DHL said it has initiated a new generation of global shipment management system known as QualityShipment Monitoring System (QSMS) across 10 countries in its Asia Pacific network. Customers will
receive early warning of transportation delays or problems.The QSMS had undergone 12 months of rigorous testing to determine the operational feasibilitybefore it was implemented in the 10 markets — Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan,Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, and Taiwan. Six more markets – Bangladesh, China,Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand — are expected to launch the enhanced system by the endof 2006, and the system will be operational in all 41 countries and territories in Asia Pacific bythe end of 2007.
The enhanced system is a leap in DHL’s customer service-enhancing technology. The QSMS hasthe unique capability and feature to alert analysts based at its Quality Control Centers (QCCs) inthe countries when certain operational actions do not happen within a fixed set of timings.
For example, previously in the event of a flight delay due to bad weather, this informationwill only be reactively available to the DHL network after the flight has departed. However, withthe QSMS, the latest flight status will be provided to the QCC analysts within five minutes of aflight delay, and this information will be immediately accessible to the network. This provision ofreal-time freight monitoring enables DHL to proactively inform customers on the status of theirshipments, and respond instantly to potential shipment delays, thus saving customers precious moneyand time.
“There are several ‘Control Centers’ out there. The difference with ours is that we are ableto monitor individual shipments door-to-door in real time. This allows us to proactively manage theshipments and inform customers immediately of any delays,” said Charlie Dobbie, Senior VicePresident, Operations – DHL Express Asia Pacific. “The implementation of the QSMS adds a newdimension to our service offerings, giving our customers additional peace of mind on the status oftheir shipments.”
Dan McHugh, Senior Vice President, Commercial – DHL Express Asia Pacific, said: “This latestservice enhancement is part of DHL’s commitment to offer the best-in-class services to ourcustomers. We understand that speed and reliability are principal to our customers’ success. TheQSMS’ proactive and early notifications bring our customer focus approach to a higher level.”
The QSMS enables DHL to proactively monitor shipments from the moment they are picked up bycouriers. The movement of these shipments – from pick-up points to DHL’s service centers, and fromaircraft freighters to the final delivery – are monitored at 17 different check points, thusproviding real-time visibility across the entire network. The QSMS’ early-warning feature providesbetter issue management as it enables DHL to identify potential problems, and recommendrectification strategies before the situation is magnified.
The QSMS is installed in DHL’s Quality Control Centers that are strategically located acrossthe region and connected to DHL’s Asia Pacific Quality Control Center (APQCC) in Singapore. The DHLQCCs are a network of regional and country quality control centers that monitor all global DHLshipments in the air and on the ground around the clock. They connect seamlessly within the networkand its regional counterparts to increase transparency, flexibility and shipment efficiency forcustomers.
