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Fast Lean Smart (FLS) is working with Royal Mail Property & Facilities Solutions (RMPFS) to implement a new scheduling software system to increase productivity and establish a site ownership model.

RMPFS wanted to upgrade its current scheduling and route planning software to achieve new levels of efficiency and productivity from its service operations. The company’s existing system is over 10 years old and no longer meets its needs.

“We looked at several scheduling and route planning systems providers, FLS being one of them,” says Scott Maddocks, Project Manager for RMPFS.

“After the initial demonstration, we carried out a number of FLS customer site visits to see the software in action. We engaged our management teams, our engineers and our unions because we wanted them all to be happy that the software would work.”

After the initial demonstration, we carried out a number of FLS customer site visits to see the software in action. We engaged our management teams, our engineers and our unions because we wanted them all to be happy that the software would work.In the end, FLS came out on top. “We chose FLS for a number of reasons,” says Scott. “The user front end was better than the other products we looked at, and FLS gave us confidence that their software could be integrated with our existing service management system. We also thought that FLS would be good to work with, more agile and better able to deliver what we wanted than the other suppliers.”

One of RMPFS’s goals was to plan jobs more efficiently. FLS’s ability to plan optimised routes in real time will help it do this. FLS software takes into account specific business priorities, traffic-based driving times and countless other variables for both planned and reactive work. RMPFS also wants to reduce the number of return visits its engineers have to do. FLS will give them a portal where they can see four weeks of planned work in advance and allocate the necessary resources to each job. Engineers will be able to request job assists and equipment hire in advance of the job using the new portal.

Another key requirement for RMPFS was the establishment of a site ownership model, i.e. the allocation of tasks to preferred engineers according to a set of criteria to ensure that the right skills are in the right place at the right time. “We wanted software that could navigate several tiers of engineer choices, to allow them to build their site knowledge and relationships and reduce their travel time,” says Scott. “FLS proved that its system was up to the challenge and could enable our engineers to work at preferred sites in preferred regions based on an extensive and complex series of rules.”

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Key Retirement Group (KR Group) have implemented FLS VISITOUR optimised appointment booking and scheduling software from Fast Lean Smart for their field-based advisors.

Results achieved have included attending appointments sooner, reducing mileage and travel, and increased capacity to attend more appointments per Advisor.

Darren Halliwell, Chief Technology Officer at KR Group explains “Our process for arranging customer visits was laborious and often made poor utilisation of Advisors time. Our key focus is to attend appointments in a timely manner that supports our customer needs via a two-stage face-to-face process; a first meeting and then follow-ups. For this to be achieved with the same Advisor often caused ineffective use of resources and delays to other potential customer visits.”

Selection of FLS and No-Commitment Trial

Darren continues “We chose to work with FLS as we had confidence in their offering and approach to proving the benefits with relatively low investment of both time and resource. They were initially recommended by a Microsoft Dynamics partner due to their expertise working with CRM and we were impressed with the feedback from reference customers they provided.”

The results were compelling and KR quickly decided to take advantage of the FLS offer of a SaaS “try before you buy” live system trial.Working together, KR Group and FLS completed an initial scheduling test using FLS VISITOUR and historical data to compare with their current process. The results were compelling and KR quickly decided to take advantage of the FLS offer of a SaaS “try before you buy” live system trial.

The agile implementation approach meant the trial could be live within 2 weeks. The trial immediately showed positive results and was extended from the North-West region to include London which had different travel challenges.

“Though the trial was not a fully integrated system, we quickly began to realise the advantages that FLS VISITOUR offered for cost and efficiency savings and, most importantly, in terms of customer convenience and satisfaction. The benefits achieved, including quicker response times, higher appointment availability and reduced travel costs, led to the whole business wanting to positively embrace FLS VISITOUR for our face-to-face Equity Release Advisors and with real potential for other areas of the business”.

FLS VISITOUR and Microsoft Dynamics Integration

Through the successful trial, KR Group had the reassurance of knowing their ROI and end results were as expected and the decision was made to deploy as soon as possible.

