Freight forwarder Panalpina has launched a new customer portal, which is says addresses many of the logistics industry’s “most pressing needs”.
The company says it is intent on steering industry into the ‘Digital Age’ by using the newest technologies to create an innovative, end-to-end digital environment for its customers, and believes the portal will shape and define tomorrow’s interactions and interfaces between customers and logistics service providers.
Panalpina chief executive officer, Stefan Karlen says: “We have recently reached a significant milestone in modernising the company’s systems landscape by successfully rolling out our new state-of-the-art operational platform (SAP TM) in Germany – one of our key markets.
“Now, Panalpina is taking the next logical step in creating a seamless customer experience that will make managing global shipments faster and simpler.
“Our new customer portal is the centerpiece of Panalpina’s technology transformation and one that will greatly impact how we, and likely others in the industry, will interact with customers in the future.”
In a first step, Panalpina has successfully piloted its new, fully automated online quotation and booking platform for ad-hoc cargo with selected airfreight customers. This new centralised digital platform provides customers with a fast, simple and reliable online interface that enables informed decision-making by giving access to easy and instantaneous quotation and booking of ad hoc shipments globally.
Panalpina says some of the first key customer benefits of the new platform are speed through instant quotations, end-to-end solutions as rates cover door-to-door transactions including pre and on-carriage and ease as rates can be viewed and freight booked instantaneously without using the telephone or email.
Global head of airfreight, Lucas Kuehner explains: “We were already a pioneer in the industry with our unique Charter Network and we are doing so again, right now. The platform offers key features such as dynamic pricing, global coverage and online 24/7 accessibility.
“In today’s highly volatile market environment, our automated platform allows us to respond very quickly to customer inquiries by providing competitive rates as well as cargo capacity either through our Charter Network or best-in-class partner carriers.”
Karlen adds: “We are excited to launch the platform in the first quarter of next year, and thereafter extend this new-generation digital portal across our entire product portfolio and customer base.”
