Airlink plans electronic waybill system by June

Airlink Cargo International hopes to have an electronic waybill system up and running by no later than June this year. According to managing director Alwyn Rautenbach, the pilot of the new system was implemented with a select few customers in an effort to test its efficiency. “We are very happy with the result and more importantly the customers are happy. It is an easier system that cuts down on paperwork while speeding up the entire process.” According to Rautenbach it is all about increasing service delivery. “We are facing tough economic times in which we have to fight hard to retain clients. Service delivery has become increasingly important and being able to measure up to the expectations of customers in this very competitive market is key.” He said the decision to introduce an electronic waybill was aimed at addressing that customer expectation. “It also has the added advantage of there being less chance of a mistake as it retrieves agreed pricing from a maintained database and is not dependent on a person doing calculations. It also has information available at the click of a button on our side and that of the client. Rautenbach says while the express courier and cargo industry has been affected by the economic slowdown, it has not been as badly affected as air cargo in general. According to Rautenbach delivering on promises remains key in the industry at present. “Service delivery is more important than pricing in some instances. Not everything has come to a halt and therefore there is still business in the express industry, but delivery is key.”