10 billion euros in annual turnover through a new booking tool
How we opened a new chapter in container shipping for Hapag-Lloyd
The leading logistics and transport company Hapag-Lloyd had the vision of taking their booking process for container freight to a new, contemporary and digital level. Together, we first set up an efficient digital unit in the company and then developed the “Quick Quotes” software tool together. In doing so, we have achieved a lasting & direct impact on our core business and created one of the most important income streams in the company's history.
Starting point: “Our customers are incredibly complex, which is why we support everyone by telephone.”
A statement that we have already heard from many B2B companies. Without a doubt, managing a key account is more comprehensive than advising a private individual in retail. But: What if we start with exactly this comparison and gather inspiration in the B2C sector? Because everyone uses convenient, smooth and fast booking processes in their private life as a (B2C) customer. Exactly this simplicity is also expected in a professional context, if not even required for collaboration.
As one of the first movers in their sector, Hapag-Lloyd has internalized this awareness and worked on appropriate solutions for its business customers. A component of the successful concept that today results in billions of dollars.
Be inspired by Hapag-Lloyd's success story
and start your own path to digital success
“In fact, this initial success with Quick Quotes has opened up the whole topic of digitization at Hapag-Lloyd. Today, the company is a prime example of developing digital innovation.”
Sven Soltau
From groundwork to conception and implementation
Building a digital unit
First, we helped Hapag-Lloyd set up a digital unit in the company: A dedicated department that bundles all digital capabilities and initiatives to work on digital projects in a focused, efficient and motivated way. The operating model developed for this purpose provides the ideal framework for implementing digital projects with maximum speed and clear objectives.
Rollout & scaling of first digital products
While the Digital Unit was still being set up, a first lighthouse project was created with the idea for the “Quick Quotes” booking tool. This was designed, optimized, rolled out and scaled according to the MVP approach. The preparation of offers for container spaces was thus reduced from 48 hours to a few seconds, thus solving the biggest problem faced by customers, time.
More about the 10 billion euro tool
Customer benefits
The digital booking tool Quick Quotes was completely redesigned and developed as part of our collaboration. It offers Hapag-Lloyd's customers fast and binding pricing with maximum planning security and simultaneously enables standardized, cost-effective processing of all bookings.
unfolding
In order not to unsettle customers, suppliers and internal units due to unfinished products, quick quotes were worked on in a protected space, the company's own digital unit. The tool was initially tested outside core markets in Europe, North America and Asia. Quick Quotes had its venture test in Brazil and was published globally after 2 more successful test markets.
growth
Thanks to the rapid implementation and global rollout of “Quick Quotes”, Hapag-Lloyd was able to generate 6% (approx. 700 million euros) of total revenue via the tool in the first half of the year. In 2019, the figure was more than 1 billion euros, in 2023. And so far, there is no end in sight to growth.
With practical experience from founding start-ups, managing companies and more than 250 digital projects, we know how to master digital transformation.
