Intercounty boosts efficiency with Truckfile Voice
Intercounty has slashed vehicle inspection time after adopting Truckfile Voice. CVW reports.
Leading Mercedes-Benz dealer Intercounty Truck & Van has seen a major boost in workshop efficiency after installing the Truckfile Voice maintenance and inspection solution.
Technicians using the system, which replaces time-consuming manual data inputs with simple spoken commands, are now completing a typical vehicle inspection a full half-hour quicker than before.
“What’s more”, says Steve Sargeant, depot manager of Intercounty’s site at Boston, Lincolnshire, “our technicians love the new Voice solution and would never go back to how we were working previously. The depot is now functioning much more smoothly, safely and efficiently.”
Voice is the latest development of Truckfile’s DVSA-accredited fleet and workshop management system. It builds on the proven method of securely storing all vehicle maintenance information electronically, by speeding up the process even further – rather than using a computer workstation or hand-held tablet to check off each step of an inspection as it is completed, technicians simply speak into a headset microphone. All individual tasks are automatically saved and records are updated in real time. The technician never has to take his or her hands, or eyes, off the job.
Return on investment
Sargeant adds: “Vehicle inspections are now taking an average of ninety minutes instead of two hours. With upwards of 50 trucks and vans passing through our workshop each day, that means efficiency has gone through the roof.
“We had initially hoped for a ten percent increase in productivity, but the reality of the solution has far exceeded our expectations. The system has basically paid for itself in under two months.”
He continues: “All of our inspection data is instantly uploaded, and available on our Truckfile workshop system for our customers to see, much more quickly than with any previous method we’ve used. Voice has completely revolutionised our business, so I would encourage anyone working in the maintenance and inspection space to seriously consider implementing a voice-directed solution.”
The ground-breaking Voice system was developed thanks to a partnership between Truckfile, leading provider of web-based management and compliance systems employed by fleet and workshop operators across the country; and voice-directed solution specialist Dakota Integrated Solutions, whose voice-enabled technology is already successfully used in other applications across a range of industry sectors.
The system’s successful installation and outstanding results achieved at Intercounty Truck & Van caught the eye of judges at the Supply Chain Excellence Awards 2023, who have selected Truckfile and Dakota as finalists in their ‘Fleet Innovation of the Year’ category.
Paul Whittingham, managing director at Truckfile, comments: “This nomination is testament to our longevity and already established success within the haulage and transport sector. Our partnership with Dakota has allowed us to voice-enable our DVSA-accredited workshop management system. The benefits of a voice-directed platform have been fully realised at Intercounty Truck & Van in Boston, and we’re already holding conversations with other customers up and down the country, who are keen to try it for themselves.
“As well as obvious potential gains in productivity, and therefore profitability, we see another important benefit for workshops using Truckfile Voice – with the industry facing a shortage of trained truck technicians, anything that speeds up the inspection process can only help busy workshops to maintain the high customer service levels that fleet operators demand.
