CASE STUDY / ADVANCED SCHEDULING SOFTWARE
LOGISTICS UK VEHICLE INSPECTION SERVICE TRANSFORMED WITH ADVANCED SCHEDULING SOFTWARE
SHARE POST
• Increased daily productivity per field operative
Requirements:
- Reduce operational costs
- Increase productivity per operative
- Provide real-time appointment flexibility
- Complex field operative skills/certification matching
- Seamless integration with Microsoft Dynamics 365
Roadmap:
- Seamless Microsoft Dynamics 365 integration
- Customer self-service portal
- FLS MOBILE for field engineers
Meet the organisation:
logistics.org.uk
F
reight transport organisation Logistics UK has transformed its Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) by deploying FLS - FAST LEAN SMART real-time automated software to introduce a new, more efficient field work scheduling process in conjunction with Microsoft Dynamics 365.
Logistics UK is the only organisation in the UK to represent the entire logistics industry, with more than 17,000 member organisations across all modes of transport. It represents the interests of its members on all matters that affect the sector, from post-Brexit compliance, to rail freight costs, to UK fuel duty. It also provides training and business services to members, and vehicle inspections and compliance are a key part of this offering.
Until now, coordinating these inspections had been entirely manual. "There was no centralised system so engineers had to schedule their own work," says Matt Doherty, Head of Technology at Logistics UK. "This was a protracted process and their time was not being used efficiently. A long chain of phone calls and emails between administrators, engineers, and customers, also meant communication lines were not as clear as they could be. We needed a system that could book inspections centrally and automatically, shorten travel times and empower our engineers to be more productive every day."
Logistics UK (LUK) looked at four providers of scheduling and route optimisation software before deciding on FLS - FAST LEAN SMART. FLS VISITOUR automatically schedules LUK's vehicle inspection appointments in real time in the most optimal and efficient way possible, matching the right engineer with the right job according to multiple variables.
Logistics UK is the only organisation in the UK to represent the entire logistics industry, with more than 17,000 member organisations across all modes of transport. It represents the interests of its members on all matters that affect the sector, from post-Brexit compliance, to rail freight costs, to UK fuel duty. It also provides training and business services to members, and vehicle inspections and compliance are a key part of this offering.
Until now, coordinating these inspections had been entirely manual. "There was no centralised system so engineers had to schedule their own work," says Matt Doherty, Head of Technology at Logistics UK. "This was a protracted process and their time was not being used efficiently. A long chain of phone calls and emails between administrators, engineers, and customers, also meant communication lines were not as clear as they could be. We needed a system that could book inspections centrally and automatically, shorten travel times and empower our engineers to be more productive every day."
Logistics UK (LUK) looked at four providers of scheduling and route optimisation software before deciding on FLS - FAST LEAN SMART. FLS VISITOUR automatically schedules LUK's vehicle inspection appointments in real time in the most optimal and efficient way possible, matching the right engineer with the right job according to multiple variables.
These include job duration and prioritisation, engineer location, availability and (critically) skill set - with speed profiles for accurate time-of-day journey times. LUK will also be implementing FLS MOBILE, which will facilitate communication between LUK's engineers and back office staff and provide automated warnings if an appointment might be missed.
Matt continued "FLS VISITOUR reduces overhead for our engineers, allowing them to get more jobs done in the same amount of time, but not compromise the service we provide to our members. FLS enables us to be more flexible and offer end-customers a reliable, efficient and timely service along with a wider array of service options. Everybody wins!"
Another important benefit for LUK is that FLS software is fully configurable and capable of adapting to fast-changing end-customer needs without assistance from FLS. This enables LUK to offer a continually evolving and improving level of service to members with relative ease and independence. Matt says, "Part of our roadmap for the future will be to enable customers to book their own inspections via a self-service portal, which FLS makes possible. This will give them more control and more visibility."
However, while important, LUK ultimately chose FLS for a different reason. Matt explains, "FLS offered exactly what we needed in terms of scheduling optimisation. But the real reason we chose them was that we knew, with FLS, we wouldn't just be getting software. We'd be getting a partnership. We interviewed their clients and could see that FLS continues to work closely with them post-deployment to ensure that the software has a positive impact on their business. Their approach is very collaborative and we liked that."
LUK will incorporate FLS VISITOUR within its forthcoming Microsoft Dynamics 365 deployment and Matt is feeling very positive about the transformative change to their vehicle inspections operation. He says, "Right from when we met FLS at the Copperberg Field Service Summit, we've always found the team to be very friendly, amenable and helpful. Their workshops have been professional, detailed and very clear as to everybody's roles and expectations. This implementation is a big change for LUK and its members but with FLS' customer-centric approach we know we are in good hands."