Globalia Interviews Archives

“The trickiest aspect of my job is to provide quick solutions to issues and inquiries from hundreds of agents from so many different countries. I believe that on-time response, empathy towards the complaining agent, and a degree of familiarity with the agent’s history are a few ways to efficiently handle the agent’s issues.”

Latifa is a part of Globalia’s Agent Coordination Team whose main responsibilities are to assist members with any issue they may have and ensure that agents get the promptest solutions.Latifa has previously worked with multinationals as a project coordinator and interpreter. Also, she has worked for 12 years as a sales manager in an export/import company where she gained experience in maritime transport and the export/import procedures. In this interview, she talks about her experience of working at Globalia, the benefits of Globalia’s referral programme, the importance of attending the Annual Meetings and more. Additionally, she also provides useful tips to safeguard the members from online fraud.

Globalia's Agent Coordinator Assistant — Latifa Boulmal- Globalia’s Agent Coordinator Assistant

Q. Tell us about your experience of working with the Globalia team?

A. My experience with Globalia has been really satisfying so far. We have a small close-knit team and working with them is a productive and pleasant experience. Globalia’s Agent Coordination Team works together to provide quick solutions to our member’s problems. Additionally, Globalia has taught me a great deal about client communication, customer-care, and ensuring better coordination among the network and its members. I try my best to help the members in the best way possible, regardless of the issue.

Q. How do you think your previous work experience can contribute to the Globalia team?

A. As a sales manager I have many years of experience with customer handling and client management. Moreover, working as an interpreter has allowed me to be familiar with people from several cultural backgrounds. This is surely a factor that allows me to do my job better. Lastly, I have worked for more than a decade with an export/import company which has helped me to gain considerable knowledge of the intricacies of the freight forwarding sector.

Q. Which do you think are the best benefits of becoming a Globalia member?

A. To begin with, Globalia is one of the best logistics networks in the world, that not only allows members to find new partners and serve new territories but also offers resources and tools to help the members digitize their operations. Covering more than 196 cities across 129 countries, Globalia accepts only one agent per city, who is solely responsible for the traffic from/to that territory. Moreover, Globalia’s extremely rigorous selection process guarantees that all our members are trustworthy and financially solvent. Lastly, our highly professional team is always on hand to assist members in the best way possible both quickly and efficiently, whatever the issue.

Q. Which are the most important achievements of Globalia along these years?

A. In the last 5 years, Globalia already has achieved many significant milestones. It is the first freight forwarders network to launch a tool that is allowing the members to digitize their businesses. Our TMS FreightViewer is reducing members’ expenses, saving their time, eliminating manual error, augmenting visibility and security, and minimizing the steps involved in shipping operations.

Secondly, every year Globalia organizes an Annual Meeting that offers an ideal networking platform for the agents. Even in the last two years when physically meeting wasn’t possible because of the pandemic, we arranged for cloud conferences. Globalia’s 4th Annual Meeting is all set to happen from 15th to 17th March in Phuket, Thailand.

Lastly, Globalia has partnered with the top supply chain course provided CIFFA and open an online academy. The logistics courses are allowing the members to augment the expertise and industry knowledge of their employees. Above all, the courses are helping the newcomers in the logistics industry to get an in-depth understanding of all the important supply chain processes.

Q. How can Globalia’s referral programme be beneficial for the agents?

A. We always encourage our members to refer their reliable industry peers to our network. When this referred agent eventually becomes a part of the network, the referring agents can greatly benefit by obtaining a discount on their membership. Firstly, he gets a 25% discount on their next year’s annual fee. Additionally, when members refer more than one agent, they stand to get a maximum of four discounts (of 25% each) which makes them eligible to pay zero membership fees for the next year.

“Forging a collaborative and profitable relationship with the partners is one of the keys in our sector and the Annual Meetings are crucial in this regard. Most agents who have attended the Meetings have increased their business volume and created a long-term business relationships with their partners. I strongly recommend all our members make it to Globalia’s 4th Annual Meeting.

Q. Which are the new achievements you foresee in the coming days?

A. Very soon we will launch an app that will allow increased communication among the network members This innovative mobile platform will allow the Globalia agents to maintain and foster a close-knit community that can connect with each other any time of the day right from their mobile devices. Additionally, with 196 members and still going strong, we are also hoping to reach 200 members very soon.

Q. Which is the most challenging aspect of your work? How do you deal with it?

A. The trickiest aspect of my job consists of providing quick solutions to issues and inquiries from hundreds of agents from so many different countries. I firmly believe that on-time response, empathy towards the complaining agent, and a degree of familiarity with the agent’s history are a few ways to efficiently handle the agent’s issues.

Q. Do you get complaints from members regarding scam emails? How are you coping with this problem?

A. Yes, scam emails are a persistent threat in the age of digital communications. Members have notified us about receiving payment-related emails from another member in which they were asked to make the payment to the new bank details provided. It goes without saying that, such emails are sent by scammers and not by any member of our network. This is why we always urge our members to verify the bank details of their partner to whom they are supposed to make a payment by talking to them directly over the phone.

