Improved customer service, reduced mileage and fuel costs.

The Organisation

THE TILE SOURCE is part of the Hampshire Tile Warehouse group of companies` that specialises in the distribution of ceramic wall and floor tiles, natural stone and specialist tiling products across the south of England and London to specialist tile, kitchen and bathroom shops, housing developers and tilers.

With tile showrooms and trade counters in Brighton, Southampton, Hedge End, Aldershot and Brentford, eighty staff and 16 delivery vehicles the company is one of the largest tile distributors in the country. The TILE SOURCE fleet is made up of 20 vehicles from 25 tonne Mercedes Ategos with HIAB lifts, 7.5 tonne and Sprinters.

The Challenge

Other tracking systems we looked at seemed unnecessarily complicated and required the loading of software that was not compatible with our Apple Mac network. We wanted a web based system that any of our staff could access without fuss that could show where a vehicle was.

Additionally, it had to be a simple system for our drivers who could use the navigation software to find our customers shops or for site deliveries. Prior to the installation of the full package from Webfleet our sales office had to keep calling our drivers when customers wanted estimated times of arrival for their deliveries. Our drivers had difficulties locating site deliveries, particularly when they were new.

Drivers often could not find their destinations and then were pushed for time which may also have increased the incidence of accidents. Simon Bond, System Administrator at THE TILE SOURCE.

The Solution

THE TILE SOURCE has been using Webfleet since November 2006. Their current fleet is 13 and will soon be expanded to cover all their vehicles.

The company’s customer delivery drivers have the award winning satellite navigation, which gets them quickly and easily through traffic, allowing them to provide accurate estimated times of arrival to their customers. This offers an improved customer service, and they are also able to check historically via the audit trail to confirm the details of the drivers journey. Benefits to the company are that they are able to reduce mileage and fuel costs significantly. The tracking allows them to pinpoint vehicles that have broken down, and quickly get a replacement vehicle out to them. They are also able to use the Webfleet reports to validate timesheets. By automatically attaching the customer address to the order, the dispatch operator is able to save a lot of time and work and avoid misunderstandings and misallocations.

We are expecting to get a reduction in our insurance costs because our vehicles are tracked, and we expect to see a reduction in accident claims through easy navigation. Delivery runs are being completed sooner which reduces overtime, and missed deliveries. Customers are receiving their deliveries on time, which is prompting repeat business. There were few difficulties, but when an issue arose it was always addressed rapidly and effectively by the Webfleet support team. We are happy with the system and the benefits it has brought to the business. It meets all our expectations and requirements – we would happily recommend it! states Simon Bond, System Administrator at THE TILE SOURCE.