DA Systems gets up close and personal with Nightfreight

Case Study
da
systems
Nightfreight
Transport Sector
DA Systems gets up close and personal
with Nightfreight
Established in 1984, Nightfreight is unrivalled in the combination of services it brings to
business customers. Its wide client portfolio ranges from SMEs to top household brands
including B&Q, House of Fraser, John Lewis and Wilkinson.
Nightfreight is a specialist within the home delivery market and in 2004
a new two man home delivery service, Deliver2Home, was successfully
launched. This service has 80 dedicated vehicle crews operating from 25 of
Nightfreight’s 45 depots nationwide.
Benefits:
•Provides higher service levels
throughout the supply chain
•New value added services has
attracted new business
•Profits are maximised
•Back office and field staff
efficiency achieved through
integrated systems
•Fully bepoke solution that
perfectly fits Nightfreight’s exact
business requirements
•Solution designed to grow and
evolve with the business
•Delivered in weeks
www.da-systems.co.uk
The Background
Deliver2Home is a home delivery service
for organisations and manufacturers that
enables its customers to concentrate on
core activities while leaving the home
delivery requirements to the experts.
Key differentiating factors for this service
are customer care, personal service and
attention to detail.
Nightfreight recognised that investment
in technology and a switch from its paper
based manual system was essential to meet
customers’ expectations as well as being
able to continue to devise and roll out
further value added services, which would
retain and attract new business.
Following comprehensive discussions
with staff and Deliver2Home customers, a
clear road map of how the business was
to develop was drawn up. Key criteria that
had to be met when selecting a mobile
data solution included; short delivery time
windows, ease of use, efficient routing
to minimise costs and the ability to
consistently add value to their customers.
The Solution
DA Systems delivered a competitive trial of
NX Framework, which proved through the
design was addressing the business needs
and was intuitive from a user perspective.
It was not only the solution that impressed
them but the team at DA Systems were
highly responsive to Nightfreight’s business
needs, which demonstrated that their future
demands will be well catered for.
It was a few weeks from the initial meeting
to a live pilot, which included integration of
the software with Nightfreight’s existing IT
infrastructure, testing of devices, software
and network connections.
Delivering Technology
The solution helps us to maintain
our position, ahead of the field. NX
Framework provides us with the realtime data that we need to achieve our
promise to our customers.
Paul Tyson
Director
Nightfreight Deliver2Home
The Value
NX Framework has enabled Nightfreight
to provide accurate and timely delivery
confirmation including real-time electronic
proof of delivery (POD) to their customers.
The solution has fully automated the
collection and delivery process through the
scanning of consignment barcodes using
handheld mobile devices carried by each
driver.
NX Framework provides the
ability to monitor the status
of every job, accurately,
in real-time. This enables
Nightfreight to offer ever
shortening and accurate
delivery windows.
The solution has made full use of the rugged
Intermec CN50 device capabilities including
capturing data in real-time, job progress, a
camera feature that can be used as evidence
of successful collection, unsuccessful
delivery or package rejection. Additionally,
separate devices are now not required for
phone calls or GPS positioning, therefore
achieving further financial savings through
device consolidation.
By fully integrating the infield mobile data
information with existing office based IT
systems, it has been possible to accurately
analyse actual deliveries and determine how
long each takes depending on product and
location. This has achieved greater efficiency
to route planning by being more precise
with delivery time windows, which has had
a positive impact on customer service.
An additional dimension to this solution
includes the provision of a secure web portal
that has precise, up-to-date information,
which is available to Nightfreight’s customer
service staff allowing them to view every
stage of the collection and delivery
process. This level of detail has significantly
streamlined the process resulting in
enhancing the overall customer service
experience.
About Us
Formed in 1999, DA Systems are a leading
UK provider of mobile data solutions for the
transport, retail, healthcare and field service
sectors.
Through our market leading Advanced
Courier Interface (ACI) software, we provide
real-time despatch solutions. Our highly
sophisticated NX Transport and NX Fleet
Tracking solutions deliver electronic
signature capture and proof of delivery,
maintaining instant, seamless mobile data
capture between office and field-based staff.
Our latest generation flagship solution, NX
Framework is a fully managed, real-time
bespoke mobile data solution, enabling
the secure, efficient transfer of any type
and quality of data. It is the ideal mobile
workforce solution for organisations looking
for rapid development and maximum
service differentiation.
Call: 01628 850850 • Visit: www.da-systems.co.uk • Email: [email protected]
DA Systems • 5 The Courtyard • Furlong Road • Bourne End • Bucks SL8 5AU