Bitfreighter: Meet the team - Derek Kauble
Creating cutting-edge solutions in a notoriously traditional industry was too good an opportunity to pass up for our Customer Solutions Director, Derek Kauble.
He shared his thoughts about how he landed at bitfreighter and how it’s revolutionising the freight industry.
Gaining a wealth of industry knowledge
Having spent more than 10 years working with Transportation Management Systems at DAT, Derek has amassed a deep and thorough knowledge of the freight industry.
During this time, he held various positions, including Customer Solutions Rep, CS Team Lead, and Project Manager, each of which allowed him to develop a deeper understanding of the intricacies of logistics.
It was during this time that Derek first met bitfreighter co-founder and CEO, Brad Perling. Fast forward a few years and the pair discussed innovative ways to solve common problems they had encountered in the freight business, and not too long after that, Derek decided to embrace the opportunity to take the discussions a step further towards action - and joined bitfreighter.
Software is just the beginning
Initially, Derek was drawn to working at bitfreighter by the prospect of providing new tech solutions that allow their users to scale and grow where it would have been cost prohibitive to do so otherwise. A prime example is bitfreighter EDI, where users are charged per shipper and can send unlimited messages, rather than the traditional model of charging per character.
“EDI has been around a long time. Everyone's always done it the same way because ‘that's just the way it's done’. But bitfreighter came along and looked for a new, innovative way to solve the problem using modern tech and a fairer pricing model.”
As game-changing as they are, however, Derek says that bitfreighter’s products like EDI and LiveQuote were only part of the appeal of joining the business. Something that sets it apart from other tech companies, and certainly from other logistics tech companies, is its standard of customer service - something that Derek now champions as the Customer Solutions Director.
“EDI is a bit of a commodity - generally once it works, it works. Where we’re different is what we offer when customers need us. We’re happy to pick up the phone, exchange emails, or have a video call. While most of our competitors often won’t respond to an email within the day - which is common in the industry - we aim to connect with customers within minutes!”
Enthusiasm for the customer experience
When asked what he most enjoys about working at bitfreighter, Derek excitedly explains what the general environment is like in the business.
“Everyone is genuinely enthusiastic about the customer experience, and works together to improve it. While many workplaces are resistant to change, at bitfreighter, there’s a real culture of innovation and progress. We love finding better ways to do things, and everyone’s on the same page when it comes to developing new ideas.”
This culture fits perfectly with Derek’s personal approach to problem-solving. As an out-of-the-box thinker, he thrives on working with people in other areas of the business to finetune ideas and brainstorm solutions.
Based on customer feedback, the focus on the customer experience seems to be working. After completing their onboarding process, a new customer recently said, “I can’t believe we actually get to speak with real people. I'm so excited to work with bitfreighter - I feel like they're part of the team!”
Getting outside, outside of bitfreighter
Outside of work, Derek tries to spend most of his time outdoors. He feels fortunate to live in an area where there are tons of things to do outdoors, and can usually be found fishing, hiking, or kayaking.
