This article was based on the interview with Markus Engel (Global Head of Voice of the Customer) and Linzi Hindle (Director of Customer Experience) of DHL Supply Chain by Greg Kihlström, AI and MarTech keynote speaker for The Agile Brand with Greg Kihlström podcast. Listen to the original episode here:
In today’s fiercely competitive global marketplace, achieving customer loyalty requires more than simply meeting expectations—it demands a strategic, data-driven commitment to the entire customer journey. Though it might be tempting to treat customer experience (CX) initiatives as purely “soft” endeavors, tying them directly to business outcomes can yield powerful results that spark organization-wide transformations. One enterprise that has excelled in this arena is DHL Supply Chain, part of the global DHL family, which has successfully demonstrated how meaningful CX programs can drive measurable commercial and operational benefits.
In a recent interview, Markus Engel, Global Head of Voice of the Customer at DHL Supply Chain, and Linzi Hindle, Director of Customer Experience at DHL Supply Chain for the UK and Ireland region, shared how the organization has transformed the way it captures and acts on customer feedback. Their stories illustrate a thoughtful, data-centric approach to building customer-centric strategies that resonate from the C-suite right down to individual operational teams. Below, we’ll explore DHL Supply Chain’s efforts to unify employee experience (EX) and CX, the critical role technology solutions play in elevating insights, and the global vision that sustains innovation across an immense geographical footprint.
A Differentiated Approach to CX in Logistics
It’s no secret that logistics, like many B2B segments, is often perceived by external stakeholders as commoditized and transactional. Speed, reliability, and cost savings typically dominate discussions, overshadowing the quest for emotional connections. Yet DHL Supply Chain has striven to break that mold by emphasizing the value of customer engagement and loyalty.
According to Markus Engel, DHL Supply Chain’s journey in capturing feedback began as a traditional survey program that took place every other year. This made the insight-gathering process time-consuming and slow to drive updates. Over time, DHL recognized the need for a more dynamic, agile framework to collect continuous feedback and quickly respond.
“We are just introducing our new strategy 2030 called 2X30. … With that we are really aiming to extend the capturing of the voice of the customer, getting even closer and also driving improvements more institutionalized than we did before,” says Engel.
This vision aligns CX with clear business goals, especially given DHL Supply Chain’s broad reach and operational complexity. By making customer feedback a consistent priority, the company can rapidly identify areas for improvement—ranging from warehousing and packaging innovations to day-to-day transport logistics—and then translate those insights into tangible initiatives.
Speaking from her perspective as Director of Customer Experience in the UK and Ireland, Linzi Hindle highlights the power of positioning CX as a competitive advantage within the logistics space:
“How do we move ourselves from being a commoditized business into something that’s really powerful for our customers and understands our customers’ business needs as well? … For us, [CX] is a real differentiator in logistics.”
Her question underscores DHL’s resolve to stand out in an industry sometimes slow to adopt modern CX approaches. The emphasis on truly knowing each customer—where, how, and why they operate—creates meaningful relationships that lock in loyalty.
Tech, Data, and a Human Touch
A critical factor in DHL Supply Chain’s success has been its willingness to adopt technology platforms that centralize data, expedite reporting, and generate actionable insights for different levels of the organization. While technology alone cannot fix deep structural problems, the right solution can dramatically reduce friction in day-to-day processes, allowing leaders to focus on taking swift, targeted action.
DHL Supply Chain’s shift to more robust, cloud-based CX technology occurred several years ago but reached new heights in the last four, according to Engel. The introduction of Medallia, for instance, enabled advanced text analytics and user-friendly dashboards that let individuals in different departments quickly see and understand the feedback. This clarity fuels an organizational mindset that ties every new piece of customer intelligence to operational or strategic decisions.
“When we started customer experience management, we moved to a tech provider. … It’s now four years ago when we moved over to Medallia, because we just saw that with the capabilities they’re bringing, it just allows us to do the next S-curve,” explains Engel.
The process is far from static. DHL Supply Chain combines technology with an array of data management practices—including robust data lakes, built-in security protocols, and analytics linking multiple data sets (like employee satisfaction metrics, financial results, and Net Promoter Score). The company’s leadership can see how one dimension of performance influences another, fostering a bigger-picture understanding of how value is generated.
For people on the ground, user-friendly features matter. Linzi Hindle notes that the biggest difference she has observed since implementing a dedicated CX platform is how teams go beyond raw data to more proactive engagement:
“Prior to Medallia, I think we had a lot of information, we had a lot of data, but we weren’t necessarily actioning that as effectively as we could. … The accessibility as well and the visibility for our business stakeholders to see the feedback that’s coming through … just that in itself has really changed the way people are integrating and using the insights.”
Having immediate access to relevant CX data ensures that the entire business is engaged in improvement efforts. Teams from sales, operations, and HR are no longer reliant on gatekeepers or sporadic PDF reports—they can view feedback in real time, respond to concerns quickly, and pivot initiatives when new insights emerge.
This technology also supplies a layer of accountability. Hindle describes a “simple but effective” approach: DHL Supply Chain sets up surveys that are not overcomplicated, that respect the time constraints of its B2B clientele, and that are easy to complete. The responses then become the starting point for deeper discussions—an opportunity to follow up directly and collaborate with clients on meaningful changes. This resonates with the organization’s emphasis on forging a genuine dialogue rather than simply requesting a one-off rating.
