This is a guest post written by Scott McLeod of McLeod Cranes. He is a vWorkApp customer. He wrote this guest post to talk about how vWorkApp works with McLeod Cranes.
We operate just like a taxi company. So a customer calls. We ask a few questions. For a taxi company I guess the questions would be, “Where are you? Where are you going, and how many passengers are there?”
A crane company is very similar. We ask our customers things like “Where are you? How heavy an item do you want to lift, and how far do you need it to go?” Plus a few other critical questions but basically the same concept.
We then send a crane like a taxi company sends a taxi. The crane’s just a little bigger!
So here’s what happens when a call for a crane comes in: I’m logged into vWorkApp and I can see the current picture on the ground before I’ve even spoken to the customer. I can see the state of my jobs, allocated assets and free staff. If I jump to Map View I can even see people’s physical locations. I have a clear picture to start a conversation with customers. What’s even better is I also know where cranes outside of my branch are located.
For example, if I were a taxi company, I could see that the neighboring branch has a cab near my job. I could dispatch a job to this cab.
Now let’s say the customers on the phone are keen to have a crane sent out. We ask the questions mentioned above. These questions then prompt the template we need to use for the job. A typical choice for us is “do we have enough information to send a crane?”
Not everyone can provide enough information at a level that we need. Thus, in vWorkApp, we have two types of job templates that are ready to go. These are half-completed but waiting on the last few details. These templates are called Crane Job or Site Inspection.
You can have as many or as few templates as you need. For us these two templates are fine. One is created to gain additional information so we can send a crane (Site Inspection). The other is geared to completing the job correctly (Crane Job). With vWorkApp it’s very easy to create and edit templates. So you’ll soon find your feet regarding the templates your company needs.
With the template selected, we add the additional details from our phone conversation with the customer. Then we save the job and allocate.
This is, in my opinion, where the magic happens. You now get to move on to the next customer or call. It all happens very quickly.
But what about telling staff about the job? What do they need, where are they going, who is it for, who is the contact, etc.?
It is modern man’s magic. With vWorkApp you have completed all that when you allocated the job. You’ve even gone that extra mile. Staff have a map on where to go, written instructions on what to do, who to contact and what to take.
What’s even better is you’re free to continue onto your next job. Which, for me, means spending more time on the phone talking to the people who make our business tick… Our customers.
For a dispatcher it couldn’t be simpler. It just works.
- Scott McLeod
