Gregorys drives growth with mobile technology

The transport industry is notorious for its diabolical paperwork and damage claims and Gregorys was no exception.

According to Gregorys’ CEO, Adam Westaway, the excess paperwork, which is symptomatic of the business, was creating a time-consuming trap which he was keen to rectify.

A customer driven transport and logistics company with a network of 400 plus drivers and subcontractor drivers Australia wide, Gregorys needed a mobile communication service to accommodate a workforce constantly on the road.

The company also wanted to improve its data systems and maintain a real-time information service for clients.

Vodafone Business plans on imate PDAs with a data package were rolled out across Gregorys’ driver network, allowing the whole team to stay in constant contact with head office and feed information directly into Gregorys’ central database.

Gregorys halved the amount of time staff spend dealing with customer complaints and drastically reduced the paperwork created by the business.

All drivers are now able to send information to head office in real-time, allowing customers to track and trace jobs as they are processed.

The need for a quick service that could be seamlessly rolled out across Gregorys’ diverse network led the company to switch over to Vodafone.

The company opted for a Vodafone Enterprise Choice Voice and Mobile Data Bundle for his staff and business needs.

“Since we’ve joined Vodafone, our system has become much more streamlined, greatly improving our efficiency,” Adam Westaway says.

“Our drivers receive item descriptions and addresses through their mobiles and can collect a liquid crystal signature upon delivery.”

“This is then sent to our database in real-time as a record of who accepted a delivery and when.”

With Vodafone’s Enterprise Choice plan, customers like Westaway create a Business User Group.

Westaway nominated the fixed line numbers he wanted to include, with those fixed line numbers and Vodafone mobile numbers forming Gregorys’ Business User Group.

All calls from Gregorys’ mobiles to other company mobiles and from company mobiles back to company fixed lines receive low call rates.

Gregorys also now take advantage of Vodafone’s Mobile Data Bundles which allow staff to seamlessly connect to the 3G broadband (HSDPA) or GPRS network so that staff can access the internet wherever they are.

For Adam Westaway, the instant reduction in paperwork and improvements in staff efficiency has been as beneficial as the basic cost savings of the switch to Vodafone.

“We’ve definitely saved a lot more than just the cost of our phone bill,” he says.

“Now a customer can check as soon as an item is delivered who accepted that delivery, and what was received.”

“Our drivers have also started taking photos of deliveries, offering an easy and efficient way for customers to track any queries about deliveries.”

“A better database system had a huge impact on the number of claims we process each week, and my staff are able to focus on helping us grow and develop the business.”

“However, the biggest practical improvement for us is that our storage area, once full of 100,000 boxes of POD statements and other customer paperwork, is now empty.”

“Now that the paperwork has been eradicated, we have more time to work on the business.”