by Dominique de Jonge
I don’t want to brag, but in my village many people know me. Correction: they know me when I have my four-legged furry friend walking next to me. The very rare times my service dog doesn’t accompany me, I find myself less famous than I like to think. What does my service dog have to do with our industry and the way we trust technology, you might wonder. Good question, here we go.
My own trustworthy partner
First we have to get a bit personal. It’s fair to say that I wasn’t first in line when the healthy bodies were distributed; resulting in a body with quite some physical malfunctions. I always loved dogs, so why not get a dog with extra benefits in the form of a service dog? In 2010 I got Ulli, a Golden Retriever and the goodest chap ever. In 2017 it was time for him to retire and I got Mika.
Again a Golden Retriever, Sweet with a capital S and with an incredible will to please and help me. Wherever I go, Mika is always the subject of conversations. People praise him for being 24/7 on my side and being my trustworthy partner. And here is the bridge to the maritime industry.
We all need a trustworthy companion. In so many different levels and areas in our life, we find it normal to have trustworthy companions, goods and systems. When you buy a smartphone, you want it to work properly, so you can rely on it. When you go to the supermarket to run errands, we know they’ll have the food we’re looking for. But do we have a trustworthy partner professionally?
We see an industry that has to deal with a lack of visibility, unpredictability and inefficiency. Processes are manual and error prone, including Excel spreadsheets, endless phone calls and emails with the risk of missing out, outdated information, etc. Where’s the trustworthiness here?
How do we measure trustworthiness?
The Cambridge Dictionary defines trustworthiness as: “the quality or fact of being trustworthy (= able to be trusted).”
PwC developed a model to define trustworthiness in their Trustworthy Organisation framework. It defines these key elements:
- Competence trust
Does the organization do what it says it will do? Can I rely on it and do they deliver what they promise? - Experience trust
Over time, does the organization continue to do what it says it will do and does it have the acquired expertise? - Values trust
Does the organization understand my needs and do we share the same vision?
Your professional trustworthy partner
Teqplay has proven to be your trusted partner in the maritime industry. For the past seven years we have been developing data-driven solutions for and together with our customers in the industry. Our smart solutions make the maritime supply chain more efficient and help customers to manage and monitor their port call and terminal operations in order to save time, money and emission. Clients all over the world use our solutions and we are continuously extending and improving our solutions to the next level.
We’d love to talk with you about the challenges you face and explore how our solutions can help you optimize your maritime operations. Please reach out to our Sales Team and see how Teqplay can become your trusted partner in your port call and terminal operations.
And if you happen to have a video call with one of my colleagues, also keep an eye on the background. You might be lucky and see a glimpse of my own trustworthy partner chasing a ball or – more likely – taking a nap.
Sources and attributions
- Cambridge Dictionary
- “Understanding the value and drivers of organisational trust” by PricewaterhouseCoopers
- “Ulli and Mika” by Cindy van den Broeke-Peeters
- “Mika at the Westerschelde” by Dominique de Jonge