FLS worked with KR Group’s Microsoft Dynamics partner and within a few weeks the integration between FLS VISITOUR and Microsoft Dynamics was live and the solution rapidly rolled out to all users. The Call Centre was consequently able to operate purely with Dynamics to manage appointments while allowing team managers to use FLS VISITOUR’s advanced scheduling and route optimisation features.

Field-based follow-up appointment booking with FLS MOBILE

As a second phase of the rollout, FLS VISITOUR’s mobile app was put in place for field-based advisors meaning they could offer the follow-on appointment at the conclusion of the first, confident in the knowledge that their time would still be used efficiently with the least possible travel and cost, while meeting the needs of the customer they are with at the time.

The Results!

Darren concludes “The integration and implementation project was an excellent success and has delivered our objectives.

We have a more efficient team delivering lower cost appointments with increased flexibility for customer convenience and satisfactionWe have a more efficient team delivering lower cost appointments with increased flexibility for customer convenience and satisfaction. The VISITOUR technology does exactly what was proposed to us and we have built an excellent working relationship with FLS. I would not hesitate to choose the same solution if starting again.”

Chris Welsh, UK Sales Director for FLS comments “It has been very pleasing to work with Key Retirement and hear such positive feedback from management, call centre and field users alike. Optimised appointment booking and real-time scheduling is not just for engineers and this is a great case in point.”

 

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FLS, Fast Lean Smart, a leader in field force appointment, schedule and route optimisation solutions, has recently announced the results of its annual customer satisfaction survey in the UK.

Jeremy Squire, FLS UK Managing Director comments “Outstanding customer satisfaction is what our customers strive to achieve from their field service operations and I believe we should be setting the right example”.

FLS customers include leaders in equipment maintenance, utilities/telecoms, healthcare, financial services/insurance claims, facilities management/property maintenance, engineering compliance inspections, retail home deliveries and more. In December 2017, FLS UK surveyed every live customer it supports directly with two key questions.

The first question was very direct “How do you rate the service you receive from FLS support? (1 - 10)”. The result was an average score of 9.3.The first question was very direct “How do you rate the service you receive from FLS support? (1 - 10)”. The result was an average score of 9.3.

The second was a Net Promotor Score (NPS) styled question “How likely is it that you would recommend FLS VISITOUR to a friend who has a similar scheduling requirement? (0 - 10)”

Using the standard formula for detractors (range 0-6), passives (7-8), promoters (9-10), there was no need for a complex calculation because every customer was a promoter for FLS VISITOUR scheduling solution, the NPS score was the maximum 100!

Best in class

Jeremy Squire reflects “I feel very proud of my team for the satisfaction they are delivering and the fact every customer would recommend us is possibly unique in this market. Our strategy will continue to focus on innovation and our customer on-going success using FLS scheduling software, and to build our business through recommendations.”

Jeremy concludes “This proves real-time scheduling and route optimisation solutions really can work well for a wide range of field service businesses, you’ve just got to choose the right technology and partner to work with”.

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REWE Markt GmbH, with more than 3,000 REWE locations and 90,000 employees, ranks among the leading corporations in the German food retail business.

REWE is not only a big player as a brick and mortar retailer, but it is also a leading online pioneer with the establishment of an online supermarket which offers delivery services. Since its opening in 2011, it has grown to reach roughly 40 percent of German households. Those customers are served from 30 locations that deliver to more than 75 cities and their suburban areas.

The challenge

“We strive to offer our customers supreme service, regardless whether it is on site at the supermarket or online“ says Dr. Johannes Steegmann, Director of Marketing, Strategy and Ventures at REWE Digital GmbH. REWE delivery service offers a large selection of the products of the brick and mortar supermarkets. REWE’s mission as well as it’s challenge is to get the merchandise to the customer’s doorstep at peak quality and promptly within the requested delivery window.

The solution

To ensure and further improve customer satisfaction while growing and expanding service, REWE decided in 2015 to implement new software for planning the routes of their delivery vehicles. Its main objective is to optimise timely fulfilment within short delivery windows. For that purpose, the software must be able to consider real-time components such as heavy traffic or varying idleness in its planning. The technology must be flexible to be customised to REWE’s delivery service, specifically providing scalability as well as customisation and interfacing with other systems.

