“Before we implemented Podfather we were taking delivery of a pallet of multi-sheet paper documents every month,” commented Mark Shields, IT Manager at Ontex. “To allow us to fulfil our contract reporting obligations meant scanning and digitally storing at least a portion of these documents whilst storing the rest for audit purposes. Also, we had limited visibility of what deliveries had been made, or more importantly had not, or any issues that may have arisen during the delivery process.”
In order to continuously improve how they deliver and report on the sizable contract, Ontex realised they needed to automate the delivery management process and began looking for a partner to work with. “During the early stages of this project I was waiting for a shed to be delivered,” Mark continued. “I had been sent a tracking notification, which included a live link so I could literally watch my shed make its way down the motorway. I was transfixed as I gauged whether I had time to make a cup of tea before it arrived but I also realised the potential of the solution for our requirement.
“A small button in the corner of the page said ‘Powered by Podfather’ so I clicked it and, as they say, the rest is history.”
Using in-house developed API’s, Ontex has integrated Podfather with its own Patient Management System to ensure the seamless and secure transfer of customer, order and delivery details. Orders are logged by the logistics operator in Podfather and patient information, including prescription details are accessed using a unique personal identifier. The order is picked from the warehouse and Podfather is used to allocate it to a vehicle and calculate routes.
Once the daily delivery schedule is underway, real-time tracking ensures the customer experience team and management have total visibility of the mobile operation whilst ePOD functionality, including the capture of date, time and geo stamped photographs and signatures has replaced the need for paper delivery documents.
“The visibility we now have is unparalleled,” Mark added. “We don’t have to wait for a driver to return to base and paperwork to be shipped and processed. We can see, in real-time, what has been delivered, when and to whom. This information can be shared, as appropriate, with end users in case of queries and with our logistics operator, management and NHS Wales for performance review and reporting.”
In addition to the live monitoring of the service, Ontex also uses the Podfather suite of reports and dashboards to create customised reports and export data for KPI monitoring and audit purposes. Operational and performance data can also be exported from Podfather for use in other management systems.
“The ease with which we could integrate Podfather with our existing systems and workflows was astonishing,” concluded Mark “You expect these things to be tricky and take time so when they aren’t and everything connects as you were told it would then it’s a pleasant surprise."
Ontex is a leading international personal hygiene group, manufacturing high quality products for baby care, feminine care and adult care. Ontex works with consumers, retailers, and healthcare providers around the world. Ontex Healthcare UK, based in Corby, is one of the leading suppliers to the NHS and currently holds a contract with NHS Wales to provide a home delivery service for prescription continence products using its iD branded continence care products. Ontex works with logistics and transportation company Just Wales to deliver this service.
