Chapter 1492 Verbal Sparring

Lü Mingliang's words completely dumbfounded Nie Yunsheng.

He was stunned and confused!

Why wasn't this young man playing by the rules?

How could he say such things on a live broadcast?

Had water gone to his brain?

Nie Yunsheng almost thought he was having auditory hallucinations, hearing things that shouldn't exist.

Lü Mingliang's words directly pointed out the responsibility of Shengyun Group as a platform, explicitly stating their role in inciting infighting between customers and couriers while remaining aloof, and even incidentally throwing shade at all similar platform companies.

Currently, many of the domestic internet giants with huge scale operate as platforms.

Besides express delivery, which rapidly rising trends of the past two years, such as ride-hailing, rentals, and food delivery, didn't operate as platforms?

The reason why many large capitals invested heavily in the mobile internet, pouring massive funds into these companies, was because they saw ready-made business models.

First, they burned money on subsidies to expand market share, control customers and grassroots employees, and establish a complete business network. Then, through competition, acquisitions, and all other means, they eliminated or swallowed their competitors, forming a de facto monopoly before figuring out how to earn the money back.

Food delivery companies find ways to squeeze money from merchants, delivery riders, and customers; housing agencies find ways to profit from the intermediary fees paid by brokers and homebuyers.

Express delivery companies are relatively better, since this industry is far from achieving a de facto monopoly. No single company has truly achieved a position of absolute market dominance. Sometimes, express delivery companies even engage in price wars, so they are more restrained and less blatant.

But in any case, this is the direction that Nie Yunsheng and Shengyun Group are striving for.

This isn't a secret. Many people are aware of it but feel helpless.

Because for ordinary people, even if you know these platforms' plans, can you really afford not to use them?

Various large platforms fight tooth and nail, and customers can indeed enjoy many subsidies, but this struggle will eventually stop. Large platforms will compromise with each other, accept each other, shake hands, and establish a large platform that can monopolize the industry, earning money together happily.

Customers can't even vote with their feet. In the end, there are only two options: use it or don't use it.

But in the mobile internet era, you simply can't afford not to use it. So, you can only cough up the money and obediently return all the subsidies that the platforms previously gave you.

Of course, that's how things are, but you can't just say it.

Because the word "monopoly" itself is a huge negative PR issue for these large platforms.

Customers can discuss it privately, but as long as it doesn't generate too much buzz, there's no major problem.

But for these platforms, such things are absolutely not to be mentioned, and there can't even be any hints. This is a tacit understanding.

After all, in commercial competition, even if they shake hands and make peace or acquire each other in the end, it's just a matter of earning a bit more or a bit less.

But if they really publicize this secret and tear off the last fig leaf, it's like overturning the table, smashing the pot, ruining the business of all platforms using similar models, and leaving everyone with nothing to eat.

There are only individuals who betray their class, never a class that betrays its interests.

So, for Nie Yunsheng, Lü Mingliang's speech had gone beyond the scope of "not playing by the rules." He was simply exploding himself!

More importantly, the tone of Lü Mingliang's voice was just begging to be slapped...

What Nie Yunsheng didn't know was that Lü Mingliang was the voice actor for the narrator in *Game Producer*.

Lü Mingliang's voice was a bit like a duck's call to begin with. Although he didn't pinch his voice like he did in *Game Producer*, his tone was still naturally sarcastic, so it was inevitably a bit mocking.

This alone was enough to infuriate Nie Yunsheng.

But now that things had reached this point, Nie Yunsheng couldn't leave even more.

Because leaving now would be equivalent to admitting his guilt and admitting that what Lü Mingliang said was true.

He calmed his shocked emotions and even forced a seemingly calm smile: "As a platform, we will of course bear some responsibility. As a representative of the company, I am comforting the couriers and mediating conflicts between couriers and customers. Isn't that taking responsibility?"

"Admittedly, our platform has some shortcomings, and we are working hard to improve them. Improvement takes time. Mr. Lü, is the service of Nifeng Logistics perfect? Has it never had any mistakes or errors?"

Lü Mingliang smiled: "The service of Nifeng Logistics is certainly not absolutely perfect, but it is sincere enough."

"Mr. Nie is making a very classic logical fallacy, a false dilemma: pushing a topic to two different extremes, as if the opposite of imperfection is absolute perfection."

"In fact, imperfection is also tiered. We certainly can't achieve 100 points, but every step from 10 points to 90 points will have a huge impact on the customer experience. As for how many points Nifeng Logistics and Shengyun Group have respectively achieved... I believe that as long as you check the customer satisfaction data, you can clearly see."

The corner of Nie Yunsheng's mouth twitched slightly. Lü Mingliang had killed the topic again.

Customer satisfaction?

Nie Yunsheng knew very well, why would Shengyun Express compare customer satisfaction with Nifeng Logistics? They couldn't catch up even with a rocket!

Seeing that Nie Yunsheng was on the defensive, a vice president next to him hurriedly took over the conversation to change the subject: "Mr. Lü, the customer satisfaction of Nifeng Logistics is indeed very high, we admit that. But it must be stated that the business of Nifeng Logistics is ultimately providing services in a limited area and to a limited number of customers, while the business of Shengyun Express covers the entire country."