The decisive factors for choosing FLS, Fast Lean Smart, as their software partner were the flexibility of the FLS software solutions VISITOUR and FLS MOBILE as well as the performance of their PowerOpt algorithm and cost based calculations.

Customer friendly delivery windows

Customers make their purchase at the online shop on the website or with the REWE delivery service app, then they decide their delivery window which can be set up to 13 days in advance.  The choices are either short 2-hour delivery windows or half-day windows. The available appointments are provided via direct real-time interface with FLS VISITOUR.

FLS VISITOUR calculates an optimised virtual constellation route and instantly knows the relative cost of each possible time-slot given existing delivery commitments. REWE are able to provide not only high quality and reliable customer service, but also ensure a cost-efficient line-up of delivery appointments for the company. As soon as customers choose and confirm their delivery date and time, those appointments are added to the route planning, optimised with “what-if-when” considerations. FLS VISITOUR calculates routes in real-time and to street level detail and, despite the high user count and large offering of delivery slots, the software proves its enormous computing capacity.

Mobile App for real-time communication

Drivers receive their route data on their mobile app FLS MOBILE. Drivers then report their status back to FLS VISITOUR via the app and inform when deliveries have been completed. That way, central planning always has a real-time update on the status of all deliveries.

The benefits

“We are constantly developing new standards across all processes along the supply chain, as we aim to fulfil our customers’ requests even better “, says Jörg Unruh, Director of Logistics at REWE Digital. He is convinced: “The decision to use FLS VISITOUR and FLS MOBILE for scheduling and route planning was right on the mark. Furthermore, the software helps us as it simplifies processes and delivers consistent performance. Here, we can count on FLS as our reliable partner."

Awards for the online delivery service confirm that REWE keeps its promises to its customers. In 2015 the IT magazine “CHIP “named REWE delivery service “Best online delivery service” with significant lead ahead of the competition. In spring 2016 the “ComputerBild” magazine reached the same conclusion and to top it all REWE was crowned best multi-channel provider by the business press “Internet World Business” during their Shop Awards.

FLS has come to know the REWE delivery service as a nimble enterprise and this creates ideal conditions for partnership and to respond to the demands of the business model together with innovative solutions.

“On-line food retail is a high volume business and giving the best customer experience is key to brand loyalty. FLS VISITOUR real-time service optimisation technology has proven flexible to meet the needs of one of Europe’s largest retailers.”, commented Jeremy Squire, FLS UK Managing Director, “We enjoy an excellent partnership with REWE and have long term commitment to stretching the boundaries for customer service excellence in combination with operational efficiencies”

Highlights:

• Cost optimisation in route planning
• High scalability without sacrificing performance

Benefits:

• Considerable improvement of the appointment planning with simultaneous increase
  in cost efficiency
• Automation and simplification of route planning processes
• Ensuring the operative growth through transparency and continuous performance
• Seamless connection of the appointment portal for the customers and the operative
  route planning

 

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Kris Oldland, Editor-in-Chief, Field Service News talks to Jeremy Squire of Fast Lean Smart about when a best-of-breed scheduling solution can be the right option over a broader, more generic Field Service Management platform as well as what types of field service companies will benefit from optimised scheduling.

Three of the largest insurance companies in the UK and Europe have deployed FLS’ appointment scheduling software to improve service and enable efficient field service scheduling and routing of field based resources.

FLS, Fast Lean Smart, a leading provider of workforce scheduling software and mobile workforce management solutions with UK offices in Reading and Warrington, announces that three major general insurance companies have recently deployed FLS VISITOUR for workforce optimisation, appointment booking, workforce scheduling and routing of their claims assessors, including motor engineers and property surveyors, in total more than 500 field based employees.

The challenge

Insurers each operate a criteria upon which they determine when an insurance claim needs to be assessed by a surveyor, either a review of photographs at their desk or a field visit.

Some perform these assessments using employed resources, others outsource this to third-party service providers, often there is a combination of these to best cover the country and cope with ‘surge’ events, for example a flood in Devon can result in an extraordinary number of claims to be managed in that area.

