Freedom Express, a third-party logistics provider of transportation, warehousing and distribution services, has rolled out the deo_RB bar-coded and wireless addition to Penchant Software’s dispatchOffice system.
With the new route-based system, jobs that come into the high-volume distribution centers of Freedom Express are bar code scanned at several key points during the life of the job. These scans are handled by Freedom employees using rugged bar code scanners. When delivered to the recipient by the driver, the recipient's actual signature is captured on the device and stored in the dispatchOffice system. All information is available to Freedom's customers over the Freedom Express web site.
The level of tracking and traceability that the new system offers is high: At any time the customers can log into the Freedom Express web site and see the entire "chain of custody" on any of the shipments being handled by Freedom Express. For example, a customer might see that the package was tendered to Freedom at 9:00 AM, that a Freedom driver loaded it on a truck at 10:10 AM, and that the package was received and signed for at 10:57 AM.
As the driver delivers the shipment, the customer signs for the shipment directly on the screen of the Symbol device. After the driver uploads the information, the customer can actually see the image of the recipient's signature on the Freedom website.
Drivers can also use the hand-held Symbol devices to record any damage that might be present on any of the shipments (for example: wet, crushed, open, etc.). Any shipment that is marked as damaged by a driver immediately appears on an OSD (Over/Short/Damaged) exception report which can be viewed not only by Freedom Express employees but also by their customers via the Freedom Express web site.
The palm-based wireless system is completely integrated into the dispatchOffice platform used by Freedom Express. Any customer service rep or order-taker can see, in real time, the status of all of the work being handled by the drivers.
