Maersk launches instant booking service

Monday, 5 November 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

A.P. Moller–Maersk has become the first container shipping company to introduce its own instant booking confirmation service for customers.

According to a statement by the Danish company, the service will make booking a container with Maersk as easy “as booking a flight ticket”.

Previously, waiting periods of up to two hours for confirmation were expected, but customers can now complete their bookings within seconds.

Eliminating this delay, which triggers uncertainty and extra workloads for customers trying to manage supply chains, has been described as a top priority by Maersk.

Maersk Chief Commercial Officer Vincent Clerc commented: “Instant booking confirmation makes it faster, easier and simpler for our customers to interact with Maersk. It is a milestone for the entire industry and a concrete example of how we are bringing our strategy to life when we improve the customer experience through seamless digital offerings.” In addition to faster confirmation times, customers will also receive visibility of sailing options with available vessel space, a list of depots with empty containers to choose from and a choice of relevant value-adding services.

Maersk is also introducing online booking via the Maersk App, enabling instant bookings directly from a mobile phone.

Maersk Customer Experience and Service Global Head Sonny Dahl said: “Maersk operates in several markets where mobile phones make up the primary working tool for the workforce. Here, Instant Booking Confirmation straight from the mobile phone will be a huge improvement for our customers’ supply chain managers – it will further enable trade in these markets.”