Q. Why do you think attending the Annual Meeting is important for the agents?

A. Forging a collaborative and profitable relationship with the partners is one of the keys in our sector and the Annual Meetings are absolutely crucial in this regard. Most of the agents who have attended the Meetings say that they have increased their business volume and created a long-term business relationships with their partners. I strongly recommend all our members to make it to Globalia’s 4th Annual Meeting that will take place from 15th to 17th March 2023 in Phuket, Thailand.

“We are a united team that helps each other out, communicates frequently, and comes together to solve the problems of our clients.”

This week we are publishing an interview with Dustin Brown, who is the Membership Development Coordinator of Globalia Logistics Network. Dustin’s primary job consists of researching and enlisting the most competent companies for membership in Globalia. His job also entails meticulous research of the background of the members before deciding if they qualify for membership. Prior to becoming a part of Globalia, he worked for 4 years teaching English as a second language. He also spent many years working at the administrative department of a top US university. Through all this, he has developed a talent for international relations and communications.

Interview with Dustin Brown from Globalia Logistics Network — Dustin Brown- Membership Development Coordinator of Globalia

Q. Tell us a bit about your experience at Globalia?

A. It’s been a few years now that I have been a part of the Globalia team and my experience here has been very satisfying. We have a small close-knit team who works together to help our members and solve any issues they might be facing. Moreover, working at Globalia has taught me a lot about client research, client communication and the job of enlisting new members to extend the coverage of our network.

Q. Tell us about your job. Do you find your everyday tasks interesting?

A. My everyday work is not only interesting, it can also become very demanding at times. My most important task consists of conducting in-depth research about the companies of the membership applicants to determine their trustworthiness. As you know, only the most competent, reliable and financially solvent independent freight forwarders make it to our network. Our strict membership criteria allow us to provide a safe work environment for all our members.

My task also entails connecting with potential members and informing them about how as one of the best freight forwarding networks Globalia can help them with increasing their business volume. I try to ensure that our network keeps expanding to cover all the major cities/ports around the world. Lastly, as the Membership Development Coordinator, I am the first person our members contact before becoming a part of the network.

Q. Which is the most challenging aspect of your work?

A. Conducting the thorough selection process to determine the financial solvency, competence, creditworthiness, business volume, market reputation and competitiveness of the members proves to be a highly demanding task that requires lots of time and effort. The territorial exclusivity that Globalia offers makes it even more important to conduct the selection process meticulously. Additionally, communicating with agents from so many different cultural and linguistic backgrounds is both exciting and challenging at the same time.

Q. What is the most important objective of your team with regard to sales?

A. The most important task of our sales team is to expand the coverage of Globalia Logistics Network. Our motto is to increase our outreach to cover all the important cities/ports in the world. To this end, our PR and Marketing team organizes many promotional campaigns. Moreover, as the Membership Development Coordinator, I reach out to the leading forwarders who have to meet all the requirements to become a part of our network.

I believe in putting myself in my customers’ shoes and easing any pain points they might have. The satisfaction of our agents is our ultimate objective and to this end, I will keep putting in my best effort.

Q. In your opinion, which is one of the less known benefit for Globalia members in terms of sales?

A. One of the less known benefit for members in sales terms is undoubtedly the referral program. The members need to suggest to us the names of trustworthy freight forwarders in cities that are vacant at the moment. If this referred agent makes it into our network, the member will obtain a 25% discount on their membership. They can avail of a maximum of 4 discounts of 25% every year by referring their industry peers. This implies the chance of paying zero membership fee in the next year! Moreover, agents who go for membership in more than one territory are required to pay just 50% of the membership fee for every additional branch.

Q. Globalia turned 5 last year. Is there any new benefit that you are offering this year?

A. That is a good question. In the last 5 years, we have developed a wide-coverage network with reliable freight forwarders, However, we are always looking for new ways to give our members the best benefits and service. That is why, this year we have launched new logistics courses exclusively for our members, in cooperation with CIFFA and Container XChange. The objective of this online e-learning platform is to allow members to upgrade their skills and knowledge base by training their employees.

Q. What do you like most about working at Globalia?

A. The best part about working here is surely the warm, friendly and positive work environment. My seniors allow me to exercise my creativity and allow me to try out new approaches to each aspect of my work. Additionally, my colleagues as well as my seniors are very considerate and encouraging. Even during a large part of the last two years when we were working from home, our team was constantly in touch and we coordinated all our tasks online. Despite finding my work challenging, I thoroughly enjoy it since I love to resolve issues and experiment with new strategies to improve our services. The positive and energetic office ambience further fosters my productivity. Lastly, over the past years, my work relationship with my colleagues has transformed into friendship. We are a united team that helps each other out, communicates frequently, and comes together to solve the problems of our clients.

Q. What are the work ethics that inspire you?

A. Honesty, ingeniousness and the expertise to solve tricky situations and come to the right decisions are a few of the qualities I have picked up during my career. I firmly believe that transparent communication, resourcefulness, and operational integrity can help us reach out to more forwarders and enable our agents to place them successfully in the industry. I believe in putting myself in my customers’ shoes and easing any pain points they might have. The satisfaction of our agents is our ultimate objective and to this end, I will keep putting in my best effort.

Tag: Globalia Interviews

Interview with Latifa Boulmal