O PI N I O N Standardisation a challenge for the industry FIDI President Ebru Demirel is proud to embrace certification S o many movers, and so many of their customers, want to see more standardisation. I cant count how many times people have told me there is a huge need for it in this industry. Im extremely proud that FIDI has embraced this call with FAIM certification, for example, where it has standardised quality practices for the moving industry. Thanks to FAIM, employees know exactly what to do when they import a file, take a photo, or approve an invoice. FASI now strengthened by the FAIM Financial Assessment requirement is essentially standardisation, too, in that it takes theglobal spread of financial reporting standards and credit ratings, and reduces them, in the movers eyes at least, to answer a single question: Ill get paid, right? FIDI is setting the pace and like-minded members of the industry are taking notice. As you know, last year FIDI agreed to make the Professional Cooperation Guidelines (PCGs) available to IAM members. And at this autumns IAM conference, many industry experts representing corporate customers, software companies, online pricing companies, industry association reps, and insurance companies will be taking part in a session on digitalisation standards. FIDI and IAM are both excited about the possibilities this kind of cooperation can open up, and the benefits of this sort of common vision. W W W. F ID I. O R G FF292 AugSep19 pp06-07 Ebru Opinion.indd 7 Of course, standardisation isnt always the easy or right answer. If we go about it wrong, we will see our members margins squeezed. Online pricing platforms, for example, often standardise the process of quoting, but some of them also tend to lead to a race to the bottom. Meanwhile, our industry has so many small players spread around the globe, each with their own business requirements, so a cookiecutter approach isnt going to work for everyone. In other words, while standardisation is usually a great thing and the industry definitely needs more of it it can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Its up to all of us to have the wisdom to recognise what each situation requires. This is a service business after all; were not just selling a commodity. This issue of standardisation in the industry, especially with regards technology, is especially relevant at this time of the year. Many of us are now in our busiest season: imagine how our businesses could change, if even just a few of the processes we needed to go through were standardised; if just a push of a button could automate what currently takes us hours or days to accomplish. We may be faced with a difficult decision: should I use the extra time to deal with even more shipments? Or use it to drink margaritas at the beach? Im excited that this issue of FIDI Focus highlights standardisation and Im looking forward to seeing how different organisations are approaching it. Whats your take? Drop us a line and let us know. EBRU DEMIREL, PRESIDENT OF FIDI GLOBAL ALLIANCE Connect with me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: ebrdemirell LinkedIn or by email: ebru@ asyanakliyat.com I look forward to grabbing a coffee with you if you are ever in Istanbul, or if Im in your area. 7 15/07/2019 14:33