The leading international express and logistics company, DHL Express, says it will continue its expansion and investment strategy across Sub-Saharan Africa, and considers Botswana as a key market within the strategy.
Charles Brewer, Managing Director of DHL Express Sub-Saharan Africa on Wednesday pointed out that as DHL sees the continent ‘surge’ as a result of sector investment, increased consumer spending and economic activity, the future is still bright for the continent.
Brewer highlighted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected a GDP growth of 4.1 percent for Botswana in 2014, and as one of the fastest growing markets, the region presents a major opportunity for DHL.
“We have made great strides in making logistics more accessible by expanding our retail footprint across the country. This allows anyone, from a student to a small business to access our network, and the over 220 countries and destinations that we serve,” he said.
He also pointed out that there are hundreds of SMEs in Botswana and they need to provide easy access and a team of highly trained Certified International Specialists to lead them to the very obvious opportunities that trading with the world can present. He added that DHL is committed to becoming their provider of choice and as part of that journey we will provide even more access points across Botswana.
“We continue to foresee SMEs as the engine for growth in Botswana and Africa as a whole,” said Brewer.
He revealed that DHL Express is introducing an Electronic Proof of Delivery (ePOD) service in Botswana that can directly capture customer signatures on screen. Brewer explained that he Electronic Signature (eSIGnature) capability eliminates the need for hard-copy Proof of Delivery (POD) sheets. He pointed out that each ePOD provides delivery details and an image of the receiver’s signature if captured digitally.
“There will thus be no need to call Customer Service; a client can simply view, download, print or email their Proof of Delivery documents either as letters or in table format, usually within an hour of delivery,” he stated. He added that a ‘Get Proof of Delivery’ link in the online tracking results can be accessed to track a shipment.
Brewer highlighted that the exciting new service provides increased shipment visibility and a convenient and seamless delivery experience. He said it also contributes to DHL’s ‘GoGreen’ initiative as it does away with hard-copy delivery sheets and eliminates the need to print and post hard-copy PODs.
“The incorporation of eSIGnature functionality also significantly improves the acquisition, storage and processing of delivery data. Moreover, DHL’s ePOD signatures will be of much higher quality and thus more reliable since system-generated PODs will not just be images scanned from delivery sheets but direct from the source,” he said.
Country Manager for DHL Express Botswana Mokgethi Magapa is of the view that they continue to make incremental improvements in the business with a view of making the customers more successful.
“In facilitating trade in and out of Botswana with rest of the world, we intend to contribute meaningfully in making the country more successful and assist in the economic diversification drive,” said Magapa.
He pointed out that the DHL people are at the very core of the business adding that the caliber of human talent available in Botswana and across Sub Saharan Africa is extraordinary and they place great importance on continually developing employees’ talent and engagement levels.
“Investment in our network capabilities still remains a core focus for DHL in Africa, with a number of fleet and facility upgrades scheduled for 2014,” said Magapa.
