Where Is My Package? – Courier Transportation Software

Great Cost-effective Courier Software: Oxymoron?

by Patrick Floto, SCS sales rep.  October, 2011

Ahhh, the recession….no one is safe these days, it seems.  Courier companies who are doing well are staying under the radar, carefully guarding their profits until the storm passes.

I ponder how small businesses are staying afloat in this economy.  And do any of them dare to actually grow their respective business right now?

I also wondered if any company is actually spending these days?  Or maybe they’re spending too much?

I recently had a chat on the subject with Keith Schewanick, owner of “Where Is My Package?”™.

Q: How can “Where Is My Package?”™ be great, yet inexpensive?

A: We’ve heard this question before.  There are many ways how we’re able to cut unnecessary costs, which also saves our clients money, as well.  Here’s a few ways:

1. Labor

The majority of business overhead costs are labor.  For instance, we as a courier software company, have to hire programmers.  Some of our competitors are using old proprietary software which is expensive because there are very few resources out there who maintain, program and/or de-bug these out-dated systems.  Since there’s a limited candidate pool, it’s hard to locate these specialists who still know the old software.

Our approach is to use common open source software with hundreds of thousands of programmers available at reasonable prices.  And with so many more laborers available, this also cuts down on wait-time to receive that service.  Time is money…and we make the most of time spent on labor.

2. Technology Platform

We opted to use the secure Unix/Linux platform (that even Apple currently uses), versus using the Microsoft platform, which is not only expensive, but insecure and vulnerable to an endless number of viruses.  The Microsoft platform may also require a re-write of software to accommodate their new platform, leaving you stuck having to purchase a re-written version of the software you already purchased.  For example, if you bought your software when Microsoft XP was their latest version, and then Microsoft releases the Vista platform the following year, your software vendor has to rewrite their program to fit the new Microsoft platform.  It just doesn’t make sense to keep lining the pockets of software companies whose systems continually need to be paid for.  By the way, this same problem will hold true when Microsoft releases Windows 8 next year.

3. Distribution Chain

The software is all in one place here, and the software on which WIMP runs requires no multiple versions, no packaging costs, no supply chain, and no additional outside labor.  Because this ‘distribution chain’ is greatly reduced, the most obvious benefit is the cost savings…which gets passed on to our WIMP clients.  And since there are no issues with maintaining ‘client side’ software, the system management burden imposed (when new releases and upgrades become available) is eliminated, simplifying the management of the system as a whole.

The distribution chain route requires that updated applications must be installed on every machine that needs to continue to run those programs. For companies with a larger number of users this can be a costly logistical nightmare, especially if the upgrades are not managed properly.  I know that applications quickly become outdated, resulting in higher costs for system maintenance and frustration for those people who still use that old fashioned, bloated software.

There are far more advantages of adopting a truly web-based system.  It’s part of the future of courier software, and we’re using it right now.

Q:  So, you’re saying there’s a smarter way to spend less and get more?  I like that math!

A:  So do our clients.

Coming soon to The Wimp Dispatch: part two of my Q&A with Keith Schewanick.

Promoting, Expanding & ‘Selling’ your courier business

By: Patrick Floto, Courier Sales Representative

So, maybe your business is doing OK on a day-to-day basis…but what about the future?

Is your software vendor helping you to promote your business? Or was it a ‘dump and run’ situation, so they could chase after the next deal?

I’m sure when you signed on with your current software system company, you were hopeful that it would improve your business. But ask yourself: have they done anything to help you attract new customers? How are you currently attracting new business? If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you’re not keeping up with your competition.

Here’s how some of our customers have used our technology to their advantage, to help expand and promote their businesses:

Photo Finish

We were contacted by the owner of a Courier business, who expressed his interest in expanding his business and bidding on a new project, but needed our help.  He came to us after a neighborhood clinic put out a bid for transporting elderly, disabled and physically challenged patients.  The bid required GPS tracking along with capacity to take and store a photo of the human asset involved with each job.  Not only did the driver need to be able to clearly identify the patient, but also for liability purposes if the patient went missing or wandered off, the local authorities could be contacted with a recent patient photograph including last known attire.

With GPS tracking already available, we only needed to add the photo capability to our existing software using SmartPhones. We are now able to upload pictures of patients or packages for each and every job.  Of course the client won the contract, thanks to the ability to attach a patient’s photo to each job. So, our new client was able expand his business and his customers are happy knowing their loved ones are accounted for in real-time and safely ‘delivered’ with a photo finish!

Polishing that old apple

We were approached by another customer who told us her Courier business is doing pretty well, and that she wants to sell the business in a few years and retire.  The only problem is that her courier software is outdated, and frankly too embarrassing to show a prospective buyer.  She was smart enough to realize that it was probably time to polish that old apple with 21^st century software.  She switched from her existing software vendor to “Where Is My Package”™, so she’ll be prepared when she does decide to sell.  And maybe she’ll retire a little sooner than she thought.

Rising High

One client hired the equivalent of ‘beer girls’ to go to high-rises in the area and walk up and down the halls with tablets featuring WIMP software to promote their company, handing out flyers, and showing prospective new customers how their business has the technology to help them save time and money.

The girls were able to spread the news about how their company functions more efficiently with “on-demand” software which can take an order, track a package, look at billing, etc., all at the touch of your tablet.

So they were able to effectively impress prospective customers by showing them how easy it is to manage all their order needs even from a tablet.

More productivity + less time wasted = more revenue.

Winning the lottery

Another client came to us wanting to secure a bid with the CA Lottery, but the State required signature capture, and with other companies selling devices starting at $1500.00 per device the client felt they couldn’t secure the bid.  We were able to get signature capture working on any SmartPhone, no additional expensive contracted device required, and our client easily won the bid!

Call us today to see how we can help you promote and expand your business!

Character-Based vs. Web-Based Systems

By: Julie Wagner, Software Analyst (July, 2011)

We’re 10 years into the new millennium and, like it or not, these are technological times.

Character-based generally means you’re functioning on a dumb terminal, which is essentially a screen that displays only text, uses no mouse, no graphics, and has limited accessibility.  These platforms are extremely outdated, which not only makes it difficult to find trainable personnel, but even harder to find service/maintenance expertise.  This results in higher system maintenance costs and frustration using old fashioned software.  If you’re still on a character-based system, you’re living in the age of the Flintstones, instead of the age of the Jetsons!

Web-based Courier software such as “Where Is My Package?”™  allows you and your customers access to order entry, dispatching, billing, two-way communication, signature capture, package image capture and many more remote options. As a truly web-based system, it allows for full system integration all managed from within the web browser; the web browser becomes the interface.  Your customers will see a limited access version (determined by you) of the same order entry screen that you and your order trackers see, making it easy to provide excellent customer service to your clients. Remote users, customers, drivers, and even your accountant only require an internet connection (even on a SmartPhone!) in order to use the system. What would your customer think if they could take an order on YOUR current system on their SmartPhone or Tablet?

Long-time, established Courier companies are going out of business, one by one because they refuse, or are unable, to get up to speed with technology.

Don’t let your company look outdated by letting your customer’s orders on those dumb terminals from the last century!