S P E C I A L F E ATURE easyGroupage allows movers to find spare capacity in shipping containers, saving costs and maximising usage 1010100 We started self-storage services based purely on a successfully run digital platform BILL BRILL, SENIOR VICEPRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS, SHYFT RAPHAL BAPTISTA, FOUNDER OF EASYGROUPAGE been some exaggeration. We monitor and respond to each comment, try to establish the facts, and give realtime feedback. The moving industry is widely seen as ripe for further digital innovations, for instance in shipping. Raphal Baptista, founder of easyGroupage, is using technology as a means of getting movers to band together and cut sea freight costs. Since the beginning of the pandemic, many movers have had difficulties selling and passing these on to customers, says Baptista. And the size of moves is shrinking. Groupage companies assemble small shipments of goods from a specific locality and heading for more or less the same destination. The idea is to create a consolidated load thats more manageable. The whole idea behind easyGroupage is to get mover competitors cooperating, rather than having to send half-full containers, Baptista explains. We started at the end of last year, testing the French markets to see if movers were happy to collaborate. And its working. Baptista homes in on companies with empty space in containers they can sell to movers. We handle the logistics and act as a sole point of contact for moving companies. Groupage is, he says, a common sense solution that only needed a third party and canny use of technology to make exchanging information easy for everybody. You can place inquiries easily. Those are sent out to all movers on the platform so they can see in real time whats available, and, if theyre interested, they can bid. So its very easy to get quotes. His firms platform will also enable movers to upload all customs documents and paperwork to be approved digitally we coordinate the whole operation. (See p81 for more on easyGroupage.) Meanwhile Shyft Moving, which launched in 2015 as a virtual survey tech business, has expanded its remit, 26 FF306 June-August 22 pp20-27 Digitisation.indd 26 aiming to match clients with moving service providers. Were trying to partner with RMCs and independent movers. says Bill Brill, Senior Vice-President of operations. Shyft is keen to stretch the possibilities of technology. Our original core product, virtual surveys, is just a piece of the entire digital move process, he says. We can take in a lot of customer leads, accurately assess their needs and match them with the right suppliers at a competitive price. We put our approved suppliers on board our platform. They can zoom in geographically on regions they have a strength in, see everything happening in those areas... and bid for the business. We usually get all the bids we need in 24 hours. We try to provide multiple options to clients based on the service levels requested. Were trying to ease the work that consumers historically had to do. Rather than having to go and find three or four options and understand the differences, well do that for you. In essence, Shyft is about creating digital ways of making moves easier taking the mystery out of buying, the pain out of payment and trying to keep trucks full or staff busy 12 months a year. Its also offering FinTech products such as insurance; a payments platform; AR (accounts receivable) financing, so people can get paid faster; and fixed asset financing targeted at movers perhaps planning to expand their fleet or buy a new office. We want to build a platform that can guide the customer from their smartphone and do it from anywhere 24/7, says Brill. I think the industry has been slow in building tech-based solutions because of fragmentation. There are thousands of moving companies all on different platforms and the technologies dont currently talk to each other. WW W. F I D I FOC U S . OR G 07/06/2022 09:29 DBon