With an average of 61 index points, the degree of digitalisation of transport and logistics companies is once again well above the average for all sectors this year. This is the result of Deutsche Telekom's benchmark study „Digitalisation Index for SMEs 2019/2020“.
Digitalisation is very important for future business development in logistics. More than half of the companies (53 per cent) have already firmly anchored the topic in their business strategy. A further 26 per cent of companies are in the process of implementing their first digital projects.
Winning customers with social media
The traffic, transport and logistics sectors achieved an outstanding result in the „relationship with customers“ indicator with 60 index points. 59 per cent of respondents already use Social media networks, to attract potential customers, 44 per cent rely on Search engine marketing. This puts the logistics sector, which tends to be regarded as conservative, well ahead in the rankings.
And the measures are paying off: Almost nine out of ten companies surveyed (86 per cent) stated that they were better able to win customers as a result and for three out of four companies (78 per cent) the strategy had a positive impact on sales.
Analysis of real-time data widespread
The most important quality feature of the transport and logistics industry is getting goods to their destination on time. While Tracking and tracing solutions have long been standard, the Real-time data analysis of location, load or traffic volume for supply chain planning is still new.
But the industry is also scoring points here: 40 per cent of companies monitor their goods transport in real time and a further 25 per cent want to introduce such a solution soon. A good third (34 per cent) use an app to record all journeys in a digital logbook. Just as many use an app for route planning.
Digital waybills rare despite potential savings
Digitalisation makes it possible to switch from paperwork to Paperless logistics to switch to road haulage. According to the German Road Haulage, Logistics and Disposal Association (BGL), this could save hundreds of millions of euros every year in Germany alone.
However, according to the study, only 16 per cent of the logistics and transport companies surveyed work with digital waybills. A further third have concrete plans to introduce a corresponding solution. If freight document data were recorded digitally, all players in a logistics chain would have up-to-date information about the transported goods at all times.
Great interest in AI and robotics
Logistics companies are well above the average for all sectors with their interest in Solutions with artificial intelligence (AI). More than three quarters
(77 per cent) see potential in AI for their industry, 27 per cent even see great to very great potential. However, only seven per cent actually use AI technologies. A further 24 per cent plan to use it within the next two years.
Top digitisers achieve more turnover
Why is digitalisation stalling, even though it is clear that digital solutions can simplify processes and increase customer satisfaction? One reason is the high investment costs, which 35 per cent of respondents fear and are therefore holding back on the path of digital transformation.
Perhaps they should take their cue from the top digitalisers in their sector, who score 86 points on the digitalisation index. This is because they are significantly more satisfied with their sales development, new customer acquisition or the speed of response to customer enquiries.
[infotext icon]For the fourth time, analysts from techconsult surveyed almost 2,100 small and medium-sized companies from various sectors in summer 2019 about the current status of their digital transformation. The index values provide a valid measure for various aspects of digitalisation.The current overall study report and individual sector reports are now available on the website http://www.digitalisierungsindex.de is available for download. Companies that are interested in their own digital status quo can find it at http://www.benchmark.digitalisierungsindex.de in a free online self-check in just a few minutes[/infotext].
Source: Deutsche Telekom AG
