Maersk makes bold bid at differentiation by teaming with CRM giant
Maritime industry analysts have be challenging the idea that carriers are adequately prepared for today's dynamic and fluid marketplace.
Transportation in the News
Don’t call freight volume recovery a comeback FTR Shippers Conditions Index falls but remains in growth mode Yellow, Teamsters union butting heads a year before contract deadline Industry stakeholders call on White House to aid in West Coast port labor talks U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are down, for week ending March 18, reports AAR More Transportation NewsThere was much talk at IANA this week about ocean carrier's failure to differentiate their services amid ever greater consolidation and alliances. Some of that apprehension may have been addressed by Maersk today when it announced that it has teamed with Salesforce, the San Francisco-based leader in CRM.
Maersk Line—a worldwide leader in transportation and logistics, with a fleet of more than 600 vessels that move in excess of 12 million shipping containers each year—is expanding its use of Salesforce, adding Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Einstein Analytics and Community Cloud to its current deployment of Sales Cloud and Service Cloud.
Steen Erik Larsen, Senior Director IT at Maersk Line A/S notes that success in the complex and high-stakes world of global transport and logistics relies on meeting customer expectations every step of the way.
With Salesforce, he says, Maersk is bringing the entire shipper "journey," on one platform and adding analytics to get deeper insights that will the carrier to prepare for evolving needs.
Maritime industry analysts have be challenging the idea that carriers are adequately prepared for today's dynamic and fluid marketplace.
But Cindy Bolt, SVP, Salesforce Industries, Manufacturing and Consumer Goods, maintains that this partnership is a sign that one major player is shipper-focused.
“Shipping line operations are immensely complex,” she says. “Equally complex is the ability to provide seamless customer experiences on a global scale. Maersk Line is addressing this challenge by unifying its sales, service and marketing on Salesforce, which will lead to more personalized, 1-to-1 experiences across the customer lifecycle.”
About the Author
Patrick Burnson, Executive Editor Mr. Burnson is a widely-published writer and editor specializing in international trade, global logistics, and supply chain management. He is based in San Francisco, where he provides a Pacific Rim perspective on industry trends and forecasts. He may be reached at his downtown office: [email protected].Subscribe to Supply Chain Management Review Magazine!
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