100% of Microlise Customers would recommend their products and services!
Posted on 03. Feb, 2012 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
At the end of every project Microlise implement and then periodically, via our Customer Service and Account Management teams, Microlise talk to our customers to find out what we do well and where we could improve our products and services. One of the questions we ask is “would you recommend Microlise?”
Over the last 12 months, 100% of the customers responded that they would recommend Microlise.
Microlise are delighted that customer’s see the benefit of the effort Microlise put into the products we develop and the services we deliver.
Microlise prides itself on delivering innovative products that align with our customers’ business goals and operational needs, underpinned by outstanding customer service throughout delivery & support.
Simon Bewick, Microlise’s Operations Director commented; “Frankly, we are really pleased with the feedback that all of our customers would recommend us. The end of project and customer service interviews always provide us with loads of information we can act upon. Key for us is to make sure we listen to our customers and where there are things we can learn from and improve how we do things, that we do this”.
Microlise’s comprehensive solution packages incorporate Vehicle Tracking & Telematics, Route & Schedule Adherence Proof of Delivery. This is all delivered via what we term our “benefits centric” delivery model and is then supported by a wide-ranging customer service and benefits realisation consultancy offering. The latter is a service whereby periodically, Microlise report on the benefits the solution is delivering, how it is being used by the customer and how it might be better utilised within their operation.
A further reflection of the levels of service and product functionality we continue to offer is that, despite tough market conditions, Microlise continue to experience strong sales growth and business performance.
Microlise would like to thank its customers for continued support and loyalty and look forward to continued success in 2012 and beyond.
A Guide to Telematics (by FleetNews)
Posted on 01. Feb, 2012 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
The November 2011 edition of FleetNews featured a supplement guide for telematics users. This guide provides information regarding Green Fleet Management strategies, as well as examples of telematics in action and the benefits delivered.
According to the guide;
Greener Fleet Management is driven by three simple strategies…
Drive cleaner vehicles
Drive them more economically
Drive them less
Do this and companies will save money and reduce their environmental impact. (A Guide To Telematics by FleetNews)
Microlise’s Transport Management System portfolio significantly contributes to this agenda. The portfolio offers a Tracking and Telematics solution that;
Enables customers to understand how safely and economically their vehicles are being driven – thereby supporting the company to obtain the best levels of fuel economy and reducing fuel costs & emissions, as well as reducing accidents and wear & tear on vehicles.
Provides visibility of vehicle activity and utilisation in order to allow management to understand vehicle usage & utilisation. When this data is presented via Microlise’s Journey Management module, where all activity is measured againt planned journeys, then wasted time and unnecessary mileage can also be driven out of the operation, thereby ensuring highest levels of productive mileage and the right number of vehicles necessary to run the most efficient operation.
In the Fleet New section entitled; Telematics in action deliver savings for fleet operators – by using telematics, fleets have achieved savings worth millions of pounds, the article sighted two Microlise customers;
Tesco delivers with Telematics
Home delivery firm Tesco.com revealed 12% fuel use savings and a 6% drop in accident damage after fitting telematics.
The 2,200 vans on the fleet cover 60 million miles a year, so such significant reductions in costs will have a major impact on the business.
Any examples of bad driving are flagged up and bosses can immediately deal with problems such as harsh braking and errant behaviour.
To encourage drivers a league table has been produced at each depot.
Drivers are rewarded with a set number of points, which they retain if they are shown to have driven carefully and sensibly on the road on an ongoing basis. (A Guide to Telematics by FleetNews)
Firm targets 5% saving
3663 set itself a target of a 5% cost saving across its logistics transport operations.
As a first phase, 3663 implemented tracking and telematics across the company’s logistics fleet of around 340 vehicles.
It then launched a driving for excellence initiative which included publishing detailed driver league tables.
This programme delivered substantial savings as it quickly highlighted driving issues which could then be addressed, resulting in 3663 achieving its 5% target fuel saving in the eary stages of the project. (A Guide to Telematics by FleetNews)
The league table discussed in the feature refers to the Microlise A-G Report within the Safe and Economical Driving Style Reports which is available to all Microlise customers Using the Fleet Performance Telematics package. This comprehensive report allows the customer operation to monitor driving style at all levels within the fleet.
Both Tesco.com and 3663 as well as over 200 other transport & logistics companies, continue to look towards the Microlise Fleet and Distribution solution to support them in achieving the highest levels of utilisation, efficiency and fuel economy within their fleets.
