Game Changer

The vWork mobile application has transformed the global transport industry by bringing a series of innovative concepts to the daily lives of operators.
vWork job scheduling.

Founded in 2008, vWork has been dedicated to improving fleet efficiency around the world by allowing users to easily manage all moving parts in field jobs, raise efficiency and reduce costs under the one platform.

Available on iOS and Android devices, the app lets users schedule and dispatch jobs, capture job details and signatures electronically, and track the progress of workers all through GPS.

Essentially, vWork solves the problem of coordinating work and information with mobile teams.

For example, its Three-way messaging SMS capability, launched in 2011, has allowed its customers to build stronger relationships with their customers in every operation.

With Three-way messaging, customers can have three-way communication with the dispatcher and mobile worker and can respond in real-time to SMS text messages all in the one app.

According to vWork CEO, Roy Moody, the feature has the potential to be a game changer for fleets interested in gaining an extra advantage.

“The benefits of these real-time updates to your business are that you can keep your customers in the loop at any time during the delivery cycle,” he says. “They can also be sent updates on how far off the delivery is, a map tracker to track the driver’s progress, and even a heads-up reminder sent via text or email the day before delivery.”

Additionally, dispatchers can view any SMS message against each job and can reschedule a delivery or re-route the mobile worker to the following job or delivery.

This feature not only builds customer satisfaction, but it also saves businesses time and money in the case of lost deliveries or jobs that could not be completed the first time.

Route Optimization helps automate dispatch decisions.
Route Optimization helps automate dispatch decisions.

Three-way messaging is just one of vWork’s many messaging tools which includes automatic email reminders, text messages with maps to track estimated time of arrival (ETA) of drivers and portals that allow customers to self-book jobs.

Route Optimization is a daily planning and scheduling tool in the app which has the capability to automate route planning to maximise worker and vehicle productivity.

According to vWork, usage so far has indicated typical efficiency gains of around 20 per cent. The online optimisation tool can automate dispatch decisions by working out the fastest and most efficient route for workers or vehicles to complete multiple jobs within a specified time frame – meaning the same work can be done in less time or with fewer trucks.

Route Optimization takes into account the driver’s hours, skills, locations and available capacity to create a set of routes that allows for the most amount of work in the least possible time. And, by matching delivery schedules against capacity and constraints to build the most efficient schedules, it calculates the lowest mileage for all workers or vehicles on a route as a collective group.

The way to actually achieve this benefit is fairly simple; users can simply draw a fence around jobs on a map and then select their resources, and the tool does the rest.

Operators can also use it to work out how to use less trucks or workers to complete work in a defined timeframe.

When used with vWork’s optional Tags feature, Route Optimization can also automate the allocation of the most suitable workers or vehicles to complete complex jobs.

Optionally, Route Optimization can also be completely operated by vWork’s skilled team. The Alerts feature, on the other hand, allows users to send automated email and text alerts with ETA and load information to delivery sites.

In-app notifications can be triggered by job activity and events.
In-app notifications can be triggered by job activity and events.

The standard feature enables operators to generate and send in-app notifications, emails and SMS messages to almost anyone when a trigger is activated by a job activity or event.

Alerts is also easily tailored to meet unique requirements. Triggers and filters can be selected to generate alerts for what is needed most, and users can choose who will get the alert — either customers or people within the business.

Alerts can be created for almost anything in a user’s vWork account and can also have reports attached to them if needed.

Users can also manage some aspects of a job directly from an alert, and using this tool, operators can access the job editor and customer information, view the job’s location on the map, duplicate the job, and open the alert configuration from an alert.

With Three-way-messaging, Route Optimization, Alerts and many other features all included in the vWork app, operators and fleets have the opportunity to completely transform their operations with the future of transport readily available.

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