ZIM Magazine | #96 | Autumn 2107

30 ZIM Magazine with customers and thereby increase performance. The project's core objectives are to provide account owners with immediate access to relevant, up-to-date information (CRM and BI), such as crucial product and pricing data , during face-to-face meetings with customers, and with the ability to collect and update information easily. The Mobile CRM includes five CRM mobile applications, based on the desktop CRM system: My Accounts, My Contacts, My Meetings, My Tasks and My Leads. It also includes a new application developed exclusively for ZIM: the Tariff app. This app is based on the BI-Tariff tool, and provides freight and manifest charges for each stretch, as well as land transportation data. The process began with marketing research led by Global Sales. Then, the system was designed through a joint effort with IT and external UX (User Experience) experts. All teams, including the Dev Team and QA, worked intensively for 6 months, followed by a POC (Proof of Concept) in July 2017. During this stage, users in China and Israel were given mobile phones with the tool so they could test all the features and provide vital feedback. In early September, a pilot was launched in three countries: China, USA and Israel. During the pilot, the users had the opportunity to use both phone and tablet, so that at the end of the pilot Global Sales can decide which device is best for all users. Fact Sheet App Interview with Dror Golani, Head of Business Intelligence-BI, Information Technologies Function, ZIM-HFA Q: What role did your team play in the project? A: “BI's role was to develop two new state-of-the-art apps – the Fact Sheet and the Tariff App – both of which were built from scratch. Two of our BI developers were involved in the apps' development, with assistance from external vendors.“ Q: What was your main challenge in this project? A: “I would say that the main difficulty was the fact that the apps need to look and function the same on two different operating systems (iPhone and Android) and on top of that they have to meet very high security standards. This is only the beginning and I’m sure we’ll encounter more challenges in the future.” What are the next steps? After the pilot concludes, the Global Sales team plans to roll out the apps to all CRM countries, including 350 users. The project has progressed at a rapid pace, thanks to the positive spirit that was maintained throughout the project and the outstanding cooperation between all the departments involved. This positive spirit was invaluable when it came to resolving many issues that arose during the process.