Schock Logistics Makes Copier Shipping and De-installation Simple and Secure for the Office Dealer Community
Schock Logistics likes to describe itself as being on the cutting edge of change in America. When you think about it that makes a lot of sense because customers tend to call on Schock when they are immersed in change themselves.
Founded in 1992, Schock Logistics assists office technology dealers and corporations with onsite de-installation of high-value equipment and oversees air-ride shipping of that equipment throughout the U.S. It also provides onsite data security, including wiping sensitive hard drives, network cards, and fax boards. In addition, Schock provides follow-up services such as satellite tracking, freight reports, inventory storage, and revenue sharing.
Spencer Schock
Spencer Schock, Schock’s founder, started the business 24 years ago in his garage. Since then, he’s watched his business grow 15-fold to where it now serves hundreds of copier dealers nationwide along with national banks and leasing organizations, Fortune 500 companies, and thousands of small businesses.
Prior to starting Schock Logistics, Spencer was a copier wholesaler struggling to remain competitive primarily because he was operating out of a remote location in Oregon. Everything changed, however, when a copier dealer in Sioux Falls, SD, asked him to ship a copier.
“Twice I refused, and finally on the third request I agreed,” recalls Spencer. “The rest is history. I switched from copier wholesaling to copier shipping.”
What began with a single copier shipment in the late ‘90s has grown to thousands of shipments and more than 1,500 clients last year. Fully 70 percent of those are wholesale shipments to copier dealers while the remaining 30 percent are retail shipments for end users such as hospitals and law firms.
Spencer compares his operation to an Expedia or Priceline in the travel industry.
“We shop copier dealers’ shipments against up to 20 different freight carriers,” explains Spencer. “Dealers find they can standardize their freight quoting, accounting, tracking, and problem resolution through one vendor—Schock Logistics—while at the same time shop the freight market on every shipment. The dealer achieves the simplicity of [working with] a single vendor, but with the long-term, price competitiveness of bidding multiple freight carriers.”
Although price is important, Spencer is quick to point out that it’s not the only variable in shipping.
“Copier dealers must consider other variables such as transit time, special conditions such as stair moves or after-hours pickups, and the fragility of the equipment being shipped.”
Fortunately, Schock Logistics can help dealers sort through those variables.
Each of the company’s estimates lists the top three bids. The dealer can choose the least expensive bid, or the fastest transit time, or for example, if they have a particularly fragile machine they might choose the carrier with the fewest cross docks. (Fewer cross docks reduces the chance of freight damage.)
“With us, copier dealers can shop their freight variables and come up with the correct solution for each particular shipment,” says Spencer.
Another critical factor when it comes to shipping is that some carriers excel at cross country shipments while others are strong in particular regions or metro area.
“Again, copier dealers can manage their freight business through one portal, Schock Logistics, but choose the best carrier for each particular shipment,” notes Spencer. “If they are not sure, we identify what we believe is the best option.”
Schock Logistics hasn’t changed all that much since it entered the shipping business. “At the core, we are doing today what we did on day one,” he says.
The biggest challenge is managing data from so many carriers and points of contact, a challenge that Schock Logistics has met head on.
“We have invested heavily in IT so that we can instantly find equipment by serial number, lease number, asset number, or even the contact’s nickname,” reports Spencer. “The history of every shipment—estimate, invoice, PO, BOL, faxes, e-mails, and phone calls—are instantly available to anyone in the office in one digital location. For example, even our accountant could tell you what is going on with a given shipment, instantly.”
Another benefit of doing business with Schock Logistics is real-time tracking. Here too Schock has made the appropriate investments to provide this capability to its clients. Today, 80 percent of Schock’s shipments are tracked via satellite with that data available to clients online.
The company has five estimators constantly quoting jobs to copier dealers and end users. Spencer is pretty much a jack of all trades and often spends a big chunk of his day problem solving. In the morning you’ll find him working on escalated shipments—shipments that have specific pickup or delivery dates. They might be extra fragile or need to be watched closely.
