endpiece
A contrary view
IanMartin Jones, editor of Air Logistics China and itswell-established global partner Air CargoWeek, praises the advances beingmade in electronic communications, but cautions thatwe should not lose the age-old skill of being able to talk to other people face-to-face
“
It’s goodto talk”– that’s apopular cliché in the
UK borrowed froma promotional campaign run by one of the country’smain telecommunications providers. And, if you take a few moments to consider the phrase, those words do ring true. Even in this age of increasingly electronic contact,mostpeople stillfinditmore reassuring – especially in times of extreme stress – to talk to another human being. Electronicmessaging is taking over theway people do business in the supply chain; the e-Freight initiative being led by the InternationalAirTransport Association (IATA) is streamlining the business by reducing the amount of paperwork associatedwith the movement of air cargo; and online booking facilities, tracking functions and proof-of-delivery notifications can all successfully be handled electronicallywithout the need to talk to anyone.
But in the high-speed business ofmoving goods around the world by air, if something does go seriously wrong withyour shipment, canelectronicmessagingput it right? An even bigger question is can it be put right quickly? When handling a shipment, the computer knows your details ... but it is not familiarwith your requirements. Andwhat’s even worse, doubtless its owners care about you and your needs, but the computer does not have any feelings at all about the matter. That is when you need to pick up the telephone and speak to someone you know, someonewho understands your business and who can make the instant human-value judgements needed to put things straight.
At The A-Z Group – publishers of Air Logistics China – we are involved in running the popularAir Cargo Europe and Air Cargo China events when many thousands of participants fromall areas of the air logistics game gather every two years inMunich and Shanghai, respectively, to display their service offerings and to network with other people. We also attend the biennial Air Cargo Forum organised by TIACA, Air Cargo Americas inMiami and Air CargoIndia inMumbai aswell asmanyother industryget- togethers held around the globe every year. Over time, the whole process helps not only to establish and grow your business; but it also enables you to create and develop face-to-face relationships.Then,when you need to talk to a real person in real time during a time of real business crisis, you are in touch with more than an e-mail signature or an electronic order reference. And over time your contact gets to know you and to better understand your business and your requirements.
E-communication messages facilitate modern ways of doing business enormously; they have changed the face of trading beyond recognition. But when we lose the ability to talk face-to-face with each other, thenwe are in danger of losing a great deal more.
” 48 AIR LOGISTICSCHINA
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