Transport not only plays an important role in the economic development of our country. It also plays a vital role in saving your butt when you’ve forgotten your wife’s birthday. Read on…
It’s the big day – your wife’s birthday – but given the important things us men have to focus on such as the Rugby World Cup, it ‘understandably’ slipped your mind. It’s only when you get to the office and your mate says: “So what did you buy Ann for her birthday?” that you remember. “Aaaargh! Is it today?” you shout as you slap your forehead.
So what do you do? Having left the house without wishing her happy birthday, you’ll now know what that vicious scowl was all about. She thought you had forgotten all about it. She was right of course but she can’t know that. So here’s the plan.
One, you phone her favourite restaurant and book a table for dinner asking for one of those private corner tables. “And put a couple of candles on it, some roses and any other gushy stuff you can think of,” you ask.
Two, you cancel that all important lunch with your mates where you were going to discuss how much to bet on South Africa beating Japan. Instead, you make a plan to drive to that Hustler shop to get her something decent.
Three – and this is the master stroke. You’ll send her a beautiful bunch of flowers with an exquisite box of chocolates with a note that reads. “You thought I’d forgotten hey. Got ya. Happy birthday my baby. I’ve been so looking forward to this day to spoil you. Enjoy the flowers. Lots more surprises to follow tonight.” That should do it. Sorted.
But then, you freeze. It’s already 9.30am. Too late. She won’t receive the flowers. Relax. It’s OK. Here’s the background to how NetFlorist operates its transport issues to ensure your plans will go off without a hitch.
Driver app improves operations
Established in 1999, NetFlorist – with a fleet of over 65 delivery vehicles nationwide – distributes flowers, hampers and gifts to consumers’ daily. The growing demand of consumer same-day and next-day delivery has seen the company expand its national network, upgrade its technology and introduce its own internal Android app for the fleet of drivers. The driver app has been carefully designed to help improve operations, driver lead time and ultimately, customer satisfaction.
One of the e-commerce company’s growth strategies includes managing the fleet more effectively and efficiently. It is therefore imperative to exploit improved driver programs and disruptive technology that is revolutionising industries.
The decision to launch the NetFlorist Go App in support of the fleet’s daily operational activities was inevitable as the company now has a national network of five hubs where vehicles are parked and a total of 70 drivers employed on a permanent and temporary basis.
It’s no wonder that NetFlorist is considered an e-commerce gifting site and not a logistics company with this kind of footprint. The mobile app pinpoints each gift’s delivery location and plots them strategically and efficiently into a load of 10 deliveries per driver. Drivers can then manage each order assigned to them according to customer’s delivery times and receive recipients’ signatures for each gift on a mobile device which then sends the information back to the system in real time to trigger corresponding information to the sender of the gift.
“The competitive nature of the transportation and logistics industry has our team working tirelessly in maintaining our technical competency. The company has gained access to insights derived from data analytics, automations and the internet through the integration of fleet management and new technology.
“We also continue upgrade our software and resolve network problems timeously because we are confronted with immense changes that need forward thinking,” says Kyle van Aswegen, NetFlorist’s fleet manager. He adds that in the first month of using the NetFlorist Go App, the company saved up to 20% on fuel costs.
NetFlorist is faced with challenges to evolve and restructure the business model to deliver gifts in a sector that is under critical and growing pressure to deliver better services. It is critical that companies maximise the use of intelligent technology as well as making sure that operations are cost efficient.
“We’re really excited to have our new driver app live and running. In order to deliver all our flowers and gifts on time via our five warehouses around the country, it’s crucial that our drivers have the right tools at their fingertips. Our new apps give them the latest technology on route tracking and optimisation, making their jobs easier which in turns means better on time delivery and customer service.
“There are many off-the-shelf options but we have fantastic in-house development skills that did a great job in delivering a world class delivery app,” says Ryan Bacher, managing director of NetFlorist.
NetFlorist has, through the years, remained the leading online florist and flower delivery site in South Africa. The understanding that fleet management solutions still thrive on rules and regulations, vehicle maintenance, cost efficient methods, customisation, adoption of appropriate practices, vehicle visibility, vehicle and driver monitoring systems, advanced driver training as well as managing daily operational queries has contributed to the company’s growth.
As the transportation and logistics sector evolves, delivery companies also need to forge their way into the future and gain competitive advantage. Innovators understand the importance of evolving in the developing environment – now widely known as the fourth industrial revolution. The effects of the revolution are felt by businesses across industries and in turn technology is making up part of the monumental changes faced by online based delivery companies.
The most important thing here is that by following all these practices, NetFlorist is saving the day for you and ensuring that when you arrive home on your wife’s birthday, you’ll get a hug instead of a klap. They’ve even devised a method which enables you to see the joy when the flowers are delivered. Check this video – and this is not a paid for advertisement. FleetWatch is showing it because we think it illustrates a great example of how available technology can be used to enhance a customer’s satisfaction and enrich the delivery experience. Lekker hey.
