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Feb/March 2007
Evaluation: Advanced Courier Interface
Evaluation:Advanced Courier Interface Server-based online job booking system DA Systems Our impression 
Advanced Courier Interface.net is a version of DA Systems' ACI job-booking application which allows customers to book their own jobs directly on to the system via the Internet. The aim is to allow smaller courier companies to offer the same Internet-booking facilities as their large multinational rivals. ACI.net is effectively an operator-hosted online booking system. DA Systems reckons that lots of courier companies currently providing an online booking service actually receive such bookings in their office by fax or by email. Job details then have to be entered on to the system by the courier - which introduces time delays and the possibility of errors. Running your own server may sound daunting, the company admits, but it points out that the role of the equipment is simple - to pass data from an external network to an internal gateway via a firewall. With this Internet-based system, clients each have their own password. This allows them to book their own jobs directly on the ACI application running at the courier company. The courier company decides how much feedback the client gets via its hosted site. For example, clients can be advised of any delays, and the system can automatically generate lead-times, providing an accurate prediction of when booked jobs will be collected. This is all done via the Web interface, without the need for any telephone calls. The application can even cope with different customers' preferred terminology for a job. For example, while most courier companies work with a job reference number, many will use their own in-house naming conventions - which is essential if the internal systems are able to make that all-important invoice payment. That's not problem to ACI.net; the reference field can be tailored to take account of it, eliminating any confusion as to what data goes in the job reference box. Invoice queries should be dramatically reduced as the customers are responsible for entering the data. Customers who book a lot of work or who have someone on site can be provided with their own control screen that shows just their jobs and is read-only. They can't change anything or reallocate jobs to another courier, but they can check progress. Clients will see only those services and tariffs which they are permitted to use. In a multi-site environment, for example, it might be that you offer clients in Birmingham a same-day service and a chauffeur car service, but in London you only offer them a same-day service. On the entry screens, when a London client is making a booking, the chauffeur car service would not be visible. The ACI application itself is designed to save time and for ease of use. It can be used by multiple users on a single site; by single users on multiple sites; and by multiple users on multiple sites. The software is true client-server, and has been designed to create a minimum of network traffic between the client and the server. One benefit is that the system can easily be networked over a wide area in a multi-site environment via the Internet or any other public or private IP based network. It is even possible to run the system over the Internet with a 56k modem, although DA Systems doesn't recommend it.. Hot keys are set up to eliminate time-consuming actions like keying in an account address or looking up entries in a client's address book. There is even an address finder hot-key that gives you access to a nationwide lookup facility based on street, locality, town and postcode, allowing you to validate your address data. An unlimited number of multi-drops / multi-pickups can be entered and automatically priced by the comprehensive pricing system. Ready times and deadline times can be set for each pickup and drop, allowing the company to set deadlines and/or windows for pickup and delivery. If clients want a quoted price before making a booking, the courier company simply presses the 'price' button and the job will be priced according to the rates for that client. If client wants to confirm a booking, the system will save the quote. Regular jobs are automatically scheduled using the template, and jobs can be pre-booked for any future date and time. Similar jobs can be saved and reused. Route distances can be accurate to within metres if required, using an embedded routing software package which gives the correct driven mileage, even taking into consideration the journey preferences set by the user (for instance, straight through London or round the M25). Pricing can therefore be calculated to area, district, sector or postcode. Jobs and courier locations can be viewed on street-level digital maps at the touch of a button. The latest mapping uses Navteq data and courier vehicles are usefully colour-coded to show the status of the vehicle - en route to a job, package on board, and so on. The control screen can be tailored easily to display different levels of information. Administrators can allocate screens to an Internet user which will be available on the Internet for that customer. Rather than try and fit everything on one screen, DA Systems uses multiple screens but makes it easy for controllers to switch between them. Available screens are shown at the top in a series of tabs and include Despatch Assist for sending directions to drivers, Notepad, Driver Management, Messaging and Mapping. Job update status is done by mobile data, either as an SMS message to a mobile phone device or over GPRS using a PDA-style device. The administration suite provides over 60 report templates, including summaries or work for a particular day, invoices and driver payments. Reports can range from simple profitability analysis to site profitability breakdown, operational performance, gross margin analysis, and POD performance by delivery agent. Our verdict The self-service aspect of ACI.net should appeal to both the courier company and its customers and has benefits for both. Companies can track job progress themselves and as they are responsible for data entry, there should be fewer invoice queries. Specification
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