It wasn’t so long ago that faxes were the next best thing in all things called ‘communication’. We used to receive our orders by fax and send across POD’s the following day when the drivers got back from their runs. We had to be at the forefront of technology way back then and this pressure to meet SLA’s and to give our clients what they want has never diminished…but thankfully the technology has! Our systems have a vital role to play in simplifying processes and making jobs more accessible.

Tim Bloch, Bishopsgate MD saw the future walking around the Milanese warehouse of TENESO Europe SE partner, Mitsafetrans. He saw goods being scanned onto a trunk vehicle and if the warehousemen had chosen the wrong product a negative sound blurted out to alert him that he had better start looking for another one.

Tim said, “I have always felt that we have been at the cutting edge of IT but I could immediately see the benefits of a system like this for Bishopsgate and its clients” And while the technology existed for this type of application it didn’t have the end to end capacity that Tim craved. Tim adds, “I knew it was what we needed so I spoke to Mandata, our software supplier, who we have a long and successful track record working with and set out my vision. I then quickly delegated the task to Jake and Sharon who I am proud to say have turned that vision into practical reality”

“Customers now have complete ‘track and trace’ of their goods going through the Bishopsgate network. How it works is simple; the crews’ barcode the goods at the collection point and scan them onto the collection vehicle. They then scan the goods off at the Bishopsgate transit depot for the ‘final mile’ delivery. If the goods are going say to Scotland from the south of England, they will be scanned at each touch point and finally being POD’d at the final destination. This comprehensive tracking, proof of collection and proof of delivery is now be available live and in “real time” via the Online Booking System”

And that’s not all. Our crews can now complete a standard set of checks on orders being delivered using their PDA. The software enables drivers to complete pre-defined checks, make notes, take photos and capture digital signatures relating to any item. Information is saved automatically to the website ensuring you have all the information you need saved against your job.

Sharon adds, “This truly has been a joint venture with Mandata who have been excellent throughout the whole process. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and everybody feels that there are huge benefits in being able to monitor their consignments in real-time and it reduces calls to customer services. The crews on the road have picked up how this works faster than any of us ever imagined and have been instrumental in its success during the initial implementation stage. The hardware investment has paid off as the scanners are much like the smartphones that our drivers use every day”

We have some more exciting plans that will follow but we need to take this one step at a time. We plan to ‘Go Live’ at the end of May 2015 following eight weeks rigorous testing out on the road. If any customers need any assistance please do not hesitate to contact customer services who are well versed in “The Scanning Project”.

www.bishopsgate.co.uk/2015/05/consignment-barcode-scanning/