SACD’s interactive website comes online

Customer input on new features sought
RAY SMUTS
IT’S AS easy as effecting a late-night payment on the laptop before turning in for the night.
That’s how marketing director Geoff Popple describes SACD’s new interactive website.
Still in the development phase - the site only came on line last week - 51 customers registered on the site in the first day. And Popple would very much like to hear from SACD’s 350-strong customer base about the features they would wish to see incorporated into the new site - a track and trace facility, for example.
The swift site, developed in-house by EDI manager Kevin Charleston, is really easy to use, says Popple. The user merely logs onto the internet, types in the letters www.sacd.co.za and inserts his own user identification, whereupon the system returns a password within seconds.
At present the interactive website is confined to container information and import unpack details, but an export equivalent will soon be added.
“We are out to attract new people from all over the world onto the site,” says an enthused Popple. I am optimistic that it will grow our business, but the real power will be the transaction part of it, much like internet banking.”
Facilities already available are containers unpacked and those not unpacked, cargo unpacked and ‘unknown’ container stock and receipts, a listing of all containers at all SACD facilities where the container operator cannot be identified, and a count of containers currently stored in the customer’s account, grouped by ISO type and status.
SACD has three information account managers on hand - Shaun Ownhouse, Lee Narsey and Chris Samuel - to provide further support to customers.