British express parcels company Amtrak has upgraded its services by investing in 1,000 new scannersfor its depots and drivers, and launching a new e-billing option for customers.
The Dolphin 7900 scanners supplied by Unique ID will ensure full visibility through theAmtrak network, including real-time PODs and immediate data transfer, Amtrak said. The scannerswill all be phased in by the end of February, with full GPS capability in March.
Managing director Alan Jones said: “The existing depot network IT system is four years oldand technology has moved on a lot since then. This investment – of about £500,000 a year and fundedby Lloyds TSB – ensures we have a robust and reliable system for tracking parcels throughout thenetwork, and allows us to incorporate new features as they are developed.” Unique ID has along-standing relationship with Amtrak and has selected a dedicated team to help phase in the newsystem.
Meanwhile, Amtrak has also launched an e-billing service which is available to accountholding customers. The system gives customers the ability to access their accounts online, whichenables them to also view invoices, statements and credit notes. The e-billing system can also beused to query any billing details.
“E-billing gives our customers greater visibility and control of their accounts and helpsthem resolve any potential queries more efficiently,” Jones explained. “It also significantly cutsour use of paper, which is one of the aims of our environmental policy.”
Amtrak, one of the UK’s leading independent express delivery companies, is investing heavilyin IT systems and equipment to improve the service it offers to customers. The company is alsocreating the new position of IT Director to reflect the importance of IT in both its internal andcustomer-facing processes.
“These improvements, from e-billing to real-time PODs, ensure our customers have access toinformation about their shipments and all aspects of their business with us, at any time,” saidJones. “It improves their efficiency and ours, as well as benefiting the environment.”
The new management team at Amtrak has introduced significant improvements since it took overthe company a year ago. An additional 18 double-deck trailers have been added to the fleet and thedepot configuration has been changed to improve network efficiency. The company has also investedin new single-deck trailers and vans and has recently launched a credit card ordering system.
