Innovate to grow and reinvent to transform

Sharper customer engagement: The fulcrum of Aspire by Richa Dubey Innovate to grow and reinvent to transform — this thought formed the epicentre of Aspire, Avvashya Group’s first ever national sales conference, held on 31 May and 1 June, 2017 in Mumbai. The conference set goals for the ideal cross-sell collaboration among business verticals of Allcargo and Avvashya CCI, in order to continue empowering customers.

Along with strategy towards the 2020 vision, the agenda included opportunities to bond, mingle, collaborate and gather ideas to innovate.

Currently the Indian economy is upbeat and logistics sector is undergoing disruptions and reforms. Allcargo’s diverse services have set its foot firmly as the leader in integrated solutions. The time is ripe to let customers reap the benefits of Allcargo’s inter-related services through a robust integrated solutions plan. Providing such solutions comes with a thorough understanding of customer’s needs, which is an Allcargo strength — every team at the event laid special emphasis on optimising solutions as per customer requirements.

“Customer centricity, innovation and transformation form the focal point of all our strategies. We have not only been moving cargo but also been devising ingenious solutions and creating relationships. Trust will win you the heart of the customer,” said Adarsh Hegde, joint managing director, Allcargo Logistics, at the kick off address.

Logistics is an evolving sector, right at the cusp of landmark changes. Allcargo has been spearheading the sector with its multifarious solutions for large global companies as well as big PSUs in India. Every business vertical at Allcargo Logistics and Avvashya CCI caters to a unique set of customers. For instance, the Projects and Engineering solutions vertical is closely associated with the thermal, wind and power sector for its complex project movement and heavy equipment handling capacity. Similarly Contract Logistics works with the who’s who of fashion and e-commerce retailers, auto makers and top chemical manufacturers. Allcargo’s Container Freight Stations (CFS) have been facilitating trade with India for decades with their world class container handling facilities. The group has built up a relationship with most global marquee brands.

With this huge credibility and diversity, the onus to offer an extra edge in our services to the clients increases several fold. At a time when companies are cutting down their logistics costs and outsourcing it to third parties, Allcargo appears to be well-placed with its integrated services that enable cost optimisation for customers.

“Customers are looking for service providers who can provide one-stop solutions and for all their logistics needs including integrated logistics solutions. It is very important for us, as an organisation, to leverage the strength and synergies between our existing vertical and sales team to serve the customer better,” said Siddhartha Choudhary, who heads the Integrated Logistics Service team at Allcargo.

Integrated selling requires an integrated work force. Aspire sets the platform for extensive interactions among colleagues from all business verticals. Collaboration leads to the best kind of selling. The RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed) metrics workshop saw the teams aligning with their counterparts and setting goals that they will achieve together.

“Aspire is an important initiative. The two-day workshop provided cross-vertical exposure in a crisp and precise manner,” said Richa Kanungo, business HR, Avvashya CCI.

Another of Allcargo’s strength is its pool of experts who specialise in sectors such as pharma, power, auto and chemicals. The company’s unique capabilities can be combined with our services to offer competitive pricing, innovative solutions and a 360-degree approach. “Innovation will distinguish us from our competitors,” Ms Kanungo.

Needless to say, technology plays an important role in innovations. It is changing the game and it is at the forefront of Allcargo’s 2020 vision. Technological innovations are underway in India as well as overseas to take customer convenience to another level.

“Every stakeholder must embrace technology not just for customer acquisition but also customer satisfaction,” affirmed chairman Shashi Kiran Shetty, as he shared the company’s future plans with colleagues.

Employee offsites are common, ad come with their share of training, talks, workshops and presentations. What was unique about Aspire was the unity and optimism spanned hierarchies, designations and geographicc roles.

“Usually one takes years to understand different divisions of the company. The conference gave me a widespread understanding of the company within a day,” said Arindam Chakrabarti, head-automotive and engineering solutions, Avvashya CCI, who joined the company a day before the conference.

“I have been a thorough logistics professional, having experienced different facets like CFS, cranes, etc. I feel I can utilise my experience in offering our customers a diversified range of solutions which is not just restricted to contract logistics,” he further added.

Amidst the workshops, here were opportunities fo greater bonding among employees. From morning exercise routines to informal events in the evening, from drum circle exercises to quick quizzes, the conference became an occasion that fostered camaraderie. Competition took a backseat as people helped each other accomplish the tasks assigned during the workshops.

“At the end of the event, it seemed all of us had become closer together than before and ready to leverage the strengths of other business verticals,” Ms Kanungo added.

Allcargo has always found strength and energy in coming together – in thinking, planning, and executing as one. The Aspire event was about ending self-limiting beliefs by conversing more and realising the power of others.

“We can integrate ourselves well by communicating more and sharing information, knowledge and expertise for the larger benefit of the organisation. Hence it is very important for all the business/function heads to strongly drive their respective teams to work closely with other teams,” said Mr Choudhary.

The National Sales Conference Aspire has successfully marked the coming together of the One Allcargo Sales Force, and the co-creation of the roadmap to help deliver Vision 2020. May this force last forever!