Postcode Anywhere automates route planning for leading tile suppliers for “a fraction of the price” of competitors

Leading tile supplier Hampshire Tile Warehouse has reduced fuel consumption by 10% and saved an hour in every working day after introducing smart route planning software from Postcode Anywhere.

Hampshire Tile Warehouse is a family-run multi-site business supplying tiling products throughout the UK. With a high delivery volume, complex route planning has historically taken up a considerable portion of the firm’s resources. However, the company is confident route optimisation software will boost customer service, improve reliability and reduce operational costs.

Simon Bond, IT Manager at Hampshire Tile Warehouse, said: “We heard about Postcode Anywhere’s Route Optimiser services and thought we would give it a thorough trial using only one vehicle.

“It seemed a fraction of the price when comparing it with other route optimiser software. Looking at the various competitor products on the market we would have certainly incurred other set-up costs when integrating them into our legacy system that could have been quite substantial.

A perfect fit
“Route Optimiser is a perfect fit for our future strategic plans. It didn’t involve major, expensive deployment. It simply integrated into our legacy system, at the touch of a button. All provided templates have been really easy to use and so compatible with our infrastructure. In fact it seems to intuitively mirror our own system, which is great.

“The benefits of using the service during the trial period have already been significant in saving fuel and time. We’ve saved an hour per day and cut diesel consumption by over 10% when trialling it with one vehicle. Just imagine how much we will save when we adopt it fleet-wide!

“The drivers trialling it have been really impressed as we simply hand them a daily optimised route delivery schedule and away they go. The service is completely user-friendly and means that no one has to adapt to any major changes when the service is rolled out fleet-wide.

Responsive service
“We have received a very responsive service from Postcode Anywhere’s technical support team and our drivers are happy. We are looking forward to the next phase when we adopt it ‘fleet-wide’ as we should also mitigate the need to outsource the services of 3PLs that will result in even more savings and operational benefits.”

Managing director of Postcode Anywhere, Guy Mucklow said: “Route Optimiser gives better routes in a fraction of the time it takes to plot them manually. And because the routes it generates are more efficient, you can make more journeys in the day and still save money on labour and fuel.

“With fuel costs being as high as 10 to 15% of total operating costs, there is a continuous challenge to reduce costs and improve margins. But perhaps more importantly than the immediate cost savings is a factor that can’t be measured so easily: customer service.

“Customer satisfaction is incredibly important in any industry, but even more so in retail. When you’re making deliveries it’s crucial you don’t just get it right most of the time – but every time. For commercial use, being able to provide estimated arrival or delivery times makes a huge difference to the level of customer service you can provide.”

Route Optimiser is a web-based service for commercial vehicles. It uses sophisticated route planning algorithms to calculate shorter, more efficient routes for road users such as travelling salespeople and couriers. For further information about Route Optimiser, or to take a free trial, visit the website at www.routeoptimiser.com. No downloads are required and the service works on a pay-as-you-go basis, with no contracts or hidden fees.