“Here at Simply Serve we’re handling a wide range of items going to a large number of destinations so it’s essential that assets are carefully tracked to ensure everything gets to the right place at the right time,” comments Gary Starrs, Facilities Manager at Simply Serve. “With Podfather we are confident that all our healthcare assets are carefully monitored and tracked. There are cost implications to mislaying notes or an item as it moves across our network but for the patients in our NHS Foundation’s care the implications of a mislaid batch of notes, or sample results, could be far more serious.”
The Podfather system is used to track the movement of assets as they move across the company’s network. All items are given a barcode which the Simply Serve drivers scan using the Podfather driver app as items are loaded onto a vehicle. Once the driver reaches the destination the items are scanned off the vehicle and signatures and proof of delivery photos are captured and submitted back to the management office in real-time.
“With Podfather we have peace of mind as we have a complete audit trail of how assets are moving across our network,” adds Starrs. “The app is very easy to use, drivers scan items onto their vehicles and off at the point of delivery. The ability to capture photos and delivery confirmation information, such as electronic signatures, is of great benefit to us, especially if there is a discrepancy or query against a particular delivery.”
Simply Serve is at the beginning of its Podfather journey. Having introduced automated vehicle checks, asset tracking and electronic proof of delivery the Simply Serve team is now looking to bring in automated customer notifications, and use the system’s routing capabilities to review and enhance its existing network of fixed route runs. “We see great potential with Podfather,” concludes Starrs. “As our business grows Podfather will help us to maximise the use of our own assets, our drivers and vehicles, to ensure that we continue to deliver a premium service in the most cost-effective way.”
“We have a long history of working with the amazing organisation that is the NHS,” comments Colin McCreadie, Managing Director at Podfather. “Keeping track of what assets are where is no mean feat but with Podfather, like we’ve shown here at Simply Serve, asset loss can become a thing of the past. By switching to Podfather companies working within the healthcare sector can plan vehicle routes, capture vehicle checks, capture asset movement and electronic proof of delivery information all with our easy-to-use cloud-based system.”
