Courier improves staff mobility
Addison Lee issues multi-purpose PDAs to 1,800 drivers
Mini cab and courier company Addison Lee has given 1,800 Orange PDAs to its drivers to cut costs and improve efficiency of more than 12,000 deliveries a day.
The mobile devices enable fleet controllers to manage bookings, contact passengers to improve customer service and provide sat nav for better response times.
IT director Peter Ingram says the devices are superior to the previous system where controllers manually contacted drivers to provide instructions.
‘Mistakes were more common with the previous system as information can be read incorrectly or mispronounced,’ he said. ‘Now drivers receive necessary information on the PDA, including address and details.’
An update is sent to the head office every 30 seconds, indicating where drivers are located, so Addison Lee can allocate the closest driver when a job comes up.
‘Previously, controllers could not update job lists quick enough, but it is automated now, which means drivers can be dispatched more efficiently,’ he said. ‘We also do not need to employ as many new controllers as we continue to grow.’
Ingram says the sat nav application provides exact coordinates to the delivery address, ensuring drivers do not get lost, and they can add information or changes to deliveries that is immediately available to the head office.
‘Drivers simply press a button to acknowledge that they have received instructions, so rather than monitoring all drivers to ensure they are doing their jobs, we only need to manage exceptions, where the button is not pressed,’ he added.
‘The PDAs offer savings on staffing costs, greater efficiency within the fleet and better customer service,’ he said. ‘It enables us to be more of a high-tech control centre.’
The PDAs, provided by Cognitio and Orange, are also used for courier deliveries, with signatures captured on screen, reducing paper costs and administration.
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Further reading
Mobile devices on the increase