TRAVEL SECTOR
DIGITAL MOBILITY SOLUTIONS LANKA
Q: In what ways can technology be used to improve the travel sector?
A: Technology is a broad term that has generally been used to refer to the incorporation of more efficient tools to achieve a task more easily. As such,
our organisation believes that software is one of the most powerful tools available today, giving us the capacity to provide better solutions for numerous practical problems.
PickMe is one such software that invests in addressing the problems of the local travel sector. Our company has four products to address these needs: the PickMe driver’s app – which acts as a meter and provides drivers with hires; the PickMe passenger app – which can provide passengers with access to taxis with the press of a button; the PickMe owners’ portal – which enables fleet owners to manage their fleet; and the PickMe business portal – which caters to the dynamics of corporate travel.
Q: Could you describe how technology and PickMe have changed the way in which companies approach corporate travel?
A: Most organisations need vehicles for various business purposes such as when their sales staff travel from one location to another or for deliveries.
Businesses have employed a variety of options to manage these needs including the use of petty cash to reimburse employees’ fuel consumption and taxi use, allocation of monthly travel allowances and even purchasing vehicles for these purposes.
These methods had many loopholes as they lacked the capability to verify where people travelled to, the distance they travelled and the mode of transport they used. This led to companies incurring unnecessary losses associated with travel.
Situations such as these are where PickMe’s business portal can act as a powerful tool for businesses – and where we have seen clients enjoy substantial savings on the latter.
This is one example of how technology has impacted the way in which companies approach travel. The possibilities for how technology could be utilised to improve transport are as extensive as what people can imagine them to be. If an idea can be thought of, it can be built.
Q: How are constant advancements in technology affecting Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka?
A: As a software company, it is important for us to stay ahead of the curve. We employ some of the best software engineering talent in the country and explore the use of the latest software languages, keeping pace with global trends in software development as we cannot afford to fall behind.
As the company looks to continue its expansion across Sri Lanka and introduce services globally in the future, we’re considering the adoption of technology such as cloud services.
However, this poses challenges related to performance response, which could have a negative impact on the user experience.
We are also looking to automate processes such as app testing to ensure that existing features aren’t disrupted when updates are released to the public.
It is always challenging to become acquainted with new technologies – and equally challenging to introduce their use to a market. Therefore, what we focus on as a team is to innovate and create rather than perform repetitive common tasks.
Q: What are some of the factors you consider when developing your organisation and platform?
A: When undertaking strategic initiatives related to aspects such as technological revamps and advances, and organisational structure and infrastructure, we look into four dimensions – viz. scalability, availability, performance and security.
As PickMe is a platform that is currently catering to over 100,000 transactions on
a daily basis with the hope of increasing this to one million, it is critical for the software to be dependable and reliable.
We aim to accomplish this by being proactive with regard to faults and failures, constantly striving to improve efficiency in programming and deployment, ensuring security through regular audits and improving the reliability of our products for users.
Keeping this in mind, we have strengthened our processes, on-boarding strategies, training programmes and more to ensure that our employees are able to face the challenge successfully.
Q: What are your company’s plans going forward?
A: Digital Mobility Solutions Lanka is a corporate with a startup mindset. We’re growing at an exponential pace and seek to continue that growth. Our goal is to reach a million transactions a day with satisfied customers in our vehicles at any given time – and indeed, satisfied drivers who are readily available to our passengers whenever they are in need.
As the company’s growth continues, we are looking to continue innovating
solutions for more segments in the sector, hoping to make PickMe an all in one solution for efficient transportation. To this end, we’re currently in the process of expanding our team through various avenues including broader partnerships with local universities.
Jiffry Zulfer
CEO
Fazly Pasha
Head of Delivery and
Business Excellence
Telephone 7433433
Email support@pickme.lk
Website www.pickme.lk