"The development level of various regions across the country is different, and the specific conditions are also different. How can they be generalized? We, Shengyun Express, are working hard to provide good services to customers all over the country, and we are constantly improving and constantly raising our standards."

"For example, we are investing massive funds to build express cabinets and community stations in various cities and communities, and we are also gradually improving our service level."

"To use a not-so-appropriate analogy, first-tier cities and second- and third-tier cities can be said to be two completely different exam subjects. Nifeng Logistics scored 90 points in one subject, but didn't take the exam in the other subject at all; while Shengyun Group scored 80 points in both subjects."

"Mr. Lü is only using the score of one subject to say that you have won against us. Isn't that a bit biased?"

Lü Mingliang smiled and nodded: "Well, this vice president's analogy is indeed not very appropriate. First of all, whether Shengyun Express has achieved 80 points, I believe customers will naturally have the answer in their hearts. Your scoring standards for your own business are a bit too lenient."

"The gap between Nifeng Logistics and Shengyun Express in terms of service is, in the end, the difference between 90 points and 80 points, and every customer knows that."

"Secondly, Nifeng Logistics is not that they didn't participate in the exams for second- and third-tier cities. Our next goal is second- and third-tier cities, and we promise that the express delivery service will absolutely not be discounted in any way. We treat customers in second- and third-tier cities the same as customers in first-tier cities."

"I would like to ask this vice president a question in return: You said that Shengyun Express is investing massive funds to build express cabinets and community stations in various cities and communities, improving the level of service... Has it really improved? Is it really for the sake of the customers?"

The vice president stiffened his neck: "How has it not improved? How is it not for the sake of the customers?"

Lü Mingliang smiled slightly: "Oh, the goods that should have been delivered to the door are thrown directly into the express cabinet without even making a phone call. Is that called service improvement?"

"Large items are thrown into the station without being delivered to the door, and customers are only provided with a trolley. Is that called service improvement?"

"The station owner puts up a notice at the entrance of the station saying 'Return the package if it's not picked up in two days', forcing customers to pick up the package as soon as possible and not occupy the shelves. Is that called service improvement?"

"Some station owners don't even bother to find the package for you anymore. Customers have to do everything themselves, from finding the package to taking it out of the station. Is that called service improvement?"

"Customers have to watch advertisements and skip the reward QR code when they go to the express cabinet to pick up their packages. Is that called service improvement?"

"If I remember correctly, the law clearly stipulates that express delivery must be delivered to the door, right?"

"You feel that you have fulfilled your legal obligations by symbolically sending a text message notification? To be honest, customers are just too easy to bully."

Nie Yunsheng coughed lightly: "Whether or not express delivery is delivered to the door still depends on the specific situation at the time. Some customers are office workers who work very hard and get off work late. Even if the courier delivers the package to the door, there is no one at home, and they can't just leave it at the door. It's easy to lose. In this case, putting it in the express cabinet or station and letting the customer pick it up on the way home from work is objectively convenient for the customer."

Lü Mingliang smiled and shook his head: "Mr. Nie is starting to play dumb again."

"I don't deny that this situation does exist, so Nifeng Logistics provides customers with different service options: if it is inconvenient to deliver to the door, you can choose to pick it up at the Nifeng Station; if you want it delivered to the door, you can schedule a rough delivery time."

"For some customers, they really don't mind picking it up themselves, but how many people want it delivered to the door, but you haven't met their needs? You are even indifferent to their repeated complaints?"

"In my opinion, Mr. Nie's statement is nothing more than a plausible excuse. The so-called massive investment in building express cabinets and community stations is still to save costs and spread the cost of the last mile to the customers themselves."

"Why doesn't Mr. Nie simply introduce how many couriers can be laid off after the express cabinets and community stations are fully rolled out? How much can be saved on couriers' wages? And how much market share can be grabbed through price wars, and how much profit can be brought to Shengyun Group?"

Nie Yunsheng was speechless again, because he didn't dare to stubbornly say that Shengyun Express hadn't laid off couriers.

First, too many people knew about the layoffs, so it was impossible to hide it. Second, the fact that Nifeng Station no longer accepts Shengyun Express's shipments, resulting in the terminals of Shengyun Express in first-tier cities being full, was precisely caused by the layoffs of Shengyun Express couriers.

If Nie Yunsheng dared to say that he hadn't done it, Lü Mingliang would probably take out the photos of the express cabinets and community stations being full to slap him in the face in minutes.

It would only make the situation even more passive.

Another vice president hurriedly explained: "Mr. Lü should be very clear that the profit margin in the express delivery industry is very thin now. Compared with the expensive and slow services of foreign express delivery, domestic express delivery is already of high quality and low price. Although Shengyun Group has not achieved the best in terms of service, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is excellent. The important thing is that the price is absolutely low. You can send express delivery all over the country for just a yuan or two."

"Mr. Lü's words are a bit like Marie Antoinette's 'let them eat cake': the best quality service means a high price, but many of our customers currently don't have the economic means to support such a high price. They would rather reduce some service quality and also reduce some prices."

"I think that Shengyun Express's approach is more in line with the current market demand. What do you think, Mr. Lü?"

Lü Mingliang shook his head slightly, with a somewhat disappointed expression: "I thought you were all senior executives of Shengyun Group and could say something insightful about the current situation of the express delivery industry, but I didn't expect that everything you're saying is just stuff that's already been said online?"

"It's really disappointing!"