The year ahead – Commerical Motor forecasts 2012
Posted on 10. Jan, 2012 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News, Uncategorized
As 2012 gets under way, the latest Trucking Britain survey shows operators forecasting another tough year.
As 2011 wore on, most business leaders voiced the same warning: 2011 was tough, but 2012 will be tougher still. And looking at the data produced from December’s Trucking Britain Out of Recession survey, we can’t help but agree with them.
The good news is that more than a third (35%) of operators expect an increase in volumes this year, while more than a quarter (26%) expect an increase in profit. Nearly half expected volumes and profit in 2012 to be the same as they were in 2011. However, more than a quarter (27%) expect a fall in volumes and nearly a third (31%) fall in profit.
On balance, that appears to be an acceptable outlook. However, we can compare this latest data with the previous year’s, i.e. the outlook for 2011 when surveyed in December 2010: overall, that showed that 49% expected an increase in volumes and 40% an increase in profit; and just 11% expected a drop in volumes and 19% a drop in profit.
Returning to the current data, the sector to be in is retail: 43% of operators in this sector expect an increase in volumes this year and 33% a boost in profit.
And, almost inevitably, the bigger the fleet, the more positive the outlook: 43% of operators with more than 50 trucks expect a volume increase, compared with just 28% of operators with no more than 10 trucks.
Given that operators are not as positive about 2012 as they were in 2011, it’s no surprise that vehicle acquisition plans are not quite as firm as they were a year ago. These expecting to acquire new vehicles reached 49%, compared with 50% a year ago, while those expecting to acquire used vehicles reached 28%, down from 38% a year ago.
Biggest concern for 2012
We asked respondents about their biggest concerns for their business in 2012. Predictably, the economy and the price of fuel dominated responses. Here is a flavour of those responses: “A rise in running costs with a slowdown in production, this then giving us an increase in the number of hauliers willing to cut rates. A renewed pressure from foreign hauliers undercutting the current rates, which are unsustainably low.”
“Being forced to make redundancies of good staff.”
“Exports to Europe down, with a knock-on effect to UK manufacturers and then UK hauliers.”
“Customers’ liquidity, and payment of bills on time.”
“Government and trade associations’ failure to address the crippling fuel duty rates. Over-regulation, particularly industrial relations/employment law. Continuing instability in the Middle East affecting world oil prices.”
“Increasing fuel prices continue to place pressure on margins, any further increases will be detrimental to the profitability of the business, particularly at a time when customers are unwilling to accept rate increases.”
“My biggest concern is the issue of rising costs in particular fuel, this linked to the market’s inability to generate competitive price increases, and finally mix in the pay demands of the unions.”
” My main concern is that confidence falters again and then volumes decline. Swift decline in volumes is perhaps the most difficult thing for a transport business to face given our high overheads and low profit margin.”
“Scaremongering by the press of another recession.”
Best for you business
We also asked operators what the best thing for their business would be in 2012. Again, fuel dominated: this time a reduction in its price was the common wish. It highlights how tough transport can be that one respondent gave this answer: “Be offered a contract with a fuel stabiliser.”
Here’s a flavour of the other responses, some of which are predictably light-hearted:
“A boom in the economy, people spending more and a cut in fuel duty.”
“A rebate from the government on fuel by means of an essential user rebate. The tightening of legislation on foreign hauliers working in the UK, an understanding of the importance of road haulage, and the investment into our industry by means of tax relief.”
“A stable year with no macro-economic shocks. thereby giving us the confidence to continue to invest within the business.”
“All the cowboy, get-rich-quick waste disposal companies have decided to cease trading!”
“Banking industry starts to provide finance products again at reasonable rates.”
Optimism setback
Given that expectations for 2012 are not that great, it’s hardly surprising that confidence has taken a knock. October’s and November’s surveys showed optimism levels rising from September’s low of +33%; however, December produced a new record low of +31% as 65% of respondents said they were either very optimistic or fairly optimistic about the prospects for their business over the next 12 months, while 34% were either not very optimistic or not at all optimistic.
Again, it’s no surprise that hire and reward hauliers are the least positive bunch, with an optimistic/not optimistic split of 59/41; the split for logistics and contract distribution firms was 80/20, while for own-account operators, it was 69/32.
For the full article visit www.roadtransport.com.
Cost savings for logistics and transport – CILT Focus
Posted on 10. Jan, 2012 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
Kevin Fryer with CILT Focus discusses the unsure future of fuel/operating costs in 2012…
Road Freight Industry
According to research from the Freight Transport Association (FTA), road freight operators have been faced with a bill of £1.3 million to cover the rising cost of fuel during the past 12 months. To put this into context, the typical annual cost of fuelling just one 44t truck has risen by £5700 says the association.
