Providing a Digital Customer Experience & Improving Efficiency with Descartes
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, Ltd. (ZIM) is a global ocean carrier with well-established operations serving a client base worldwide. ZIM uses digital strategies to provide customers with market-leading seaborne transportation and logistics services with a premiere level of service. One part of the company’s digital approach to excellence was to explore technology that could enable a customer-facing book on-demand solution without tapping internal bandwidth.
“Whenever we performed a task manually, such as responding to one-off emails or answering phone calls, it was simply not time or cost-effective to manage,” said Lior Frenkel, Ecommerce Business Manager from ZIM. “Beyond this, it is common for customers to have regular shipments where we would need to enter booking information repeatedly. Eventually, we came to a critical threshold where we knew that we needed to invest in technology to not only speed bookings but to drive up productivity and connect to internal systems.”
Streamlining Processes with Best-in-class Technology
Mr. Frenkel, continues, “Our goal is to have a 95% digital ecosystem. For us, a customer-facing platform was a pillar that was missing to improve digital adoption among our clients. In addition to the online customer experience, the Descartes Kontainers™ integration means that we spend less time correcting data and troubleshooting connectivity errors since information seamlessly populates our transportation management system (TMS). Descartes is also responsive, listens to our feedback, and evolves with us in parallel to our needs.”
“As far as why we selected Descartes Kontainers™, we concluded that the solution provided the most robust customer journey with an effective mobile experience. I am happy with the decision to use Descartes to interface with our client base and to integrate with our back-office platforms.”
Lior Frenkel, Ecommerce Business Manager, ZIM
The Results
Improved Customer Experience
Customers can now book on-demand through a white-labeled client-facing portal
Integrated with Internal Systems
The Descartes solution seamlessly populates ZIM’s internal platforms to reduce data entry
Increased Efficiency
Resources are freed from repetitive labor-intensive tasks to boost overall productivity
Reduced Costs
Smart automations and reduced labor means that ZIM can minimize operational costs
About ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, Ltd.
Founded in Israel in 1945, ZIM (NYSE: ZIM) is a leading global container liner shipping company with established operations in more than 90 countries serving approximately 34,000 customers in over 200 ports worldwide. ZIM leverages digital strategies and a commitment to ESG values to provide customers innovative seaborne transportation and logistics services and exceptional customer experience.
ZIM’s differentiated global-niche strategy, based on agile fleet management and deployment, covers major trade routes with a focus on select markets where the company holds competitive advantages.
Additional information about ZIM is available at www.zim.com.