Intelligent CIO Africa Issue 14 | Page 85

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// INTELLIGENT VERTICAL: TRANSPORT DISRUPTING THE SUPPLY CHAIN ECOSYSTEM Intelligent technology, smart systems and effortless mobility are empowering drivers and transforming customer engagement, says David Slotow, CEO at Trackmatic. T he customer has changed . . . ignore this at your peril! According to a recent Gallup poll, the biggest driver of business to business (B2B) success is meaningful customer impact and yet around 60% of customers are reporting that they’re indifferent in their engagement. Gallup took the research deeper and found that customer engagement had a multiplier effect on business growth. For the supply chain industry, whether focusing on B2B or B2C (business to customer), customer engagement and delight are vital for long-term, sustainable success. But how? The answer may be ‘to delight the customer’ but what path should the industry be taking to achieve this goal? www.intelligentcio.com Customer expectations are consistently rising, driven by market leaders such as Amazon Prime, so to meet this demand the industry must consistently innovate and invest in solutions that bridge the gap between what the customer wants and how the business gets it to them. The key strategic enabler of this bridge is the driver. The driver is the ultimate brand ambassador, not only ensuring that goods are delivered in good time, but also responsible for that final moment of delight. While there is significant and impressive disruption in the supply chain, most innovation is taking place in the warehouse environment and in transportation. The investment in transportation is typically only centred around hardware technology “ DRIVER-LED VISIBILITY HARNESSES THE UBIQUITY OF THE MOBILE DEVICE TO TURN THE DRIVER INTO THE CENTRAL CHARACTER OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN SHOW. INTELLIGENTCIO 85