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Jenny SchoenbergerTalent and Development Specialist, FourKites

Alaina Varkey, Implementation Manager

Alaina has been with FourKites for less than a year, but has quickly displayed her limitless potential through her relentless work ethic and passion for solving our customers’ toughest challenges. She often seeks to dive deeper into understanding FourKites’ various product offerings and enjoys bringing that knowledge back to the Implementation team and sharing it through demonstrations.

Most recently, Alaina sought to improve her knowledge of FourKites’ Network Visibility product by getting involved with the inbound prepaid retailer visibility project. This project was kicked off at the beginning stages of COVID-19 to provide retailers with visibility into inbound shipments that are managed by their vendors. This visibility came at a critical time when frequent bottlenecks and delays were coinciding with skyrocketing consumer demand.

FourKites’ Network Visibility solution allows for supply chain partners to collaborate and share shipments that stakeholders wouldn’t otherwise have access to. For example, if your vendor controls the freight terms and you don’t have visibility to your inbound shipments, Network Visibility gives the end customer a single pane of glass to track these inbound shipments for vendors that rely on FourKites for real-time visibility. I was excited to sit down with Alaina to hear more about the impact she’s made on this project, and her outlook for the future at FourKites.

What drove you to raise your hand to support the inbound prepaid retailer visibility project at the beginning stages of COVID-19?

Based upon my own previous experience in operations-focused roles, at FourKites I have always been interested in figuring out ways to help our customers be more efficient. In times of crisis, that efficiency becomes increasingly important for all parts of a supply chain. When COVID-19 started, I was trying to find ways in which I could personally have a positive impact on everything that was going on. I knew I had several opportunities to do that working at a software company focused on visibility, transparency and collaboration. It was through our Network Visibility product that I felt like I could have the biggest impact, which is why I raised my hand to help out, learn more and ultimately bring the knowledge back to help educate our Implementation team on the solution. Through my work on Network Visibility, I really found that impact I was trying to make: helping our customers and other non-FourKites customers to unlock value, save time, and ultimately collaborate with one another to diagnose and address bottlenecks in their supply chains.

The act of helping in a time of need can look different depending on your area of focus, but FourKites continues to lead the charge when it comes to helping companies to close large, ever-present visibility gaps. Being a part of the solution is extremely rewarding!

What has been the most exciting impact you’ve seen for the customers you’ve worked with?

We have had a lot of exciting wins during this project despite the complicated impacts that COVID-19 has had on all of our lives. Because supply chains are at the core of everything, it’s been very rewarding to help elevate our customers as heroes during this time. Whether it was providing visibility on a critical shipment or helping to improve team morale by having a single source of truth, it has been amazing to see our customers having positive moments in their days because of FourKites. Some customers even felt like the visibility helped them to make material changes to inventory and safety stock in a short amount of time.

What keeps you energized working at FourKites?

At FourKites, I feel like I’m really making a difference in the daily lives of our customers. I believe in our product and in our long-term vision, and am passionate about what we’re helping our customers achieve. The two main things that keep me energized working at FourKites are the fact that we are a forward-thinking company and the ability I have to help solve a very diverse set of complex problems every day.

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