Marlow, UK, August 2009

Leading international courier company Seabourne has opened up new frontiers in international express delivery services thanks to web software from Marlow-based NetDespatch. The Velocity International software as a service (SaaS) provides a user friendly method for customers to book and track shipments online from any country to anywhere in the world. Used by Seabourne offices worldwide, including their recently acquired Air Action business, the intuitive browser-based system is helping the company to compete globally for new business.

"Velocity International has become an effective sales tool for Seabourne. The sales team use it to show how easy it is to use our services and that even the most complicated booking to any destination in the world can be made in less than a minute. That is the beauty of this system; it has been built using the latest web technology and designed with the user in mind," says Colette Roeder, Seabourne's Group IT Manager.

The system uses intelligent web technology to automatically produce all appropriate documentation required for domestic, EU and non EU destinations. This includes airway bills, international manifests, customs documents and export invoices. NetDespatch ensures that the system constantly evolves and is able to deal with different country rules and customs requirements as they change.

Other key elements of the system are its security and stability. Colette Roeder says that NetDespatch's reputation in these areas is well known. "With Velocity International customers simply need a web browser and an Internet connection to be able to make a booking or to track a parcel. It is tried and tested and has proven to be stable, safe and reliable 24x7 . It provides a very secure system, with NetDespatch hosting the data on its servers within a purpose built data centre," she says

Velocity International integrates seamlessly with Seabourne's business system, which means that there is no rekeying or duplicated information. Very little training is required to use the unified solution and many of Seabourne's clients are able to master it in minutes.

"The system centralises our administration, which saves us a lot of time, and, for the customer they can be up and running in a very short time. Many of them set up the browser interface for themselves, which also helps boost their own confidence in using the system," concludes Colette Roeder.