The situation has been eased somewhat by the Government scrapping the proposal 1 p fuel duty tax in successful lobbying by the Fairfuel UK campaign and industry bodies such as the FTA and the Road Haulage Association (RHA). However; the proposed fuel duty rise in August 2012 is already causing concern for the logistics sector, with many industry leaders fearing the worst.
Theo de Pencier FCILT, Chief Executive, FTA, says: ‘Many companies in the logistics sector are at a tipping point and simply cannot afford to absorb the high fuel costs that they are facing. We have already seen that motorists are being priced off the road, which is certainly hurting the Government’s tax take, but the implications as industry faces untenable fuel costs could be far greater. Unavoidable costs either destroy companies or get passed on to customers and ultimately this fuels inflation’.
How the situation evolves remains uncertain. However, in the meantime, taking steps to keep expenditure as low as possible is prudent.
Fleet Costs
While fuel duty was stabilised in April 2011, concern is growing over proposed rises in 2012, with campaigns such as Fairfuel UK gathering momentum. Taking the following measures now is a timely undertaking for organisations with a large fleet element:
Review the market – Do not be fooled into believing that the big supermarkets offer the best price. While many offer very attractive-sounding prices, many offers are short lived. If your organisation uses fuel cards and has weekly contract pricing from the card provider, check that the price moves in line with pump price changes locally.
Check driver behaviour – It may appear you are benefiting from low supermarket prices, but this may be because drivers are diverting to gain loyalty card points or take advantage of fuel promotions where they receive money off in store, adding mileage to get there.
Fuel on the go – If you use fuel cards, review extra charges paid when drawing fuel on the road. Savings in fuel costs can become easily lost in administrative fees, card charges and handling fees.
Professional driver training – Engage with professional trainers to ensure your drivers follow best practices. Follow up with ongoing monitoring programmes (such as telematics) to avoid losing the benefits of training programmes, such as reduced fuel consumption and lower accident rates.
For the full article please visit www.ciltuk.org.uk.
JCB Singles out Microlise as One of Four Suppliers that have Consistently Impressed!
Posted on 14. Dec, 2011 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
An article printed by The Telegraph yesterday (December 13, 2011) titled “Think Tank: uneasy alliance lines up to aid mid-size companies” discusses the battle for middle corporate Britain and the threat of cheap labour and rising production standards in the East as well as weak growth and high unemployment closer to home (the UK).
The article goes on to state that the majority of businesses within the UK are not accepting the decline. The leading construction equipment group JCB was asked to single out the suppliers that consistently impressed and the top four included Thos Storey Fabrications (Manchester), Microlise Ltd (Nottingham), ADM Pressings (Newcastle) and Safety Glass (Tyneside).
These companies were asked to comment on the action they thought was required to help with this growing issue. Advice and a little funding seems to be the answer from Whitehall but aligning what officials feel is possible with what the companies want is not that straightforward. Bob Harbey, managing director of Microlise, states ‘If we want help, we help ourselves first. If we can’t, then we will ask others.’
Another impediment is basic workforce skills. Apprenticeship funding is welcome but finding the right apprentice remains too difficult.
Harbey, one of three director owners at Microlise agrees. It has built a vehicle-management and tracking system called LiveLink for JCB and is growing rapidly. “Not having the right talent at the right time is a real show stopper,” he says.
The £22m-turnover firm, which employees 200 people, invests around £3m a year in developing its software and hardware, used by the likes of Ford in the US, MAN Trucks in Europe and JCB around the world.
For Harbey, the Treasury plays a key role for his company via research and development tax credits. “R&D tax credits are one of those things that enable us to get more bang for our buck,” he says. He would also like more finance support to help reduce the risk of investing in developing products and services for large companies.
For Microlise, securing an important five-year deal with JCB involved spending £1m up front on development, with no guarantee of orders. As an owner-managed firm, Microlise took the risk that development work would not pay off. Other companies, controlled by external shareholders, may be less willing to do so, he says.
The article goes on to conclude that Whitehall and the wider public sector should re-learn; Cable the Wise and his minons exist to serve Middle Corporate Britain, not the other way around. Only then will the battle be won.
For the full article please visit www.telegraph.co.uk
Brit European Launch the Full Transport Management System package from Microlise
Posted on 08. Nov, 2011 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
Brit European is a privately owned business specialising in the provision of logistical services to the Automotive Manufacturing Industries. Their fleet is split into three distinct and separate areas including, High and Heavy, Car Transporter Fleet and Bulk Liquids.
