As the military adage goes, no plan survives first contact with the enemy. BuyToughPC hardware manufactures TouchStar Technologies and Belgravium recognize that there is a civilian version of the rule: no schedule survives first contact with the customer. No sooner are you out on your delivery round than a customer phones with an amended, new or cancelled order.

However, delivery teams equipped with a GSM/GPRS mobile technology device such as the TouchPC CEagle or Falcon, or Belgravium Atlanta, a changed order is not a problem. Amendments can be put into the back office system and sent over the air to the relevant driver. An alert will flash onto the screen and the order will be changed on the handheld. The system works in exactly the same way as sending a text message from your phone – using GPRS or GSM networks. A TouchPC or Belgravium device can even work out where is the best place to fit new drop points into the round, thus optimizing efficiency.

Equally, drivers on the road can use the same network to send proof of delivery back to the office the moment it’s signed, letting the accounts department get an invoice in the post straight away. With communication like this, it’s as though the driver is on the next desk, not in the next county.

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