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Laura Mangels, Strategic Project Manager, TIMOCOM
Laura Mangels is Strategic Project Manager at TIMOCOM, one of Europe's leading freight tech companies. In marketing, she is responsible for strategic projects — including in the areas of continuing education and the use of artificial intelligence. As a core product, TIMOCOM operates a digital Road Freight Marketplace that connects shippers, freight forwarders and carriers. As a driver of innovation on the market, TIMOCOM uses modern learning formats to constantly prepare employees for new technologies
In the summer of 2024, the TIMOCOM marketing team was faced with a decisive question: How can artificial intelligence be incorporated sensibly and securely into everyday business life? Although individual employees were already experimenting with tools such as ChatGPT or Midjourney, there was no joint strategic direction.
With over 60 employees in marketing, the department has different levels of knowledge and a wide range of tasks from event management to content creation, which is why a structured AI training strategy was urgently needed. The impetus came both internally, from the director of the marketing department, and from outside, as a result of the market dynamics surrounding the topic of AI at the time.
“People were confronted with the issue from many sides and at some point it became clear that we need to actively shape things now instead of just reacting. “
At the same time, the topic of continuing education was already firmly established at TIMOCOM: The company's own “Marketing Academy” stands for continuous development. But when it came to AI, there was a lack of guidelines, a common language and, above all, security — not least because of the high relevance of data protection and GDPR compliance.
In the search for a suitable learning partner, the team went through a classic selection process, but it quickly became clear that many providers were too generic, not tailored to the diverse roles within marketing, and offered little AI specialization.
DECAID stood out with hands-on content, specific learning paths for different functions, and a clear focus on data protection and IT security—especially during the platform’s implementation—since IT security and GDPR are high priorities at TIMOCOM. An additional advantage was the launch of the English-language Academy. As part of the marketing team works exclusively in English, this ensured that all team members could actively participate in the learning.
“It was important to us that it wasn't a generic solution. With the concept of individual learning paths, DECAID was a perfect fit for our teams and at the same time met the highest data protection requirements. The quick and easy support was particularly helpful when implementing AI into existing processes, including the smooth set-up of the SSO.”
TIMOCOM’s marketing management recognized early on that deep transformation through artificial intelligence is not achieved by tools or technology alone, but by a new learning culture. The foundation was laid with clear leadership: AI was strategically anchored at the director level, an in-house AI lead was established, and mandatory training for all TIMOs was introduced.
DECAID became the methodological sparring partner for the transformation in marketing. The Academy offered differentiated learning paths for specialized teams—from the creation team and event marketing to digital communications. Copyable prompts, Miro boards, and interactive learning videos lowered barriers to entry and made the content immediately actionable.
A new dynamic quickly emerged: employees began sharing prompts within their teams, discussing best practices, and inspiring one another. New developments and practical use cases that were developed or tested within individual teams have now become a regular fixture of department meetings. This creates continuous knowledge transfer, enabling everyone to benefit from colleagues’ experiences and insights and to adopt successful approaches across teams. Learning thus became a collective experience—not an isolated obligation, but part of a vibrant team culture.
“The Academy has led to employees becoming more willing to experiment and not just completing something, but actually applying it.”
The introduction of the DECAID Academy has not only accelerated processes but also redefined the way the entire team works. Especially in campaign and content creation, time savings of 30–50% are now achievable. Tasks such as writing social media posts, brainstorming event concepts, or creating presentations are now completed significantly faster.Creative workflows have also been reimagined: Mo, the in-house mascot, is now showcased in versatile ways with the help of AI. Initial translations are already AI-assisted, and up to 27 languages are expected to be covered automatically in the future.Even more crucial than these efficiency gains has been the mindset shift: The team now works more experimentally, shares prompts internally, tests new tools, and remains compliant and secure with data protectio
“These typical busywork tasks no longer take hours but minutes, and at the same time we’ve become more creative and more focused.”
For TIMOCOM, working with DECAID was far more than a training tool. It became the catalyst for a new mindset in the marketing department. TIMOCOM Marketing has evolved from a classic marketing team into a progressive, data-driven, AI-enabled innovation unit, supported by both leadership and the entire team. This is not about ticking boxes, but about a passion for digital and data-driven excellence.
The Academy not only created a shared knowledge base, but also paved the way for a proactive, secure, and productive use of artificial intelligence in day-to-day work.
What proved particularly compelling was the combination of practice-oriented content, technical trustworthiness, and the ability to address different team roles individually. The investment in learning time—strategically safeguarded and culturally embedded—paid off quickly. It became the foundation for a future-proof, confident, and data-secure use of AI within the company.
"For companies that truly want to work more efficiently and data-driven, and seek a structured entry into AI, DECAID is absolutely recommendable."
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