true asset to Chewy’s management of our LTL freight. Donna has stayed resilient even through disruptions in the LTL industry. She has very calmly, and with impressive resolve, managed to take a large backlog of shipments and reduce it to one of the lowest counts of backlog in our entire LTL network.
Donna’s level of communication and interpersonal skills are one of her greatest strengths from my standpoint. She is clear and concise with her written communications without sacrificing a customer service attitude. Her knowledge of the industry and more specifically the wider scope of how Saia operates has been extremely helpful as we continue to grow.
It is with great confidence and pride that I endorse Ms. Tanksley.
Sincerely,
Dane Robertson
Transportation Coordinator
Chewy
Dania Beach, Florida
Below is a video that was sent to us by Saia customer Will Vance, who is a receiving/shipping manager for Nexans AmerCable located in El Dorado, Arkansas. In it, he talks about why he chooses to ship with us and about the great service he is provided by MON City Driver Jimmy Jenkins.
This email recognizes the great service provided by the terrific folks at our JAX terminal as well as Taylor Brown at the ACO. It came to us from one happy customer via the iSaia email address.
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing this email as I ride back home from our trip to Jacksonville. A few weeks back, I ordered a lift kit, wheels, and tires from a company out of Wisconsin. I received my lift almost a week ago, and have been waiting for my rims and tires. I assumed that signing up for a Saia account was kind of like UPS/FedEx, where I could have “detailed tracking”. Nope! Sure wasn’t. Ha! Ha! I signed up and it told me someone would reach out to me to set up my account and it was then that I knew that it was definitely (different)! The next day, JAX Account Executive Mark Thomann reached out to me and I explained to him what I did and what my intentions were. Not only did he personally call me to discuss my items, but he also, throughout the last week, took the time to email me updates, some random person who is impatient and was overly excited for her new stuff to arrive! Mark was beyond helpful and extremely professional. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for better customer service.
After nine excruciatingly long days, I finally got the notification that my shipment was in Jacksonville! At 3:30 p.m., they arrived. At 4:45 p.m., I was on the phone with ACO Customer Service Representative Taylor Brown. Taylor not only listened to my complaints of how impatient I am and how bad I wanted my stuff, but truly helped me with my request. In Jacksonville, it was supposed to be handed off to another company. I asked Taylor if it was even possible for me to intercept it in Jacksonville and pick it up myself instead of waiting.
Even though I was a ‘little’ over dramatic, in good nature of course, Taylor genuinely wanted to help. She told me I would most likely have to get a letter from the original shipper stating that the updated shipping address from my residential to the JAX terminal was okay and that I may have to pay a fee. She told me I would have to be transferred to someone else for the exact amount. I told her that was okay with me but before transferring me, could she find out from JAX if that was even an option first. So, she got to work. She called anyone she could. Then, as a final effort, she made one last call and got in touch with someone who not only offered to pull my stuff off the trailer and have it waiting for me, but he didn’t need me to charge me anything.
We loaded up in the truck immediately and drove an hour and a half from our house to JAX terminal. Everyone I came in contact with was insanely friendly, helpful, and just went above and beyond. They did NOT have to do that for me. I believe the man who helped me with the paperwork was Christopher but I’m not 100% sure. And then another gentleman loaded the shipment off the forklift for us onto our truck as well.
Overall, I cannot possibly say enough great things about your team! Your customer service in Jacksonville was exemplary, and Taylor Brown, in your Customer Service Department went above and beyond for me. Please show this team serious recognition. They truly deserve it.
Thank you again to Taylor, Mark, and everyone I came in contact!
Courtney Miles