Team Behind the Tech: Gina Fisher

Welcome to Team Behind the Tech! Here, we share the stories of our dedicated team members who empower customers to excel with Descartes’ advanced routing, mobile, and telematics solutions.  

At Descartes, we have a seasoned team of logistics experts ready to tackle your routing needs, no matter the industry. Our team includes hands-on account managers, dedicated support and customer success representatives, implementation pros, and forward-thinking product managers. All are committed to assisting and guiding you toward seamless routing in your logistics journey. 

In this edition, we shine the spotlight on Gina Fisher, one of the leaders of the North American Professional Services team. Gina finds immense joy in witnessing customers succeed and relishes being a part of their journey.  

Gina has been instrumental in helping customers achieve their business goals and has been a key contributor to implementing hundreds of complex systems for clients such as US Foods, Border States, and Fairmount Tire and Rubber.  

She joined the Descartes team through the Airclic acquisition in 2012, bringing an impressive 18 years of experience in systems implementation and integration. Over the past 12 years, Gina has been a valuable team member, continually growing and evolving our professional services organization. She ensures expert implementation and empowers our customers to be effective users post “go-live!” 

In this Q&A, we delve deeper into Gina's work history, daily responsibilities, and insights on supporting customers with complex routing challenges. 

Gina Fisher

Director of Professional Services
12 years of service


"Embracing the dynamic nature of my role, I thrive on the daily challenges of equipping my team for success, collaborating on innovative solutions, and continuously refining our processes to meet and exceed our customers' expectations."

Each day is different, and that is what I like most about my job. I spend most of my day ensuring my team has the tools, cross-team support, and skills to succeed. I then work with the sales team to understand and scope new opportunities to give customers a good perspective on the time and effort involved in their implementation.

The last big bucket of my time is spent on improving our implementation processes and working to achieve the internal business goals of the organization.   

One notable example of collaboration involved a customer delivering building supplies in downtown Manhattan, where many streets and tunnels have weight, height, and size restrictions, often at the block level. However, some restrictions are waived for local deliveries.  

To address this, we worked closely with our product and GIS teams to refine the underlying data to allow for local deliveries within certain parameters. The product team also added visual cues on the map identifying those restricted street segments. These changes not only met the customer's specific needs but were also published to benefit our larger user base. This collaboration ensured a more accurate and efficient delivery system for the customer, enhancing overall satisfaction.  

A prevailing challenge is helping customers reduce operational costs amidst rising inflationary pressures.

For instance, we worked with a customer tasked with reducing operational expenses by 10% while upholding top-tier customer satisfaction. By leveraging our strategic route planning solution, they consistently trim miles, vehicles, and driver overtime while still meeting customer service level agreements (SLAs). This approach requires a deep understanding of each customer’s unique challenges and continuous collaboration to achieve their specific needs. 

I cultivate a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging open communication, fostering a collaborative environment, and providing ongoing training opportunities. We conduct regular team meetings to share best practices and lessons learned from different projects. Additionally, we set clear performance goals and celebrate milestones to motivate the team and reinforce our commitment to excellence.   

A customer recently faced a challenge with a significant portion of their leased fleet up for renewal. Our consultants, using our strategic route planning solution, helped them balance routes and reduce the number of leased assets. By identifying the optimal number of assets on a depot-by-depot basis, we enabled the customer to make informed decisions that resulted in significant cost savings and operational efficiency. 

Post-sale, the professional services implementation teams spend the most time with the customers, learning a lot from their unique challenges. We often broker calls between our customers and our product team, allowing customers to provide direct feedback. This collaborative approach helps shape our product roadmap and future offerings, ensuring that our solutions remain aligned with customer needs and market demands.  

Connect with Gina: Have a question for Gina? Want to get to know her better? Connect with her on LinkedIn.