Welcome to another installment of our series on getting to know the people behind Bulk Connection. Today, we're featuring Dan Cordock. Dan is a Customer Service Representative (CSR) who has been with Bulk Connection for over 20 years and has performed many different roles within the company.
You’ve had a long tenure with Bulk Connection. Can you describe your journey and your current role in the company?
Absolutely. I started out handling invoicing and processing, including accounts payable for both carrier and customer invoices. Over the years, I’ve learned the trade and have worked my way over to the CSR/Dispatcher role for liquid bulk freight. It’s an exciting role because every day is different. There are new problems to solve for our customers, and new ways to help them.
With your experience in different departments, how does that help you in your current role, especially in dealing with customer needs?
Having a varied background helps tremendously. Each customer has unique needs and requirements, and understanding the full process with everything that goes into a bulk load – and all the paperwork that goes into it – helps me address their concerns more effectively. Whatever our customers need help with, I feel like I’m well equipped to provide clear, informed answers.
What kinds of customers do you deal with most often? Are there specific industries you focus on?
I handle a variety of customers, but primarily chemical shippers, and shippers of materials for various industries such as pulp and paper, paint and coatings, petroleum, and many more. The needs of these diverse types of companies are, well, diverse.
There’s also a seasonality to many of these products and services, with very busy seasons and lower-volume periods. All of these elements keep my work interesting and challenging.
What are some of the biggest challenges facing shippers today?
The market has been shifting, which sometimes works in the favor of shippers. One thing we’re seeing a lot of is a return to just-in time shipping. With JIT, companies don’t want to hold on to a lot of inventory. They want what they need when they need it.
This was largely the way the world worked prior to COVID-19. The pandemic changed things though and it wasn’t possible to do just in time shipping because the capacity wasn’t there. There was then a much bigger focus on having a ‘safety stock’ of inventory. That’s basically more inventory than you need just in case you can’t find capacity for a while.
But now we’re trending back to JIT. This method can lead to issues if there’s a sudden tightness in capacity, making it critical for shippers to maintain good relationships with reliable logistics providers like Bulk Connection.
How has your background in financial aspects of the business prepared you for a role as a CSR?
Working with financial documents early in my career helped me get to know the carriers and customers well, providing a solid foundation in understanding the essential paperwork and processes. This knowledge makes it easier to see the big picture of how operations flow from booking to completion.
Bulk Connection is known for its strong team dynamics. What’s it like working with the CSR/disptach team?
It's very much a team approach. There’s a ton of experience in the office, probably a few hundred years’ worth. Many of the people I work with have been handling liquid bulk shipping for decades.
Our ISO 9001 training and procedures ensures that we are all on the same page addressing the expectations of both our customers and carriers. As a team, we’ve been working together for so long that we know each other's strengths and weaknesses, which helps us support each other effectively. If we have a challenging project, we can consider the input of many people before making decisions.
For someone considering Bulk Connection over another logistics provider or a direct carrier, what would you say sets Bulk Connection apart?
The key is our ability to provide straightforward, reliable service and maintain strong relationships. We’re available to support you 24/7, and you’ll always have a live human to talk to from the Bulk Connection team based in Connecticut. As important as this is to the success of bulk loads, it’s unfortunately becoming a real rarity.
To learn more about working with Bulk Connection experts like Dan to move your liquid bulk freight, contact us today.