Maersk stays open for business; strengthens customer experience through digital solutions to keep supply chains moving

In wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maersk, the integrated container logistics company, is taking all necessary measures to keep its employees safe and its customers’ supply chains moving with minimum disruptions. Maersk has ensured all its office-based employees work remotely with access to adequate IT infrastructure. The company is also urging its customers to make full use of their online platforms in the interest of ensuring safety for all. By leveraging pre-existing high impact digital platforms, Maersk seeks to serve its customers smoothly during these times.

Over the last few years, Maersk has increasingly invested in its digital platforms to find new ways to simplify container transport, cut down on turnaround time, reduce costs and boost transparency for its customers worldwide. India is currently under lockdown, and the Government has deemed the logistics sector to be an essential service that needs to be kept running. The company’s online platforms, starting with its website Maersk.com, along with products such as Maersk Spot, Twill, Captain Peter and others are available for customers, with which they can easily get online quotes, make instant online bookings, move goods across land and sea by truck, train or ship with guarantee and get full visibility of their cargo’s journey.

Going a step further, especially in the current times when social distancing is of utmost importance, Maersk has also enabled its customers to pay digitally instead of physically visiting counters for payment. Maersk is one of the first logistics import and export partners in the country to release all necessary documents digitally, thus ensuring human interaction is minimised or negated.

Steve Felder, Managing Director, Maersk South Asia, said “Safety of our employees, their families and our customers is our utmost priority. We proactively started asking our employees to work remotely from their homes even before the country went into lockdown. Our customer experience and service teams, through the readily-available plethora of digital platforms, are ensuring our customers’ cargo keeps moving.” He added, ”We are in the business of moving goods, and especially during times like these, it is crucial that we understand the importance of keeping cargo moving. It could be crisis-essential cargo and it is our responsibility to play a role in supporting the entire system in best possible manner. We appreciate the Government’s efforts to keep logistics and supply chain industry running even in these tough times so that we ensure people have access to essentials.”

Digital solutions for Maersk customers

· Maersk.com: Maersk’s official website, is one single platform which helps customers with online quote request, instant booking confirmation, managing and tracking shipments, free time calculation, tariff enquiry and online live chat support 24*7

· Maersk Spot: Digital pricing solution for guaranteed loading which turns out to be an extremely important and deciding factor in current uncertainties. Maersk Spot is available for both ocean as well as inland transportation

· Twill: Easy solutions for smaller and less experienced customers who can be handheld through the complex processes of shipping

· Maersk shipment and MyFinance Mobile Apps: Enable customers to perform all the necessary transactions on the smartphone remotely while on the move

· Sphere: Offering customers full transparency on their shipments, by showing all the actions that need to be taken and when, both by the customer and the carrier. It explains customers what each action means and how it can be completed. Sphere thus helps experienced customers to better organize and prioritize their own work and also guides new customers through steps that need to be taken though the shipping cycle

Financial ease for Indian customers:

· Depositslip.in: acts as a complete imports and payment solution desk for customers where they can ensure crucial activities like instructions for manifesting their cargo, Container Freight Station (CFS) nomination, Delivery Order release, Telex release and so on

· Maersk is accepting payments through multiple online modes including RTGS, NEFT and Payment Gateway (Bill desk)

· 90% of Maersk’s customers enjoy online bill of lading (B/l) facility which can be printed/ released from their own offices with Maersk’s stationery. Import Delivery orders are 100% digital.

· For Import key clients, various solutions like Advance DO (Delivery Order) are available to reduce supply chain defects.
Source: Maersk