“We have a report on all our escalated shipments and I review those every morning,” states Spencer.
Coast to Coast Coverage and then Some
Schock Logistics services the entire U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada. Shipments from Hawaii and Alaska typically travel via ocean, which as one would expect results in longer transit times. Sometimes happenstance steps in and the customer benefits in a big way.
“One time we were shipping from Honolulu to New Jersey and we accidently checked the ‘by air’ box,” recalls Spencer. “The law firm we were shipping for was expecting a transit time of several weeks, but was stunned to receive their 700-lb copier the next day in perfect condition. We lost a lot of money on that shipment, but secured our reputation for under promising and over delivering!”
The ability to forge lasting relationships and provide exceptional customer service represents the hallmark of a successful company and Schock Logistics fits squarely within that pantheon. The Schock team is adept at interfacing with sales managers, leasing managers, warehouse managers, and a surprising number of sales representatives who need to include freight pricing in their copier quotes.
“Copier dealers consistently comment on the quality of our service,” reveals Spencer. “We have very little turnover. Our long-term staff is experienced in all aspects of shipping. Their wealth of information comes into play every minute of the day.”
The relationships Spencer forged working as a copier wholesaler has helped immensely in moving the business forward. “People already knew me and it was the same contact—the warehouse manager that’s rolling out used equipment is also the person managing the end of lease copier shipments,” states Spencer who still finds time to go on sales calls and meet face to face with Schock’s long-term clients or touch base with them on the phone.
He’s still crazy about what he does after all these years. “I enjoy the people in the industry and solving puzzles—the latter is something that goes with the shipping and logistics territory.”
No wonder dealers use Schock Logistics again and again.
Even though Schock’s staff is determined to meet and exceed customer expectations, Spencer reveals that every staff member receives a monthly bonus depending on how well the company did that month.
“This bonus makes up a significant portion of their pay,” reports Spencer. “Our staff operates like owners. They constantly seek ways to improve our service and streamline our processes. They strive every minute to solve problems and keep clients satisfied.”
Asked if there’s anything that Schock’s customers or prospects would be surprised to hear about the company, Spencer pauses, then says, “At the end of the day, Schock Logistics is a reflection of the people we serve. I have been in the office equipment business since 1987 when I worked for the Eastman Kodak Company as a copier sales representative in Silicon Valley. Every day I am astonished at the work ethic, integrity, and drive of people in this industry. The sales managers and sales representatives, in particular, are often masterful in their character, humor, and ability to read the needs of others. They best me and I am fine with that because it is inspiring. I am blessed to be able to work alongside and try to keep up with such outstanding Americans.”
Looking Forward
Despite the consistency in Schock’s services and the way it conducts business, change is inevitable. The company is now expanding into medical shipping as well as office equipment disposal—recycling the equipment in an ecological manner and protecting people’s data security. Another initiative is providing even more customers with access to its IT system, allowing them to view their shipments, tracking information, bills of lading, etc.
Asked what the future looks like for Schock Logistics, Spencer simply, optimistically, and succinctly replies, “Bright!”
Schock’s De-installation Service
Schock’s de-installation service is used primarily by its retail clients. The company maintains a network of service technicians nationwide who complete condition reports on machines prior to shipment, prepare and de-install machines for shipping, and provide data security services.
“For example, a national hospital chain may need to data secure its copiers prior to shipment,” says Spencer. “Our techs will arrive, replace the hard drives in those copiers with new blank drives, reload factory authorized firmware so the copiers are fully operational, and then provide the hospital with a lockbox for the old hard drives. The lockbox is then sent overnight by hospital staff to a destruction facility for certified destruction. Clients enjoy solving both data security and freight concerns with one call to Schock Logistics.”
Contact Info
Dealers looking to ship with Schock Logistics can start by visiting www.goschock.com or simply send an e-mail to info@goschock.com. Owner Spencer Schock recommends including a copy of the lease-return return authorization and Schock will take it from there.
