Interview with CIO Florian Kemmerling about the technical development in the Flash Group
Innovative technology is one of the key factors to our success in providing our customers with optimal services. We work continuously on the further development of our systems and IT applications. At the beginning of this year Flash brought a GPS tracking solution to the market that was based on an app developed in-house. Contracting, communication and tracking drivers (fully automatic monitoring) all take place without a hitch using a smartphone. Find out more about what's behind the app, the benefits and the enhancements in the pipeline in a personal interview with Flash's CIO, Florian Kemmerling.
Could you please give us a brief insight into the Flash app?
FK: This app was developed by Flash itself, which means it optimally addresses our customers' and partners' needs. It was introduced last February, first of all in France, and then successively rolled out throughout the company, in other words, throughout Europe. At present around 2,000 vehicles in the Flash system are fitted with a mobile device. We can see at all times the vehicle's status and position. This means that the scheduling process can be speeded up and optimised. It makes it easy to select the "best" vehicle for the route.
The app's main features are:
- Standard communication between the scheduler and the driver takes place via the app
- Information on availability and the current status can be seen immediately
- The scheduler and the driver can exchange data and information via the app effortlessly (e.g.inform about delays, traffic jams, etc.)
- Automated translations of the standard communication helps to avoid language barriers
- Transmitting the entire order data, including the address and references also takes place via the app, reducing a potential source of errors.
The app was integrated into the app store in February 2014. Ever since then it has been downloaded and installed more than 2.000 times.
Why don't you use conventional fleet solutions?
FK: That's a good question. At the moment we’ve got around 300 vehicles operating conventionally but we’re slowly reaching our limits when it comes to functionality and flexibility, which is why we’ve chosen to go down a new path. With a smartphone the driver already has a device on board with far better performance and flexibility than a sat nav. Not only that, using a smartphone is something that’s taken for granted these days. The driver can simply get going and is fully integrated into our system. Operating it is intuitive and works the same way as a “private” app. The smartphone is flexible and not just fixed to one vehicle. For instance, it can be taken to where the goods are handed over and, thanks to the automated translation, the driver can show the loading agent the information in his own language. A camera and a touchpad enable additional functions such as scanning and signing for the goods. It was these features that convinced us to use this new technology.
What do I get out of the app as a partner?
FK: Most of the benefits have been mentioned, since they're the same as the reasons that speak for the app and against a conventional solution. It's cost-effective and fast - within just a few minutes I'm connected as a registered Flash partner. As a partner I can communication easily and rapidly with the scheduler. There are templates in various languages for standard communication. Anything else I can discuss with the scheduler via text messages. Order data and address data are in writing, and potential error sources are kept to a minimum. It makes communication extremely easy and much more efficient.
What benefits do Flash customers get from the app?
FK: First of all, naturally our customers profit from optimised processing. We are able to provide better quality services, i.e. problems are identified much earlier, we can react much faster and offer the customer an alternative solution, if need be. Customers can view the updates in the customer portal in real time. A GPS tracked fleet also offers the customer a high standard of reliability. Another extra advantage: the customer can send us even more additional information (e.g. what the driver should do if the warehouse is closed, etc.) and we can pass it on to our drivers reliably without losing any data. Extensions for the app also enable us to address customer-specific processes at all times.
And for Flash? Why is the app so useful and important for Flash?
FK: The main advantage for Flash is that it makes scheduling much more efficient, i.e. it's much easier to see which is the best vehicle and select it from the onset. The only time you need to manually monitor vehicles is when there are any problems. In addition, it also makes for easier communication with our partners, and especially complicated reference numbers can be transmitted faster and more reliably. Another key advantage for us is that we created the app ourselves. We can address any changes in requirements at any time and adapt our app accordingly. We couldn't do anything like that with a conventional fleet solution, we'd have to rely on the vendor.
What were the greatest challenges?
FK: Implementing such an application throughout the company and throughout Europe naturally called for a large number of detailed tasks, and each one posed its own specific challenge. The professional use of smartphones for such dedicated tasks is still new territory, even for providers of telecommunication networks and services. Together with our partners, we had to work out entirely new solutions. The greatest challenges? Compatibility with all kinds of different telephones and tablets, international rollout and pan-European data roaming were the three main dilemmas. We were able however to resolve all these issues and now we’ve got a solution that is perfectly matched to our requirements.
What's the next step?
FK: I can certainly reveal that we're working at the moment on a raft of new features that will be integrated in the near future.
Is the app something unusual in the market?
FK: Naturally there are many thousands of apps on the market, but our app is tailored specifically to the high demands of premium logistics. We don't need to make any compromises and consider our app to be unique at the moment - amongst other things, due to the seamless integration with our customer portal and our internal software.
In our view, the role of smartphones as personal computers will continue to grow. An integral part of our corporate concept is the optimal support of our customers. This naturally also includes technical aspects. This is why it's our goal to provide our customers in their business lives with the standards they're used to in their private lives.
The app is merely one building block in our innovative IT concept.
