These days it is often necessary and expected to share information and find the answers we need immediately, in “Real Time”. This is why we have made it our Roadmap stop for July.

Communication is key when it comes to managing drivers in the field. Issues such as supervising shifts, mid-route changes, delivery concerns and accident reports happen daily. In addition, the office needs to know when transactions and deliveries are completed as they happen to provide great customer service. It has become a necessity in today’s work environment to have reliable, instant, clear, cost-effective communication and support systems in place.

Real Time communication is the sharing of information and interacting with others through network connections just as if you were face-to-face. If you want to get technical, it is any live real-time telecommunications that doesn’t have transmission delays. For example, there is a difference between talking to or messaging someone, compared to emailing. When you are emailing there is a time-shift and that data is stored between the source (person reaching out) and the destination (the recipient). In this situation it will get the information to the recipient reliably, however when calling or messaging someone, you receive a response as if you were talking to each other face-to-face in “real time”.

Some other examples of Real Time Communication, in addition to a phone call or messaging are:

• Video conferencing
• Screen sharing
• Collaboration tools
• Instant data transfer and
• Location tracking

You can use Real Time communication tools in many industries and through multiple applications. However, the aspect we want to focus on with this article is why Real-time communication between the drivers and office staff is necessary in today’s work environment.

We will break down two “Real Time” avenues that when combined, create an optimized dispatch-to-driver-to-office communication and data transfer work flow that will take your business to the next level.

Avenue 1: INSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH A MESSAGING SYSTEM – Over the years we have discovered that one of the best ways to have immediate contact with drivers is through instant messaging. When you incorporate a Real Time messaging software system, drivers and dispatchers have one source and location to send and receive messages, hold conversations and receive important notifications.  When all of this important information is located in one thread, you can use search features and refer back to its content when necessary. With this sort of system, the communication back and forth is instantaneous. This data can also be shared with others in the organization to streamline and manage operations to suit specific business objectives.

In addition to the benefits listed above, some other perks of a messaging system include:

• The ability to take and store photographs. This is useful for confirmation of delivery, repair, safety check and more.
• Operation over wi-fi or cellular networks to ensure connectivity
• Support thru multiple devices including Android, iOS and Microsoft Windows
• Location and service area tracking
• Reduce delays by getting orders to drivers immediately

Avenue 2: INSTANT SALES DATA TRANSMISSION WITH MANGO LIVE – Advantage Route Systems has an optional module called Mango Live that provides office staff a real-time overview of exactly what is happening on your routes, by making sales data available in RMA within a few seconds after the transaction occurs. By immediately having this data, you can improve office efficiencies and have an instant backup of all invoices, signatures, receipts and more. This allows your office personnel to better manage operations and provide optimal customer service in a number of ways.

• View truck locations in real-time – Track your drivers’ locations to see which stops have been completed, skipped, or still need to be serviced. This also allows you to dispatch your driver to other service calls nearby.
• Quickly add additional stops to an active route – As you take an order in the office, you have the ability to choose a route and send the order immediately to the driver’s handheld remotely. They then have the option to accept or decline the order, as well as specify a reason why they are unable to service the customer.
• Keep inventory up-to-date – With real-time sales data being transferred to the office, your office staff will know exactly how much inventory is remaining in the warehouse.
• Sales data at your fingertips – The system will transmit orders to the driver directly, and drivers can then download delivery orders and notes. Drivers can also upload completed invoices directly into RMA while out on route.

When you implement Real Time communication processes in your organization, resources are used more efficiently, mistakes and errors are reduced and profits are increased.  It is a win-win when workloads are managed better and drivers, office staff and customers are satisfied because of clear, Real Time Communication.