You ask, we deliver

The challenge

To finalize planned/unplanned field activities efficiently, technicians must have the required materials and quantities at the right place and time inside their vans. This avoids having to return to the warehouse several times a day for replenishing materials, thus enabling technicians to get all they need for their operations in the field as quickly as possible.

Let’s suppose the case of a technician, Emily, from a Telco company. This week she has a series of activities that involve delivering decoders, antennas, and wiring consumables to end customers’ homes. Customers expect timely delivery of materials to watch soccer games and TV series, navigate the Internet, attend classes, and work from home. The quicker Telcos deliver decoders to customers’ homes, the more satisfied customers will be because they will not miss any episodes of their favorite TV series!

This is not always easy for Emily as she has many tasks to manage during the day involving the delivery of many decoders to customers, and therefore also the tracking of a great amount of serial numbers associated.

The same example could be used for the delivery of electricity meters. The technician John has a tight schedule this week to deliver a lot of light meters. Failure to meet deadlines and get all materials in time could result in entire airports, cities, hospitals without electricity. We cannot afford this.

To ensure quick and efficient delivery, how can technicians have visibility of all the materials they need for carrying out their activities during the day or week? Do they already have all the necessary materials in their van? And if not, what materials are missing and which ones should they plan to collect before going in the field?

The solution

The mobile warehouse management feature shortens the distances between field technicians and warehouse. The NextGen Platform now ensures that all technicians are equipped with what they need to complete the job, guaranteeing they have the required materials and quantities at the right place and time inside their vans. Having immediate visibility of each work order and associated materials right on mobile devices gives frontline workers the support and information they need to complete their jobs on the first try.

OverIT enables technicians, like Emily, to know exactly what materials they need to load into their van based on the daily or weekly activities assigned, specifying which ones are already present, which ones are missing, and which ones are expected. If none of these materials are already inside their van, they can make an immediate request to central warehouses, indicating the date by which to collect the materials. Moreover, this way, technicians will meet deadlines and have everything they need to complete tasks efficiently, fulfilling the customer’s needs quickly.

To further improve the experience of technicians in the field, OverIT also allows for visualizing and consulting work orders on the map, as well as displaying the localization of the technician and warehouses available in a given area.

Whenever goods are moved, picked up, or delivered, the system is automatically updated in real time.

Furthermore, if facing an unforeseen need (e.g., a material that is not on the list to make an urgent repair to be carried out immediately), which prevents technicians from returning to the central warehouse, the solution provides the technician with details of the closest one (both central as well as traveling warehouses), where to pick up materials, thus saving time and money.

Impact & KPIs

• Improving first-time fix rate 
• Saving times and costs 
• Increasing productivity 
• Enhancing customers’ experience