Moving forward with confidence

A good definition of confidence is knowing you’re doing the right thing. And that’s exactly the type of confidence every business needs. But achieving that knowledge and then acting on it is often easier said than done. This is where Business Intelligence – with Iliana Tsiliou, one of its leading evangelists at Envirotainer – comes in.

Data is everything nowadays. A bold statement, not least because we’re using the singular form to describe the concept of data (deal with it!). But it’s true of the modern world and it’s increasingly true of Envirotainer and the world of cold chain.

No doubt, you’ll have seen the great leaps in live monitoring of container shipments. Here, Envirotainer’s online service gives real-time visibility on everything from your shipment’s location, temperature and humidity to battery status and whether doors are open or securely closed.

Live data alerts you and lets you intervene if necessary to secure precious cargo. But the data accumulated over time also gives you access to powerful knowledge, potential improvements and new ways to lower risk.

Knowledge and insights on demand

And it’s that power to unlock knowledge and deliver valuable insights that inspired Iliana Tsiliou to work with data.

Iliana describes her job of Business Intelligence & Data Analytics Specialist at Envirotainer, “I’m involved with all data in the company – one way or another. Internal KPIs, operational reporting, financial reporting … everything.” She’s certainly helped change Envirotainer in her five years at the job. “Five years ago, there were lots of Excel files with everything manual … no automation. So analyzing data could be a long process. But we’ve become a real data-driven organization since then.”

A shared love

It’s her passion to share data’s power with others which has really spurred her on. “I love data science – enjoy playing with the data – and I want to bring more people into it. For them to understand it and apply their own skills.”

Iliana has been very successful in her mission to bring more people into her world of business intelligence and data analytics. The numbers speak for themselves – Microsoft Power BI is an interactive data visualization and insight software, and now there are 125 Microsoft Power BI users at Envirotainer. This makes Iliana very happy, “That’s a third of the company, which means lots and lots of daily reports … hundreds! Ultimately that’s all about greater understanding and making better decisions.”

To maintain this growing user base, Iliana carries out several training sessions per year, as well as users able to access self-training modules in their own time.

Boosting people and performance

So, what effect has Iliana seen on the users and Envirotainer as a result? “Better decision-making, quicker consumption of data, as well as the ability to build new KPIs and follow them up. But the intuitive user-friendliness of the tool really empowers people. They feel proud when they achieve things like a fancy report with targets. It really boosts their confidence and creativity!”

Envirotainer’s commitment to being a data-driven organization shows they don’t just talk the talk with data-rich services for customers and partners like live monitoring, but also walk the walk themselves. And yet Iliana is quick to point out that this internal focus on data does directly benefit customers and partners, “The sales teams and account managers use Power BI and the refresh data when they talk to customers. And because the data quality supports how we work daily, that operational quality is passed on to the customers.”

Taking it personally

So it’s no surprise that data quality control is a key part of Iliana’s job. “I’m the guardian at the gates,” she says. “However my colleagues are much more proactive now and also take responsibility for data quality. They know they’re part of a data-driven organization. But they also see the personal benefits of great reports so they get involved.” 

Of course, when your days are spent swimming in pools of cold chain data and diving down for treasure, you need to find a good way of unwinding and clearing your head. Iliana is no different. She likes nothing better than pulling on her running shoes and heading out for a run. But not before she puts on her smartwatch and checks her various running apps …

“I told you before. It’s all about the data!” says Iliana with a laugh.

Panel

Name: Iliana Tsiliou
Job: BI/Data Analytics Specialist, Envirotainer
Family: Partner, 1 child
Hobbies: Running, reading and travel

Get in control with data – and stay there! Explore live monitoring by Envirotainer!