Handing people the power: how tech is helping businesses adopt a more personal touch
Reported today on The Guardian Technology
For the full article visit: https://www.theguardian.com/taking-care-of-business/2019/dec/04/handing-people-the-power-how-tech-is-helping-businesses-adopt-a-more-personal-touch
Handing people the power: how tech is helping businesses adopt a more personal touch
When it comes to industries that have been transformed by technology, obvious examples spring to mind: photography, media, music. But look beyond these headline-grabbing disruptions and you'll find a wide range of traditional industries are improving their services – and creating a more personal experience – with the latest digital technologies.
Paper-time to real-time
Digital devices have revolutionised the way B&M Waste Services communicates with its customers and keeps track of its fleet of more than 60 waste collection vehicles. O2 provided the company with tablets and in-dash data sims, as well as mobile devices for more than 300 employees. This means the company now has real-time information on where each vehicle is at any given time. Drivers are also immediately updated on new tasks while out in the field – a big upgrade from the paper-based system B&M Waste Services was previously using.
"Our drivers would go out every day with pieces of paper with their route on, and it wasn't until these were sent back at the end of the day that we'd know which bins had been emptied or collected," says Jayne Kennedy, marketing manager at B&M Waste Services. "Now we have tablets in all of the cabs, so we know instantly if a bin has been emptied or if there have been any issues with access.
"The drivers document everything there and then, so if someone rings up the customer service team and says: 'You haven't emptied my bin', they immediately receive an explanation for why that's happened.
"Previously all the drivers had a mobile phone in the cab, but as they were busy emptying customer bins, they wouldn't necessarily answer straight away," says Kennedy. "We'd have a c