Brit European is driven to deliver high standards of customer service which is partly being driven by the telematics project they have embarked on with Microlise. Brit Europeans goal for this project is to continue being a more environmentally friendly company through lower CO2 emissions and a reduction in fuel usage as well as increasing efficiencies through better customer service, fleet optimisation and by reducing operating costs.
This project will allow them to adopt an exception based management process and so remove all unnecessary administration costs and delays from the business. This means the time and delay in getting critical information that needs to be received from drivers or delivered to customers is greatly improved as exceptions and alerts will be automatic.
Brit European has purchased the Microlise Transport Management System which encompasses the Fleet Performance, Journey Management and Proof of Delivery packages. They will also be incorporating Driver Feedback Modules from Microlise in its full fleet of vehicles being fitted with Microlise Tracking Units. These packages are designed to help users reduce their costs and environmental impact by maximizing the efficiency of their transport operation.
All modules within the Transport Management System are geared to help organisations like Brit European increase their fleet utilisation, increase efficiency, increase productivity, reduce transport/operation costs, increase fuel economy, lower CO2 emissions, improve customer service, improve driver safety as well as driving style.
The combination of this end to end solution and the Driver Feedback Module will help improve driver behaviour and reduce fuel costs; as well as, vehicle wear and tear. The Microlise Transport Management System has been integrated to their third party planning system which gives them the ability to receive real-time planed vs actual updates on schedule performance. They will also be able to take advantage of the advanced Arrivals and Departure Board functionality within the Microlise system.
The Proof of Delivery package includes top of the line POD devices from Motorola which will feature both the Microlise Proof of Delivery package and Brit Europeans bespoke Proof of Delivery solution already in place. This type of integration is only possible with a company such as Microlise that allows for free integration into and out of third party systems.
Key Account Manager at Microlise – Joshua Webb said, “Our relationship with MAN, JCB and the ability to deploy an integrated system that not only reports plan vs actual to the transport office users but can also do this for the end customer in an airport style Arrivals / Departures Board screen was crucial to the project. We are also providing real-time Driver Coaching in the cab in real-time! Like Microlise, Brit European is a forward thinking company, they have been a pleasure to work with and we look forward to a long and prosperous relationship. “
See us in this months mlogistics magazine!
Posted on 01. Nov, 2011 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
We are pleased to be featured in this months mlogistics magazine. The NFT article discusses the current partnership between NFT and Microlise…
NFT, the long-established temperature-controlled logistics specialist, has implemented a transport management solution in which telematics and vehicle tracking from Microlise play a major role.
The tracking and telematics elements of the solution provide real-time visibility of fleet performance against plan, and is understood to cover more than 200 vehicles.
NFT’s objectives are to monitor and measure vehicle and driver performance, fleet utilisation and route and schedule adherence in order to help maximise operational efficiency and productivity.
The solution includes various distinctive Microlise products such as its Customer Service Board modules and Driver Debrief and Data Warehouse systems. Using these resources, NFT will generate standard and bespoke customer service and operational KPI reporting.
According to NFT’s IT director, Steve Szikora: “The solution … not only provides transport operations with complete visibility of fleet activity and performance, but also provides our customer service teams with relevant information pertaining to situations that arise on a daily basis, such as early arrivals, on time deliveries, or late deliveries.” …
For the full article please visit the mlogistics website…www.mlogmag.com/index.shtml. (The article is featured on the homepage)
Thanks to NFT and mlogistics for this outstanding work!
Congrats to the 24 Microlise Employees who received their NVQ Qualifications
Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
Microlise Graduates
Microlise would like to congratulate the 24 Microlise Employees who have just received their NVQ Qualifications. In total, over 60 Microlise employees have now studied for and attained some level of NVQ qualification in the last 2 years.
This current group of successful students were given the opportunity to obtain an NVQ in; Team Leading Level 2, First Line Management Level 3, or Customer Service Level 3.
NVQ Qualifications have the following equivalence: Level 2 – GCSEs grades A*-C equivalent, Level 3 – A levels equivalent.
The Microlise staff who undertook the qualifications came from all areas of our business – including: Production, Software Development, System Test, Installation, Project Management, Customer Support & Service and Procurement.
Lara Riordan, Microlise HR & Training Manager comments;
“We are really pleased with the latest batch of NVQ results. Microlise is built upon having great staff with excellent skills. As an Investors in People accredited organisation, we take great stock in the training we provide, be this informal or formal. I would personally like to thank and congratulate all our staff for the effort they put in and the results they have obtained”.
