DispatchIT

LOQUS Fleet Management Software, DispatchIT is an easy to use, dynamic Job Management/Dispatching and Processing system designed to provide companies with an automated, end-to-end, real time solution offering the necessary tools to manage jobs in a more cost effective and efficient manner.

DispatchIT is based on leading edge technology and open standard architectures. Loqus' Fleet Management Software interfaces for the back office and on-the-field (OTF) users are designed to meet the needs of both the servicing and product delivery businesses. The dynamic design employed throughout the Fleet Management Software caters for future enhancements and will evolve to meet the requirements necessitated by the company's growth.

At the back office, the system employs the versatility offered by Microsoft .NET technology and web services coupled with the robustness of an SQL database back-end. The base controller is provided with an intuitive web-based user interface, designed to provide real-time monitoring and management of all jobs - from the data entry of the job details to the actual dispatch, processing and job completion.

The job statuses transmitted from OTF staff are saved in the database and displayed on screen in the Active Job Monitor window. The base controller is provided with an up to date picture of the daily work load, the progress of each job and the activity of OTF staff. Deviations from plans received from the OTF staff are immediately brought to the base controller's attention via the Active Job Monitor, for the appropriate rescheduling and timely notifications to customers.

DispatchIT has been designed to be closely coupled with standard Satellite Navigation (SatNav) devices or GPS receivers. This functionality allows the device to be controlled via the application and allows the device to return information to the application, such as the suggested route.

• The Fleet Management Software is simple and highly ergonomic for the Operator. Years of experience in designing and implementing mobile solutions have taught us that simplicity in the front end is key to adoption by mobile operators such as drivers and field service engineers.
• It is designed to work in connected and disconnected environments like GPRS, 3G and Wi-Fi. Therefore when the mobile user is out of coverage the application will function normally, storing all the data until communication is restored. All messages are highly optimised and encrypted to minimise cost of operation and maximise security.
• The dynamic design employed throughout the system caters for future enhancements. LOQUS Fleet Management Software can be extended considerably by the customer by utilising a set of simple web-based configuration pages. All changes are then pushed automatically onto the mobiles on the next login, or forced immediately if required. This functionality covers configuration, process and form changes together with software updates.
• The back office applications are all designed around industry standard web based components. This translates into a solution that is easy to deploy due to the fact that its only requirement is a web-browser installed on the operator’s workstation and has no impact on corporate LAN/WAN infrastructure and security apart from the possible additional bandwidth required.
• Job scheduling and job allocation operate through the dynamic model where jobs are sent on the fly or through the manifest model, which allows for scheduling and route optimization. The route optimization functionality offered by DispatchIT starts by making use of postcodes, job addresses, on the screen map pointing or historical field positions to offer the most efficient route for the successful completion of a set of jobs. Additionally, DispatchIT offers route optimisation by resource capabilities, workload and availability.
• All data captured in the field is tagged with position and time. This provides a high degree of control and when integrated with the tracking functionality of DispatchIT gives a comprehensive audit of all mobile activity. All position information is translated into text based gazetteer positions and overlaid onto a comprehensive mapping base.
• Satellite Navigation is integrated with DispatchIT using high-end free standing units or running on the same handheld computer as DispatchIT. This results not only in lower cost of tracking but also means that when the driver accepts a job, DispatchIT will automatically route the satellite navigator.

Customer Service Enhancements

• Independent means of verification for time and location of missed drops
• Ability to inform the customer in advance of likely delivery times and therefore reduce customer waiting periods and non-repeat deliveries
• Provide an autonomous means of giving customers visibility of their delivery vehicle location and an estimated time of arrival
• Increase number of weekly deliveries to certain geographic areas
• Improve overall customer experience

Operational Efficiencies

• Control of vehicle via historical and real-time tracking
• Minimised driver input
• Automated route and drop/collection allocation
• Reduce unnecessary travelling times and distances
• Ensure timeliness of vehicles
• Improve overall driver effectiveness
• Decrease level of driver knowledge required allowing better use of agency drivers
• Capture of time and location at every event
• Minimise Paper work
• Provide Proof of delivery in a Real-time fashion

Extensive Reporting
Reporting starts from simple but comprehensive standard reports to user defined reports. The standard reports cover operational and financial aspect of job dispatch and vehicle usage. The reports can be accessed via the web or scheduled to be sent to management via mail. Event based reports can be sent via mail or SMS to notify management when exceptions are raised. All reports are also available in Excel format to enable further analysis.

Contact Management
The system allows for two types of Contacts. These are:

System Level Contacts
System level contacts are generic contacts that exist for all mobile users. They are maintained centrally and can be pushed out to all mobile devices when required. System Level contacts also include the contact numbers for the day’s jobs. This will provide a single button to dial out to the customer.

Personal / End User Contacts
Depending on a configuration setting, users can have their own personal contacts stored on the mobile device. These are not replicated in any way and are maintained by the individual user on the mobile device. The contacts are stored on permanent storage in order to safeguard against inadvertent deletion such as if a user initiates a “hard reset” on the mobile device.

User Defined Job Statuses
The system contains four basic job statuses. These are Accepted, Enroute, At Scene and Finished. These statuses cannot be deleted but a user can decide to include other statuses. These can be combined with User Defined Forms in order to reflect the business processes more closely. An example of this would be a “Job Started” and “Job Finished” status which would allow the time to complete a job to be calculated for billing purposes.

User Defined Forms
Our experience in implementing Fleet Management solutions has led us to realise that user requirements are different and to cater for this we have implemented user defined forms. The concept behind this technology is that we allow the user to design not only the layout of the form but also the sequence in which forms are brought up. In practice user defined forms allow different clients to turn the standard
DispatchIT functionality into their own specific environment, which closely replicates the business processes already in place. This makes it easier for the end-users to learn how to use the mobile devices because they are familiar with the information being entered. Also, information is more accurate because it is captured at source, reducing the need for back office personnel to further augment the data.
An extension of the user defined forms is the ability for users to create user defined fields. This function basically allows users to change the type of information being stored in the database, without calling in LOQUS employees. This combined with the Multilanguage option allows users to tweak the interface further to resemble their normal working environment.

Client Administration
Practically all the different objects within the system can be maintained by the client. The system allows the client administrator to add, edit or delete all of the client information available. The tables that a client can maintain include:

• Mobile Devices
• Driver Statuses
• Vehicles
• Users/Drivers
• Products
• Job Priorities
• Job Definitions
• Job Statuses
• Customers
• Branches
• Messages
• Contracts
• Competencies