Issue October 2008
Overview

A day at the Logistics Center of HHLA Logistics with CAS genesisWorld

The harbor is buzzing

No matter from which side you observe the harbor in Hamburg, it appears vast: enormous container cranes load and unload the massive freighters. More than 150 million consumers in Europe and the Baltic States make the harbor a mainstay in worldwide overseas transport. With two state-of-the-art freight centers, HHLA Logistics ensures the fast provision of goods delivered ‘just in time’ for transportation.

Time is precious at Hamburg harbor. For this reason, HHLA Logistics, a subsidiary of the Hamburger Hafen und Logistik Aktiengesellschaft (HHLA), has been relying since 2004 on professional customer relationship management in order to efficiently support the wide-ranging circle of customers, consisting of freight forwarders, importers, manufacturers and trading companies.

6.50 a.m.: Start of shift in the Overseas Center

Early morning in the Overseas Center, the headquarters of the logistics services provider: customer relationship management starts for this logistics services provider when the warehouse employees officially start their shift at 6.50 a.m. and begin to unpack the containers delivered to the ramp during the night. Whether it be garden gnomes for the DIY store, the first moped as a present for confirmation, different kinds of electrical goods – the decisive element for Michael Schirmaier, managing director of the 220-man operation, is the customers who are hidden behind the crates and boxes. “For us, the focus is on the customer who wants to store his freight securely and have it transported quickly. That’s our personal capital.” And this is precisely where CAS genesisWorld comes into use at HHLA Logistics.

8.30 a.m.: All information well-packed in the customer dossier

While the warehouse staff collects the deliveries, it’s all go at the sales offices: phone calls conducted with customers, e-mails sent, letters written, deadlines agreed upon and new business contacts captured. “As a logistics services provider, we make a tailored-made suit for every one of our customers, which must fit. As a result, a multitude of correspondence with the customer takes place across interfaces and processes every day, so that the logistics chain runs smoothly,” clarifies Schirmaier. For this reason, all information is archived in CAS genesisWorld without exception. In detail, this means that all communication with a customer, every phone call, e-mail, appointment is entered into CAS genesisWorld by the employees and also automatically, so that all authorized employees can access this data at the touch of a button. What prices were agreed? When was the last time the customer called? “If I want to know something, I simply take a look at the customer’s dossier and find the information”, says Schirmaier, highlighting the benefits. As well as in sales, general management level, IT, operations technology and also commercial management, CAS genesisWorld is valued both as a source of information and as a comprehensive point of reference.

10.00 a.m.: The campaign begins

Building on the customer dossier, HHLA Logistics uses the CRM solution for its campaign management. “If we want to plan events such as harbor jubilee celebrations or send customers a little something for Christmas, we can arrange it very niftily and quickly with CAS genesisWorld today,” says Schirmaier. He thinks back to the days of effort it took his sales staff to prepare individual customer lists in Microsoft Excel, some of which were sorted manually, and then to print out labels. Today, each salesperson selects which customer should be addressed and how, by using an easily adaptable search filter. Then Schirmaier’s secretary presses the button – and the distribution list is ready. The CRM solution even supports customer acquisition, for example, with its mail merge function. Schirmaier: “In this way, we act on the basis of mutual data and address customers or prospective customers intelligently.”

"CAS genesisWorld offers everything I expect from a CRM software solution." Michael Schirmaier, Managing Director of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA)

1.30 p.m.: A quick glance at the schedule

HHLA Logistics has had a consistently positive experience with the way in which the CRM system has sustainably changed the working procedure. The structure, the architecture and, last but not least, the user friendliness ensure widespread acceptance among the workforce. The team calendar in CAS genesisWorld also makes a contribution by clearly showing all employee appointments. Through the “CRM groupwise connector” bidirectional interface, CAS genesisWorld also displays the appointments from the group-wide Groupwise solution. The integration ensures that the employees do not have to keep two calendars running at the same time. The advantage is that a calendar entry can be linked to a customer contact. As managing director, Schirmaier uses the synchronization for mobile devices which enables him to compare data such as appointments, telephone numbers or addresses from the system with those in his business cell phone: “For me, this is a great thing. I no longer have to record any contacts in my cell phone. It’s also great that the phone display shows me who has just called.“

5.00 p.m.: ‘Just in time’ in customer relationship management

Late in the afternoon at the Overseas Center: the first freight forwarders pick up their loads from the freight terminal for further transportation. “CAS genesisWorld provides me with what I expect from a CRM software package to a great extent,” sums up Schirmaier. “Especially with campaigns and the customer dossier we notice that we really save a lot of time, which makes the investment for successful customer relationship really worthwhile.” The managing director is more than happy with the implementation by gid GmbH, the CAS Partner in Norderstedt. “gid has done a really super job. I would make exactly the same decision again at any time.” And while the current working day is drawing to a close for the staff at HHLA Logistics, CAS genesisWorld is ready to support the wide customer base of the warehouse and contract logistics services provider at Hamburg harbor in an optimum way, so that the harbor can continue to really buzz along.

© CAS Software AG