SPAR stores distributor James Hall & Co is planning the introduction of a real-time customer service system with vehicle tracking company Masternaut Three X. The scope of the project is the design and implementation of an innovative web-based solution that will enable store owners and managers to gain access to real-time delivery information simply by logging on to the secure "WebSPAR" Intranet service. James Hall & Co hopes to make the system available to all 450+ SPAR stores operating in northern England.
The new customer service enhancement will be designed to boost efficiency by eliminating telephone calls to check on delivery status, keeping stores up to date with delivery ETAs. This could enable store managers to reduce costs by ensuring additional personnel are only called in when needed for goods reception, rather than have them on standby in the store.
James Hall & Co's delivery fleet is already equipped with Masternaut live vehicle tracking, allowing real-time fleet activity information to be captured and fed into the system. This gives the transport management team an instant visual reading of vehicle movements on a digital map.
"We are in the very early stages of developing the system, but we hope that the integration of Masternaut with WebSPAR will make a major enhancement to our customer services. Using the live Masternaut information we will be able to keep our customers informed about the forecasted time of arrival of their deliveries. This could improve their in-store operations - preparing stock rooms, calling in additional staff and so on - and reduce the need for telephone calls between the stores and our transport office," says Mark Clayden, Transport Manager, James Hall & Co.
The company has also recently installed Mastercold automatic temperature tracking to provide real-time temperature readings for refrigerated trailers and specialist dual-zone rigid-bodied trucks. This part of the Masternaut powered system has replaced the company's original temperature logging technology, which simply records onboard temperatures over a period of weeks. This live temperature management tool will allow chilled and frozen foods to be managed proactively; and, should there be any fluctuations in temperature, the transport team will be able to act on the information provided by the system to prevent potential problems.