Services Transport, Operations and Logistics

New Business Retention for Freight Forwarding Training

SAQA US 252296 | NQF 5 | Credits 8 | Duration 5 Days
From $1,242 per delegate

Description

This course equips freight forwarding professionals with the skills to secure new clients and retain existing business in a competitive logistics environment. Participants will learn to apply relationship-building techniques, analyse customer needs, and implement retention strategies that enhance long-term profitability.

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply sales techniques to secure new business in the freight forwarding industry.
  • Analyse customer needs and expectations to tailor service solutions.
  • Implement retention strategies to maintain long-term client relationships.
  • Evaluate service delivery performance against agreed service level agreements.
  • Demonstrate effective communication and negotiation skills in client interactions.
  • Design a personalised client retention plan for a freight forwarding operation.

Target Audience

Sales representatives, account managers, and business development officers in the freight forwarding and logistics sector seeking to improve client acquisition and loyalty.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment.

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundations of New Business Retention in Freight Forwarding

Objectives:
• Understand the importance of customer retention in the freight forwarding industry.
• Identify key factors that influence client loyalty and churn.
• Recognise the role of service quality in retaining new business.
• Differentiate between customer satisfaction and retention strategies.

Topics:
• Introduction to freight forwarding and the business lifecycle.
• The cost of acquiring vs. retaining customers.
• Key metrics: retention rate, churn rate, lifetime value.
• Overview of the South African freight forwarding landscape.
• Regulatory and compliance considerations (e.g., customs, SARS).
• Introduction to customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
• Case study: Successful retention examples in logistics.

Day 2: Customer Needs Analysis and Service Customisation

Objectives:
• Conduct needs analysis for new freight forwarding clients.
• Map customer expectations to service offerings.
• Develop customised service solutions to enhance retention.
• Apply communication skills to manage client relationships effectively.

Topics:
• Techniques for gathering customer requirements.
• Segmenting clients based on volume, frequency, and value.
• Designing tailored logistics solutions (e.g., air, sea, road).
• Value-added services: warehousing, consolidation, tracking.
• Effective communication: active listening, feedback loops.
• Handling objections and managing expectations.
• Role-play: Client consultation scenarios.

Day 3: Service Delivery Excellence and Problem Resolution

Objectives:
• Implement service standards that foster retention.
• Monitor service performance using KPIs.
• Resolve complaints and service failures effectively.
• Build trust through consistent and reliable service.

Topics:
• Key performance indicators (KPIs) in freight forwarding.
• Service level agreements (SLAs) and their enforcement.
• Proactive communication: shipment status, delays, updates.
• Complaint handling procedures and escalation protocols.
• Root cause analysis for service breakdowns.
• Service recovery strategies to win back trust.
• Case study: Resolving a customs delay crisis.

Day 4: Relationship Management and Account Growth

Objectives:
• Develop long-term relationship management plans.
• Identify cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
• Use CRM data to enhance client engagement.
• Create loyalty programmes and retention incentives.

Topics:
• Account management best practices.
• Cross-selling logistics services (e.g., insurance, customs brokerage).
• Upselling premium services (e.g., express shipping, specialised handling).
• Customer loyalty programmes in logistics.
• Regular business reviews and performance reporting.
• Networking and stakeholder relationship building.
• Use of CRM tools for tracking interactions and follow-ups.

Day 5: Strategic Implementation and Continuous Improvement

Objectives:
• Design a retention strategy for a new freight forwarding client.
• Implement a continuous improvement framework.
• Measure and report on retention success.
• Integrate retention practices into daily operations.

Topics:
• Developing a retention action plan.
• Continuous improvement models (e.g., PDCA, Six Sigma).
• Data analysis: interpreting retention metrics.
• Presenting retention results to management.
• Integrating retention into company culture.
• Final assessment: Present a retention strategy for a case study client.
• Course review and action planning.

Practicals

16 hours of practicals To be conducted online or on-campus or in-house
Overview

Practical sessions allow learners to apply retention strategies in simulated freight forwarding scenarios. Learners engage in role-plays, CRM data analysis, and strategy development to reinforce theoretical concepts and build hands-on skills.

Practical Activities
  • Client Needs Analysis Role-Play — Learners simulate a client consultation to gather requirements and propose tailored freight solutions. (4h)
  • Service Recovery Simulation — Learners handle a simulated service failure (e.g., delayed shipment) and implement a recovery plan. (4h)
  • CRM Data Analysis and Account Planning — Learners use a CRM dataset to identify retention risks and create an account growth plan. (4h)
  • Retention Strategy Presentation — Learners design and present a comprehensive retention strategy for a new freight forwarding client. (4h)

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course via daily exercises, scored practical assignments, and a final summative test at the end.

Practical Assignments — 30%

Practical assignments are observed and scored against a rubric during the practical sessions. Each delegate's practical mark is averaged into a single 100% score and contributes 30% to the final total.

Daily Exercises — 20%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 20% to the final total.

Final Test — 50%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 50% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Practical Assignments (rubric-scored) 100% 30%
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 20%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 50%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Practicals 30% + Daily Average 20% + Final Test 50%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 07 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 28 Sep 2026 Fri 02 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Fri 23 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 11 Jan 2027 Fri 15 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 15 Feb 2027 Fri 19 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $1,242 Register
Mon 01 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 07 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 28 Jun 2027 Fri 02 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Fri 23 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 27 Sep 2027 Fri 01 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 18 Oct 2027 Fri 22 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 06 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 27 Dec 2027 Fri 31 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Fri 21 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $1,242 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 492 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,916 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,863 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $5,238 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Cape Town, South Africa Winter 2026 $3,078 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Fri 18 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 05 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 26 Oct 2026 Fri 30 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Fri 18 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 18 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 22 Feb 2027 Fri 26 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,615 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Fri 12 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 22 Mar 2027 Fri 26 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Fri 18 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 05 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 26 Jul 2027 Fri 30 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Fri 17 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 04 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 25 Oct 2027 Fri 29 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Fri 17 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 03 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Mon 24 Jan 2028 Fri 28 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,615 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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