CASE STUDY
The role of a CIO / IT Director / IT head etc . is constantly evolving with more C-level and business line executives getting involved in making IT and technology purchasing decisions . How hard is it for you to get the correct support and buy-in from your peers at DHL Express ?
Personally , I think it comes down to a few basics and due diligence . First , it ’ s important to ensure that adoption of any technology is aligned to a business priority . Secondly , there must be a proper feasibility study , for example , how will the proposed investment deliver returns or benefits . As an example , beginning of 2020 we launched a Blockchain enabled ecommerce platform with Dubai Customs meant to simplify the import and export clearance process for our customers . This was a major investment and first of its kind like a start-up . In fact , the solution has already simplified cross-border movements of goods for our customers that has in turn enabled them to expand and grow their business .
How is DHL Express guiding its customers on its journey of providing smart , innovative and dynamic services as the company has embarked on its Digital Transformation journey ?
As a company we are focused on making our customers ’ life easy as well as making DHL easy to do business with . With this in mind we are constantly engaging with our customers at all levels . Last year , we had launched a new highly intuitive online customer solution for which we had organised an event just so our customers could come and experience the new technology first hand , ask questions and give feedback which we later incorporated into the solution . During the pandemic our customer facing team has done hundreds of online trainings and webinars to guide and support our customers on our digital journey .
The Middle East has witnessed a heightened wave of cyberattacks in recent months targeting various industry verticals especially with the COVID-19 pandemic and most employees working remotely . How is DHL Express protecting its digital assets from cyber criminals ?
We have a saying in our company that information security is everyone ’ s responsibility . Awareness and education is the first step in tackling this important topic and we are constantly reinforcing key messages on prevention and protection , both with our employees and customers . At an infrastructure level , we have a rather elaborate set of security standards and measures implemented at every level to secure our business , as you would expect from an organisation of our size and scale of operations . Again this is an area that will further benefit from our digitalisation agenda , for example we have already seen practical applications of AI and Blockchain in enhancing security .
What IT projects have you implemented in the last 12 to 18 months and how have those projects impacted DHL Express ’ business in the Middle East region ?
Firstly , over the years we have evolved our standard processes in most areas of our business that is adequately supported by an enhanced global application portfolio which are centrally hosted and managed . This has made us agile , it ’ s faster to deploy new IT capabilities and changes across the organisation or scale up fairly quickly in response to business and customer requirements or related challenges such as the ones posed by the recent pandemic . For example , overnight activation of contactless delivery , digital payment options and paperless processes to minimise physical contact . Having said that , we are also well structured in terms of IT organisation , while we have a global team managing centralised IT services , we have country IT engaged and focused on the local business and its customers . This approach has ensured a resilient IT foundation , while it also enabled us to quickly respond to massive shifts in employee work and customer behaviour patterns and drive innovation on the frontline that was required to adapt to the new normal . Thus , we were also able to successfully shift our focus from just reacting to the crisis to getting ahead of it .
What percentage of DHL Express ’ business is now digital or online ?
Almost all our customer facing services are available online or accessible through a digital channel . Our electronic shipment percentage is nearly 100 % which means there ’ s no manual entry of shipment data at any
DIGITALISATION IN THE LOGISTICS SECTOR IS
HAPPENING SO FAST AND ON SO MANY FRONTS ,
IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO KEEP PACE .
www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO MIDDLE EAST 61