“Good software reduces the number of clicks.”

Andrea Juska, Director of Customs and Forwarding Applications, sums up the customers' needs in one simple formula: “Our users want fewer clicks.” This is because users can feel when processes are automated and carried out with less manual effort. Dispatchers need relief in precisely this way. Their daily tasks include coping with high order volumes and complex processes in the international supply chain as well as official regulations and customs requirements.

The specialist in freight forwarding knows her customers' business first-hand: “DAKOSY has been a part of my life for almost twenty years: even when I was a trainee, I used to ’Zapp', meaning to apply for B-numbers for export shipments via the ZAPP system.” Andrea Juska's technical interest in the underlying digital processes has remained with her ever since. In 2006, she moved to a shipping company where she worked at the interface between IT and business - initially as a business system manager and later as team leader of the global processes department.

Her favorite topics included global customs processes, system integrations and the further development of digital processes. These areas of responsibility are still the same for her at DAKOSY, only with a different perspective. Since April 2024, the Hamburg native has been sitting on the other side of the desk. She is no longer a user of DAKOSY applications, but a creator. “I'm looking forward to broadening my own horizons as well as bringing my expertise and my network to this new job,” says Juska, adding with a smile, “and there are lots of ‘customs nerds’ like me at DAKOSY.” 

She is currently working on setting up her own project management team which will form the link between her software developers and the customer's needs. This team looks at customs and forwarding processes through the customer's eyes in order to create the best possible solution, working together with everyone involved. The 42-year-old clarifies: “It's not just about translating customer requirements into IT technology. Rather, we want to integrate the user-oriented perspective as early as possible. In practice, only a precisely-tailored digital process creates real added value for the customer.”

Another focal point is the targeted use of the new possibilities offered by artificial intelligence (AI) to create smart modules that support customers in their daily work. The large amount of actual data available alone makes it possible to make reliable forecasts for future orders and processes. Another area of optimization is the digitalization of documents and the re-use of the data they contain for subsequent processes. Juska explains that this allows media discontinuity in the logistics chain to be resolved.

In addition to software development and project management, the next most important pillar of her department is demand management. Here, existing customer requirements are systematically bundled in order to create synergies for a larger user group. Andrea Juska explains: “At the end of the development process, modules are available that we can optimally integrate into our standard products. As a result, these are then available to all customers.” Frequent real-life examples include evaluations and statistics.

ZODIAK GE is the most popular product. Some 1,500 customers use the customs software, which covers all procedures in Germany and Switzerland. “A lot of our work revolves around keeping our resilient software up-to-the-minute with regard to new and changing customs regulations,” says Andrea Juska, citing another key challenge. Her aim is to ensure that customers can rely on the application one hundred percent. In addition, ZODIAK GE can be seamlessly integrated into the TMS forwarding software DAKOSY GE. This digitally supports forwarding orders from receipt through to invoicing.

Comprehensive automation is playing an increasingly important role, especially in light of the shortage of skilled workers. She explains: “Our software improves day-to-day operations by specifically supporting, validating and automating customs and logistics processes.” When it comes to particularly complex customs issues, she has another trump card up her sleeve in terms of communication. In second-level support, DAKOSY staff are on hand to assist customers with their customs expertise. From Andrea Juska's point of view, the digital responsibility becomes clear when you consider how widespread the use of the software is: “Counting only those who use our largest server, we have nearly 21,000 users who work with our solutions.”