How Distribution Companies Build Customer Experience That Actually Drives Revenue with Shelly Chandler

In industrial distribution, customer experience is rarely treated as a competitive advantage. Most companies assume the product and the price are all that matter. Shelly Chandler has spent her career proving that wrong.

Note: This is a replay of a 2021 interview with Shelly recorded during her previous role. The lessons she shares on customer experience strategy are arguably more relevant today than when they were first recorded.

Shelly was the VP of Customer Experience at American Tire Distributors, one of the largest distributors in North America. In this episode she breaks down how a large scale B2B distribution business builds a customer centric culture, uses data and analytics to anticipate customer needs before they become problems, and deploys technology to improve the experience at every point in the customer journey.

This is not a conversation about theory. It is a practical look at what customer experience leadership actually looks like inside a complex logistics and distribution operation — and what operators in manufacturing and distribution can take from it regardless of their size.

What we cover in this episode:

How to build a customer experience strategy inside a B2B distribution business where relationships and reliability matter more than brand. Using data and voice of customer programs to identify friction points before they cost you accounts. The organizational and leadership challenges of making customer experience a company wide priority rather than a marketing function. How digital tools and voice technology are starting to change the B2B buying experience in distribution and logistics. Where to start if you have never formally audited your customer experience and what that process actually looks like.

About Shelly Chandler:

Shelly Chandler leads strategy, data analytics, and organizational culture initiatives focused on delivering differentiated B2B customer experiences across large scale operations.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shelly-chandler-cxleader/

Resources mentioned:

Customer Experience Professionals Association: https://www.cxpa.org

About The Industrial Side:

The Industrial Side is a podcast built for operators running real economy businesses in manufacturing, distribution, and home services. Every episode goes inside the tactical decisions that determine whether an industrial business wins or fails.