Drivers use an App to capture date, time and geo coded photographs and customer signatures. This information is simultaneously shared with the back-office, giving management and support staff total visibility of the delivery operation as it unfolds. The details can also be shared with the customer via an automatically generated email or a secure log-in to the Podfather system, and the Merchants’ accounts team can also access delivery information if required.

Providing deliveries to builder’s merchants and constructions sites, Leicestershire-based Merchants Transport operates a mixed fleet of artics with curtain sided and flatbed trailers, rigids with flatbeds and HIAB cranes.

Prior to implementing the software, Merchants was 100 percent reliant on paper delivery notes. This had the potential to cause delays in responding to customer queries and could result in credit notes being issued unnecessarily. Merchants also relied on paper-based vehicle checks for its fleet of HGVs, a workflow the Podfather solution has also digitised.

“Before Podfather, PODs were paper only versions containing a signature and a date,” commented Martin Hemley, Transport Supervisor at Merchants Transport. “In the case of a query we had to either wait until the driver returned to the office or, as a minimum, until they were parked up for the night so we could speak to them safely.

“Due to a rising amount of POD queries and disputes from our customers’ customers we realised we needed to be able to deliver more information, more quickly. We knew we wanted a system that was user friendly for our office team, for our drivers and for our customers, and following extensive research, testing and supplier meetings, we decided Podfather was most suited to our requirements.”

“Podfather has exceeded our original requirements and expectations, giving us everything we needed and more!” Hemley continued. “The improvements in efficiency and the service we now provide to our customers has certainly been surpassed.

“Some of our bigger accounts have embraced Podfather and now say they couldn’t work without it. In fact, one of our customers has made it a requirement of our terms of business with them as it has greatly reduced the amount and value of credits they issue to their customers for damaged and missing items.”

In addition to the automation of POD reporting, Merchants Transport has also replaced its paper-based driver walkaround checks with a fully digitised process. Using the Podfather app, drivers are guided through a series of vehicle and welfare checks at the start of each shift. This information is then automatically shared with the inhouse mechanic to ensure any potential defects are dealt with as quickly as possible.

Moving forward with Podfather, Merchants hopes to embrace other aspects of the system including the planning and optimisation tools for load allocation and journey planning, tracking and notifications for customer email or and text ETA generation, and performance dashboards and integrated reports to drive further efficiency gains.