DTDC is ensuring it doesn't just deliver parcels but smiles to its customers too
MOHAN SHAH
DTDC EXPRESS
After digital transformation, operational efficiencies have increased. Users are connected always and anywhere and real-time data is also available. This has increased customer confidence in our organisation and it has converted in business benefits too.
Digital transformation is not a solo effort but a portfolio of initiatives that combine to scale change. At DTDC which has a “let a hundred flowers bloom” approach, each initiative works independently in a spirit of experimentation and yields interesting results. But it is not a formula to scale digital transformation.
“While each initiative is executed by a small cross-functional team, it draws on broader support for operations and implementation,” explains Mohan Shah, CIO, DTDC.
Started in 1990, the 27-year-old brand rechristened its brand identity to DTDC Express (formerly known as DTDC Courier & Cargo) along with a new co-branded identity - DTDC - in 2015 and set up its first state-of-the-art automated hub at Hyderabad, followed by New Delhi. This had to be coupled with digital transformation for the company.
One of the largest digital transformation projects undertaken by DTDC was to digitise its entire operational process and offer a mobile app to offer transparency to the customers. The app allows the company's field agents to book consignments using a mobile, provide bill submission, delivery and even tracking of the consignment.
In an age of mobile apps where everything, from flight bookings to pizza delivery, is done by tapping a mobile screen, building a mobile app for consumers to track their courier was not just an option but a necessity for DTDC, one of the largest courier services in the country. But creating an app was just not enough.
DTDC started with creating a mobile app for customers for tracking consignments, checking outstanding bills and even receive an SLA report. This was followed by connecting the customer app with intra-division applications to ensure interaction between different systems, keeping away from creating new silos.
Shah says this is just the beginning of the company's digital transformation journey. DTDC recently moved its entire ERP to the Cloud and a lot more is yet to follow.
Moving to Cloud was not that big a challenge as many DTDC applications have already been on Cloud for several years, making them one of the earliest adopters of the technology in the sector. “Digital transformation is an ongoing journey that will fundamentally change the operating culture of businesses. Cultural transformation is just as important as the required changes to business processes and technology systems. Businesses need to rethink their models and identify the new capabilities required to succeed in the digital era,” Shah puts in.
Comments