Nov/Dec 2005

Drivers or mobile managers can organise service logistics from the field with a new system from NetDespatch called Velocity Unwired. It is one of the first products to take advantage of the relationship recently announced between the company and Cognito (m.logistics, last issue).

The system gives staff in the field access to the full range of capabilities offered by NetDespatch's existing Velocity booking and order management system. This means, for instance, that they can arrange and keep track of requests for collection and delivery of parts. Reliance on office-based staff is reduced, says the company.

If field service staff want to organise the delivery of a spare part or component, once they have transmitted the request, NetDespatch's Velocity Connector automatically instigates label printing for delivery by the chosen courier. Collections and returns can be arranged in the same way.

It is a "thin client" system, in the sense that the applications and data accessed on the mobile device are held on NetDespatch secure servers. The company points out that if the device's battery should run out or it should suffer some other failure, it can simply be replaced with another without danger of data loss.