Coming Soon – New Driver Communication Module from Microlise
Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
Microlise launchs their updated Driver Communications Module in November 2011.
Microlise are replacing their current Driver Communications Module with its new offering, the DCM4.
This new version of the Driver Communications Module has a wide range of enhancements over the previous product.
The DCM4 is a 7 inch touch screen tablet which is fitted to the vehicle dashboard. It is connected to Microlise’s Telematics Unit (MTU3) which provides the device with GPS data and also acts as a GPRS data modem and also supports voice calls.
The key functions of the DCM4 are:
- Driver & Journey Log on (either via on-screen key pad or based upon Driver ID through Digital-tachograph).
- Task Management – the device can be used to manage any task the customer may wish to download to the DCM4, for example vehicle checks, delay reason codes, refuelling information, door seal checks etc.
- Trip sheet & Manifest information – the list of delivery points on the journey and what is being delivered or collected
- Trip execution – Arrival & Departure confirmation with time stamping
- Integrated Satellite Navigation, the trip information downloaded at log-on includes the location of each delivery point, which is automatically passed to the Co-Pilot 8 Satellite Navigation software running on the DCM4. Additionally, the device knows the weight & size parameters of the vehicle, such that the Co-pilot software will only use roads that are appropriate for the vehicle.
- Messaging – the DCM4 supports both free and fixed text messaging
- Voice support – the DCM4 supports both free dialling and phone book based calls. The phonebook is dynamically downloaded based upon the delivery points on the trip.
Matt Hague, Product Strategy Director for Microlise commented “We are really excited to be launching our new Driver Communications Module, its functionally rich & competitively priced, something our customers have also recognised as we have already taken a number of orders for the solution”.
Bidvest wins Customer Service Awards
Posted on 20. Oct, 2011 by Megan in Customers, Microlise - In the News, News
On Friday 7th October, Bidvest Logistics won 2 awards at the Call Centre North West Awards event, held at the Palace Hotel in Manchester. The dinner was attended by over 500 guests from over 40 Customer Service Organisations.
The two awards Bidvest Logistics were awarded were:
The Contact Centre Manager of the Year which went to Lianne Blackman-Morrow. Lianne manages Bidvest’s Royton Call Centre which is centrally responsible for looking after all of Bidvest’s food service accounts.
The second award was for Best Technology Partnership, this was in recognition of the work Bidvest Logistics has done with Microlise in implementing Microlise’s Customer Service Board. This module, which was implemented on top of Bidvest’s existing Microlise Transport Management Solution provides real-time visibility of all planned deliveries, by contract and site and allows the Bidvest Customer Services team to proactive deal with forecast delivery issues and then log and record any subsequent contacts with the customer, thereby reducing management and reporting overhead.
Each award category involved the completion of a submission document, which was assessed before a shortlist of finalist was produced. All finalists would then receive a site visit and /or interview. Having entered only four of the
potential fourteen award categories, Bidvest Logistics was excited to find that all four submissions had made the finalist shortlist.
Lianne commented following the event ‘Not only was being shortlisted as a finalist in all four categories an achievement in itself, but to walk away from a fabulous night with two awards is fantastic’ she continued ‘Everybody can be proud of what we have achieved, and the awards represent the efforts of a lot of people from throughout Bidvest Logistics and their commitment to putting our customers first’.
Microlise’s Customer Service Board Module is available in Microlise’s latest release. It builds on the point to point routing engine which predicts, each time a Microlise GPS tracked vehicle reports in, how long it will take to reach each delivery point on the planned route. Traditionally, the Microlise system presents data on a whole route basis for use by Transport Management and Planner alike. Here the same route information is viewed by each contract / delivery point.
LB-Morrow (Right) receiving her award for Contact Centre Manager of the Year
In this way, customer service agents who only have responsibility for specific contracts and sites are only alerted when a predicted arrival time will no longer be within a contractual time window. At this point the system creates a unique case reference and the customer service agent is presented with journey & driver information, contract & site contact information and a summary of the overall route status (ie. where the vehicle is, how many drops are there between that location and the customer’s deliver and what the estimated time of arrival (ETA) is.
The Customer service agent can then enter in all of the subsequent conversations and actions / outputs from the resulting call. This information can be reported on, referenced either by Case number or Customer Deliver / Order number.
The whole purpose of the module, which Bidvest Logistic’s have put to great use, is to provide a proactive level of customer service as the Microlise system starts to predict that a trip is not going to plan and to more readily record, manage and report upon any ensuing customer interaction.
