Real-time communications can be a win-win proposition: improved customer service levels and lower costs. Sharon Clancy reports on a growing contender in the mission-critical courier market, which has the general transport sector firmly in its sights

The same-day courier businesses is not for the faint-hearted. Speed is essential, since packages have to be collected and delivered as quickly as possible.

The business is also very competitive; minutes can mean the difference between getting the job and losing it to a rival. Moreover, business has been getting even tougher, and customers are demanding ever-higher levels of service - even though they may not be prepared to pay over the odds for it.

"There's no doubt that customers are demanding more service from couriers, and these days that includes instant delivery updates and online tracking," says Dave Upton, managing and technical director of Aylesbury-based software company DA Systems.

 

"At the same time, it is equally important to manage the drivers and keep them happy by making sure they are as productive as possible. Over 90 per cent of couriers are self-employed, and many work for more than one company. You need them on your side."

So, says Upton, it should be no surprise that courier companies are at the vanguard when it comes to deploying the latest technology, "Many companies play a role in mission-critical activities, whether that might be delivering blood supplies in good condition or a part in time for a customer to meet a key performance indicator target or service-level agreement.

"In this environment its no longer acceptable to rely on paper document trails based on PODs, which may be returned to the office only once a week," Upton says. That approach can end up costing the courier money, because time has to be spent resolving POD enquiries. With verbal confirmations from the courier to indicate 'package delivered', 'collected' and so on, there's always a degree of error because that data has to be entered in the system in the controller's office.

DA Systems' solution is NX, a mobile data application which uses push technology to send jobs out to potential couriers in real time over GPRS networks. "With GPRS, real-time two-way messaging becomes affordable," says Upton. "You can send around 400 messages for the same price as one SMS text message."

To make it simple for courier companies to add functions as the business requires it, NX is modular. The standard version includes a PDA-style handheld device for two-way messaging and receiving job details, plus the NX server and middleware, which control data communications.

The Express version adds real-time job status updates, while the Express X version adds digital signature capture. NX Enterprise includes support for GPS tracking and satellite navigation.

The application software on the PDA displays details of the job and sounds an audible alert to tell the driver or engineers that a job has been received. Drivers can add data, accept or reject a job, report "package collected" and confirm authorisation for waiting time, as well capturing signatures.

The system is dynamic; so having arrived at a collection address but having to wait there, for example, a courier can revise the ETA for delivery.

Separate card

So far, NX has been approved for O2's XDA I and II PDAs, the Compaq iPAQ, Panasonic Toughbook and Intermec 700 Series. Data is stored on a separate memory card, not on the device, so there is less risk of data being lost or accidentally deleted.

Communications between the courier company back-office system and the mobile handsets is handled by an NX server and the NX gateway - communications middleware written by DA systems itself. The gateway knows which users are logged on to the system; and "handshaking" and retry capabilities are incorporated in order to eliminate the risk of data loss that can happen with some GPRS data packet radio networks.

Both the client device and server will keep sending a message until a confirmation is received from its peer. You can also remotely alter settings on the device, forcing the device to upgrade or logout; and you can send messages to the driver, and even maintain data files stored on the device.

Each server can support up to 3,870 unique devices (the exact number depends on load and network capacities), and there can be multiple servers running at any single site. Upton is a firm believer that courier companies should have their own communications server, rather than relying on a hosted one. "However good a hosted server is, you are still dependent on someone else for a key element in a mission-critical business where every second counts."

The server is configurable, and system administrators can share the load across two or more gateways. Each server can have its own backup server, which will automatically come online if the primary server fails - a solution Upton thinks will appeal to multi-depot organisations with a high throughput of jobs. The server carries out its own automatic updates and self-maintenance.

NX has an open interface, so it should connect seamlessly to existing back office systems. Additionally, DA Systems has its own established Advanced Courier Interface (ACI) command and control application, which includes routing software and Navteq mapping. Upton says a robust back-office system is needed to cope with the thousands of potential jobs received per day by a typical courier company, and keep tabs on tens, if not hundreds, of self-employed couriers.

ACI is scaleable, so can be used by a few users at one site or hundreds of users in multiple locations. The latest version includes a stock and warehousing module, which can provide real-time, nationwide multi-warehouse visibility. Stock movements can be attached to courier bookings and there is barcoding support.

The application has a single front end, which shows job status for all bookings, and whether they have been received by telephone or over the Internet. A Despatch Assistant helps controllers improve vehicle utilisation by recommending the most efficient work allocation. Job allocation is automatic.

Differential pricing

DA Systems reckons its pricing module is one of the most comprehensive available. It can take account of agreed rates for particular zones, out-of-hours calls, different rates for bikes and vans and so on. Charges can even be specific to different customers. Job data can be exported into Sage or similar accounting system.

Controllers have one screen showing jobs awaiting allocation and one showing jobs in progress. "The job allocation screen is now the main focus area," says Upton. "Previously a lot of focus would be on manually keying in data for the jobs-in-progress screen. In a busy office that might be a two-man job. Now it is done automatically as data from the NX handhelds is received electronically into the ACI program."

Management reports produced by ACI include total number of jobs completed daily, weekly or monthly income, and payments to couriers.