The Insurers objective is to detect fraud whilst also resolving genuine claims quickly and so build a reputation for good service. Insurers use key performance indicators to monitor each stage of the process from first contact to closure but in parallel to this is the continuous need to control and reduce costs so they can offer competitive insurance policy premiums.

The business need

For each of these FLS customers the requirement was to speed up the appointment booking process to visit and assess claims and to gain efficiencies for office and field based staff. VISITOUR achieves this by enabling a central claims liaison team to instantly offer a flexible choice of time slots which are also the most cost efficient to achieve with the available field based resources (and in some cases desk based resources using images) and whilst ensuring previous appointment commitments must be kept.

The approach and benefits realisation Each Insurer took advantage of the FLS offer for a Software-as-a-Service ‘try before you buy’ pilot. FLS VISITOUR was configured and used live for a region of the country to prove the suitability of the solution and return on investment, before the choice was made to continue from pilot to rollout.

Within the first two weeks of pilot, one insurer determined as much as 50% reduction in average mileage and 2 hours a day driving time could be saved, however, for rollout the most important business objective was to give the best possible customer experience to their customer by attending appointments and closing claims sooner, therefore the settings were adjusted in VISITOUR to achieve these priorities.

 

Mobile App for real-time communication and reporting two of these insurers have also deployed FLS MOBILE which enables paper-free provision of case information, capture of assessment reports, and real-time appointment status updates.

This field information also makes it possible to track that progress is on-time, to automatically message customers with estimated arrival times, and to book new ‘same day’ appointments based on this progress – further advantages to offering market leading customer service. FLS UK Managing Director, Jeremy Squire, comments “We are very proud of the success and benefits achieved using VISITOUR by our customers. In partnership with these insurance market leaders, FLS will continue to develop the unique capabilities of VISITOUR to their advantage”.

 

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For those attending Field Service Management Expo FLS are exhibiting on Stand Q770 visit them to find out more

 

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Fast Lean Smart, have recently announced a new version of its industry leading scheduling solution FLS VISITOUR for Microsoft Dynamics CRM being available now for customers. 

Last week, the market was excited to see Microsoft publish the new Dynamics CRM 2015, now available for both Online and On Premise. After evaluating the new capabilities within 2015 edition, Fast Lean Smart started to invest early in supporting and extending its solution to complement and take advantage of these when available.

The recently announced new FLS VISITOUR for Microsoft Dynamics CRM version 3 supports CRM 2015 and its feature enhancements made within the service module such as enhanced SLAs, hierarchy information and added CRM for tablet functionality.

Fast Lean Smart customers are able to further enhance their SLA management with the features provided by PowerOpt scheduling engine - helping to optimise the daily scheduling based on multiple parameters and real-time status feedbacks from the field staff.

Guiding the user through the process of scheduling in the most efficient way of providing all data needed was one of the main focuses, taking into account the new branching capabilities of the business process flow feature. The scheduling approach feels natural and always accurate even in complex rule scenarios.

 

Version 3 also supports the new Microsoft Parature integration scenarios within Case Management and provides new capabilities inside offered mobile client applications. The newly introduced feature of self-service scheduling within mobile applications guarantees more flexibility in providing field services. The overall user experience of FLS VISITOUR for Microsoft Dynamics CRM reaches new heights.

The software of Fast Lean Smart is the only scheduling solution in the market based on extending and enhancing the out-of-box CRM scheduling engine and related entities. All the data needed is stored within the CRM database which enables complex PowerBI scenarios and soon the new PowerBI add-on module will launch, providing better analytics on historical job completion and forecast for the upcoming workload.

“We cooperated closely with other market leading solutions like AdxStudio Portal and ClickDimensions Marketing add-ons, evaluating how to extend solution capabilities to best effect and benefit of each other”, said Carsten Groth, Technology Product Manager. “The results are a new portal integration scenario and providing field service surveys within mobile applications”.

Reinforcing strong commitment to Microsoft Dynamics ISV partnership, with this release Fast Lean Smart helps its customers to increase field service quality while optimising their TCO.