Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo division of Emirates, the largest international airline, has taken a significant step forward in its digital transformation journey with the launch of eQuote. Designed to enhance customer experience, streamline operations, and boost efficiency, eQuote marks a major milestone in Emirates SkyCargo’s ongoing digitization strategy. By introducing this innovative tool, the airline seeks to offer customers enhanced flexibility, control, and choice in managing their shipments. The availability of eQuote on e-SkyCargo, the airline’s digital platform, underscores the company’s commitment to leveraging technology in delivering world-class services.
eQuote operates as a digital ‘self-service’ tool, allowing customers to request and manage spot quotations at their convenience. This tool, which will be gradually rolled out globally, covers a wide range of products including highly sensitive shipments in the Life Sciences and Healthcare categories, as well as high-value transfers like Emirates Wheels. Through eQuote, customers can access Emirates SkyCargo’s extensive suite of products and services more efficiently, embedding convenience into their shipping processes. The introduction of eQuote aligns with Emirates SkyCargo’s strategic aim to provide a seamless, intuitive customer experience in response to evolving market demands.
Enhancing Customer Experience with eQuote
Matthew Scott, Vice President of Pricing and Interline at Emirates SkyCargo, highlighted the critical role of digital transformation in their strategic roadmap, emphasizing that intuitive and reliable digital tools are now a necessity. In an age where real-time data and swift experiences are expected, eQuote emerges as a pivotal enhancement to the airline’s digital offerings. This tool significantly uplifts Emirates SkyCargo’s customer service, marking a tangible step towards meeting modern customer expectations in the logistics space.
The company’s digital strategy revolves around deploying innovations that yield measurable benefits for both customers and internal teams. Integration of digital solutions into operations has led to optimized processes and enriched the overall customer journey. Notably, there has been significant adoption of digital interfaces, with digital bookings making up more than 60% of total bookings. This statistic reflects a mature digital landscape, where temperature-sensitive freight such as perishable and pharmaceutical shipments are handled with precision, catering to the needs of diverse clientele effectively.
Expanding Digital Presence and Capabilities
Responding to the surge in digital demand, Emirates SkyCargo has established a strong presence on major digital marketplaces and leading Transport Management Systems including WebCargo, cargo.one, CargoAi, and CargoWise. This strategic expansion ensures that Emirates SkyCargo’s services can be accessed wherever customers prefer to book, offering benefits like direct booking access, visibility on schedules, tariffs, contract rates, and real-time capacity. The omnipresence in these digital marketplaces exemplifies Emirates SkyCargo’s commitment to meeting customers at their preferred touchpoints, ensuring an inclusive, customer-centric approach.
Initially, Emirates SkyCargo made five core products available on these platforms, covering perishables, general cargo, and urgent shipments. However, seeing the growing demand and potential, the portfolio has been expanded to include specialty products like pharmaceuticals. Additionally, the weight break limitation has been increased to three tonnes, allowing for larger shipments to be booked digitally. This capability highlights the airline’s adaptation to handling more substantial and complex logistics needs through digital means, enhancing service efficiency and reach.
Collaborations and Direct Connections
In furthering its digital agenda and building on the success of air freight aggregators, Emirates SkyCargo has formed collaborations with key global customers such as Kuehne+Nagel and DB Schenker. These partnerships have led to the initiation of direct host-to-host connections, seamlessly integrating the airline’s available capacity, schedules, and rates into the customers’ internal booking engines. This direct integration streamlines the booking process, offering customers a more efficient and straightforward way to book shipments, reflecting the airline’s commitment to improving the user experience through collaborative innovation.
The adoption of digital solutions has markedly enhanced productivity and manpower efficiency within Emirates SkyCargo’s operations. By automating the handling of simple or small shipments, the company’s experts can dedicate more time to managing complex bookings that necessitate closer follow-up, such as Emirates Valuables or Emirates Pets shipments. This shift has allowed sales agents to engage more deeply with customers, offering personalized service and significantly contributing to the strong positive feedback received from the customer base. The strategic focus on digital transformation has thus yielded both operational efficiencies and elevated customer satisfaction levels.
Revamping Digital Channels
Furthering its digital evolution, Emirates SkyCargo has also refreshed its owned digital channels, including e-SkyCargo and SkyCargo.com, to enhance its digital touchpoints. The user portal e-SkyCargo has been simplified to improve user experience, ensuring more straightforward navigation and functionality. SkyCargo.com, the airline’s primary website, has undergone a comprehensive rebrand aimed at integrating a more intuitive design, mobile-friendly features, and enhanced accessibility. These enhancements ensure that customers can access essential information and services seamlessly, no matter the device they are using.
SkyCargo.com now provides exhaustive information about each specialist product under Emirates SkyCargo’s multi-vertical portfolio, including details on packaging requirements, necessary documentation, and compliance considerations. This comprehensive resource helps customers make informed decisions tailored to their business needs, facilitating smoother and more efficient transaction processes. By refining these digital channels, Emirates SkyCargo underscores its commitment to offering state-of-the-art digital services that align with the evolving requirements of their clients.
Future of Digitization in Air Freight
Emirates SkyCargo, the cargo division of Emirates, which is the largest international airline, has advanced significantly in its digital transformation by launching eQuote. This tool enhances customer experience, streamlines operations, and increases efficiency, representing a major milestone in Emirates SkyCargo’s digitization strategy. With eQuote, customers gain more flexibility, control, and choice in managing their shipments. Available on e-SkyCargo, the airline’s digital platform, this launch reflects the company’s dedication to using technology to deliver top-tier services.
eQuote functions as a digital ‘self-service’ tool, enabling customers to request and manage spot quotations whenever needed. This tool, gradually being rolled out worldwide, encompasses various products, including highly sensitive shipments in Life Sciences and Healthcare and high-value transfers like Emirates Wheels. By offering eQuote, Emirates SkyCargo ensures that customers can more efficiently access its broad array of products and services, making the shipping process more convenient. The introduction of eQuote aligns with Emirates SkyCargo’s strategic goal to provide a seamless, intuitive customer experience in response to evolving market needs.