Global Vision, Local Execution
While centralizing data is vital, DHL Supply Chain’s matrix approach ensures that global objectives align with nuanced local strategies. Engel points out that the business recently introduced the “Strategy 2030” initiative, dubbed “2X30,” reflecting the group’s ambitions for profitable growth and top-tier service. Customer centricity has emerged as one of the four pillars of this new plan, validating and propelling all related CX initiatives.
Yet the beauty of DHL Supply Chain’s framework is that local teams can adapt global directives to the unique needs of their territories. Hindle has been at DHL for 15 years and leads the CX agenda for the UK and Ireland—regions with enormous operational complexity and a diverse array of customer requirements. She cites an approach of “sharing best practices” that keeps everyone aligned without mandating a one-size-fits-all plan:
“We work really collaboratively with our other regions and the global team as well. We all have the same survey setup … but we do bring all of that information together in what we call ‘steal with pride.’ And it’s a constant place of learning.”
Such synergy between the global and local levels highlights one of DHL’s core strengths: agility. Regional teams can take a standardized feedback process and adapt it to specific complexities—whether cultural, operational, or regulatory. Meanwhile, global leaders compile and analyze data from multiple markets, noticing larger trends and opportunities for cross-regional initiatives.
Even with differences in geography, DHL Supply Chain fosters a culture of open collaboration. Hindle explains that colleagues frequently exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and test out novel approaches. If a new idea fails in one region, another might refine and adopt it with more success. If it flourishes, it can be scaled quickly and integrated into global best practices.
Linking Employee Experience to Commercial Impact
The well-known idea that happy employees create happy customers gains special significance in large-scale organizations. At DHL Supply Chain, employee satisfaction and engagement form another critical data source that leaders integrate with financial performance and NPS results. Engel underscores how the “four bottom lines” in DHL Group’s Strategy 2030—being the investor of choice, employer of choice, provider of choice, and sustainability leader—are interlinked.
“For DHL Supply Chain, over the recent years, we see a growth in all of these aspects. … We see that our employee satisfaction is increasing, and at the same time our NPS is steadily growing.”
To DHL Supply Chain, these correlations are more than theoretical—they are measured in real time, cross-checked, and used to inform operational strategy. The logic is straightforward yet critical: if frontline employees who interact with partners and clients feel supported and empowered, they are more likely to solve issues quickly, maintain open communication, and go the extra mile. That in turn bolsters the customer’s view of DHL Supply Chain as a trusted logistics partner, fostering the loyalty that leads to repeated business and improved commercial results.
Hindle has witnessed the ways direct access to CX data catalyzes stronger ownership among operational teams, bridging any gap between the day-to-day workforce and top-level strategic objectives:
“It’s not just me as a central CX spokesperson saying ‘You need to do this, it’s important.’ It’s actually … this is your insight, this is your information. … How can we help, how can we collaborate to make a difference for you and your teams, but ultimately our customer?”
By “handing over” the insights to teams on the ground, DHL cultivates a sense of empowerment. Employees can see, in near real time, how their specific actions impact customer feedback. When NPS or satisfaction scores shift—whether up or down—they have immediate context for the reasons behind it. That feedback loop keeps staff motivated to find new improvements, aligning operational excellence with the strategic objective of best-in-class customer experience.
The DHL Supply Chain story offers a compelling blueprint for any organization seeking to tie an enterprise-grade CX initiative to tangible commercial gains. At first glance, a global logistics company might seem like an unlikely hotbed of CX innovation, given that many in the sector still rely on legacy practices and slow feedback cycles. Yet DHL Supply Chain has proven that leveraging agile methodologies, centralizing data on a robust platform, and fueling cross-functional collaboration can yield far-reaching benefits—both financial and cultural.
A critical piece of DHL’s success lies in the interplay between technology, methodology, and people. The adoption of solutions like Medallia enables swift data collection, intuitive reporting, and advanced analytics. But those tools would be far less effective if not for DHL Supply Chain’s commitment to an organization-wide mindset that transcends business units and focuses on forging deeper relationships with customers. Through regular, concise surveys and an unfiltered stream of feedback, everyone from operations managers to executive sponsors has the power to act quickly on insights.
Within such a system, the employee experience—and its measurable correlation with customer satisfaction and net promoter metrics—takes on a strategic dimension. The organization’s employees are not cogs in a machine; they are active participants who understand how their efforts contribute to better logistics solutions and happier clients. This integrated view of people, processes, and data fosters sustainable change, making it easier for DHL Supply Chain to adapt and scale new initiatives in multiple regions and markets.
Looking ahead, DHL Supply Chain’s Strategy 2030 signals a strong commitment to remain agile, forward-looking, and data-savvy. As they extend and refine their Voice of the Customer programs, they are poised to solidify an even deeper alignment between commercial growth and outstanding service. By continuously linking global objectives to regional best practices—and forging an unmistakable bond between EX and CX—the company demonstrates that no matter how large or complex an enterprise may be, a well-executed CX strategy can become a driving force for innovation and profitability.
For organizations seeking to replicate this type of success, DHL Supply Chain’s key lessons are clear: start small, gather proof points, link technology to tangible business outcomes, and—perhaps most importantly—trust in people’s ability to own and act upon the insights they discover. In the end, it’s not the sophistication of the data alone that matters, but the collective willingness of the entire organization to let the data spark authentic dialogue, bold ideas, and a shared commitment to serving customers at the highest level.—one that merges data and the human touch to shape a more innovative and responsive future for retail.
