How Standard Electric Supply uses Curri to cover delivery logistics gaps and cut costs

At Standard Electric Supply Co., providing exceptional customer service is a must. They’re a fast-growing and innovative distributor of electrical and automation products that helps businesses streamline their operational costs and scale. It’s a high-pressure mission, but one they continue to uphold thanks to airtight delivery logistics processes.

Jim Daly, warehouse manager, has watched the company nearly double in volume since starting over 13 years ago. With that growth, however, came bumps in the road with delivery. But thanks to AD Buying Group, Jim’s team was introduced to a better, modern solution through their network for Midwest route coverage. 

That’s where we came in. Enter: Curri. 

The problem: materials delivery in the Midwest gets tricky

At Standard Electric, Jim utilizes a small fleet of in-house couriers, but it doesn’t entirely fill the delivery gaps. If Jim had to rush materials to a location his drivers didn’t have time for, or to a remote and harder-to-reach location, he had to rely on FedEx or UPS. The result? Overly expensive shipping costs and no guarantee that the supplies would make it to the customer on time. And if FedEx weren’t an option, someone from Jim’s team would make the delivery themselves. 

This meant frustration for everyone. The workers at Jim’s warehouse felt exhausted from a lack of reasonable options, and the customers were frustrated by having to wait for deliveries. The team knew that hotshot delivery, straightforward shipments from point A to point B, existed. However, they recognized these options as overly complex and lacking dedicated customer support. 

What makes Curri Jim’s right-hand partner in the warehouse

Now, the previous frustrations with outdated carrier options are a thing of the past. Jim relies on Curri instead, almost every other day, for critical just-in-time shipments. Curri quickly became the trusted partner for their Madison location when they proved they could surpass the speed of UPS and FedEx, at a fraction of the cost.

For Jim, Curri is essential for urgent and long-distance deliveries. They frequently make stops in towns like Greenbay or Watertown, Wisconsin, and when Jim’s team’s resources are stretched, Curri is available to run the ball past the goal posts. Curri assists with dedicated routes when their internal team needs the coverage, and they use hotshot delivery when they need those quick deliveries turned around. 

“Some customers are a pretty far drive for our trucks, and that’s where Curri comes into play. When my team is going one direction, I can trust Curri to go another and get that customer the material they need. Curri is one of our best tools to ensure we can meet our customers' requirements and achieve a 99% or better on-time delivery rate.”

Curri features and services that make all the difference

We asked Jim which features and services his team appreciates most. For him, it was simple. The proof of delivery feature gives his team the peace of mind that deliveries make it where they need to, and the photo proof is the cherry on top. Jim also frequently uses the live tracking functionality, which can be forwarded to account managers who need to stay in the loop about delivery statuses. 

As far as services go, Jim uses hotshots for rush or end-of-day deliveries, as well as scheduled shipments. They have also used dedicated route planning and LTL service. And again and again, Jim could not say enough about the app’s ease of use and attentive customer service. 

“We love that Curri drivers take photos upon delivery. Our account managers also often ask for live tracking, which we are happy we can send over, thanks to Curri. The ease of use and customer service are also top-notch. If there’s ever a problem, Curri is always there to help. They’re easy to do business with. It’s refreshing.”

The business and customer satisfaction impact

“We do a much better job than our competitors in getting products to customers with a sense of urgency. And that’s made possible with Curri.”

Jim also confirmed that Curri has had a major impact on the delivery radius their location can serve. With Standard Electric easily increasing its delivery radius without a hiccup, it means easier scaling and better customer retention down the road. Curri has gone as far as delivering to Chicago Heights for a critical same-day shipment to a customer with a line down. 

The team at Jim’s warehouse also appreciates the range of vehicle options available for delivery. They primarily book Curri’s cargo vans, given the frequent rainy weather, but for small deliveries, they book a simple car. No need to go overboard with vehicle size. It’s eco-conscious simplicity at its best.

“Curri helps us maintain our commitment to on-time delivery for our customers. It’s nice to know that if our product comes to us late on the delivery day, we can trust Curri to get the job done. If we had to rely on FedEx or UPS, it would take a day or two at the very least.” 

By enabling quick parts delivery with Curri’s services, we’re able to indirectly contribute to helping communities by reducing delivery downtime for manufacturing. This keeps production lines running, keeps people working, and helps local businesses like Standard Electric continue to grow. 

“Curri is a great tool for distributors to get material to an end user. Full stop. They’re a trusted partner at Standard Electric, as easy to use as Uber. You can trust materials to get from point A to point B quickly.” 

Get Curri today and make your customer service offering exceptional

If you’re like Jim’s team and struggle to streamline your supply chain, try Curri. We’re a comprehensive logistics platform that enables businesses to make flexible, reliable bookings in just a few taps. Companies can book almost any delivery service type and leverage our nationwide fleet of drivers for service not just in the Midwest, but across the entire US.

We offer hotshot, LTL, dedicated, and full truckload service. We even offer parcel service. At Curri, we understand distributors like Jim, who support Manufacturers of Industrial Automation and Control Products and who keep top-notch service a high priority. It’s part of our mission, too. 

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‍Book a demo with the Curri team today, and grow your business without the hiccups starting tomorrow.