July/Aug 2005

Dyson, the leading UK domestic appliance manufacturer, is introducing the Sidewinder ServicePLATFORM real-time scheduling software system to enhance the efficiency of its 181 UK-based field service staff.

Dyson is believed to be the only company in the white goods industry to provide support in the field for items such as vacuum cleaners and washing machines, rather than requiring them to be returned for repairs. It's an approach that is said to improve customer service and help reduce damage in transit.

Until now, Dyson's engineers have been allocated to jobs by postcode, but this approach can sometimes introduce anomalies, since postcodes do not always fall logically in the real-world geographical environment.

Sidewinder provides a real-time scheduling solution that works on the basis of where engineers are at any given time, and this enables Dyson to offer and schedule appointments intelligently and avoid postcode boundaries.

As well as improving efficiency, the Sidewinder software has also introduced the opportunity for the company to schedule appointments for a morning or afternoon slot.

The project is currently in the development stage, and will go to pilot stage this September in a single service region, then be rolled out to other regions.