Business View Caribbean | May 2016

46 May 2016 - Business View Caribbean Business View Caribbean - May 2016 47 airlines, the freight forwarders, the small companies, will take a smaller part of the market share.” James believes that the key factor that differentiates DHL in Jamaica, and is largely responsible for the com- pany’s success, is its fully-accredited CIS (Certified In- ternational Specialist) training program it provides for its employees. “This is a program that equips all our staff with the knowledge and skill set on how to do business in different countries, deal with customs – basically, how we do everything. So, you can talk to anybody in the company and they can tell you what to do. It really sets us apart from the competition.” Another competitive advantage, according to James, is DHL Jamaica’s local customer service. “We don’t have an 800 number that Jamaican customers will call and get somebody in Texas or India,” he says. “When you call, you’re getting somebody in Jamaica; you’ll be handled by a live person who understands the Jamai- can marketplace, your concerns and your issues, and can respond to anything. And for our bigger customers, we have active bodies on the ground engaging them all the time. Our customers don’t see this from other competitors; they don’t see this kind of consistent in- teraction. This really sets us apart – our very strong employee engagement.” While DHL Jamaica benefits from the worldwide invest- ments made by its parent company, it is also empow- ered by it to make those decisions that best ensure its own local success. “DHL is always expanding and, in fact, globally, we continue to make hundreds of millions of dollars investments in our different hubs around the world which link back to the service that we provide here in Jamaica,” James explains. “For ex- ample, our Cincinnati hub is one of the major connec- tion points – anything coming from Jamaica through to