Route 23 Ford, the largest wholesale parts dealer in the greater New York area ranked 12th in nationwide Ford parts sales, has seen a dramatic increase in driver productivity and accountability through the use of TeleNav Track, a cell phone-based GPS navigation and tracking service, the company says. It is also using Nextel Direct Connect and wireless devices from Sprint for instant communication between drivers and headquarters employees.
"In the vehicle parts delivery business, drivers are often unexpectedly needed to pick up or drop off a part where they just came from," said Mark Steindler, parts manager for Route 23 Ford. "With TeleNav Track, our back office can see where all our drivers are at once and can redirect them in mid-route, if necessary. As a result, our driver efficiency is up by an average of 15 percent."
Route 23 Ford, part of the Route 23 Auto Mall LLC dealership group, doing business with companies such as American Transit and the city of New York which includes the FDNY and the NYPD.
A few years ago, after noticing a decline in vehicle and warranty sales, Route 23 Ford says it recognized an industry shift. Vehicle quality was continually improving, creating less of a need for vehicle replacement and a greater demand for parts and service. This made the industry even more competitive, leading Route 23 Ford to take action.
By deploying TeleNav Track on employees' GPS-enabled Sprint wireless phones, Route 23 Ford has seen drastic improvements in fleet productivity. Prior to using the service, the company lacked accurate knowledge of where its parts drivers were at any given time. This made it difficult to determine the most appropriate driver to dispatch for unexpected deliveries and resulted in wasted fuel and employee time.
With TeleNav Track, Route 23 Ford has better field oversight and management, eliminating costly guesswork and enabling the company to hold its drivers to an even higher standard of accountability. With TeleNav Track, the back office is able to print driver activity reports, which can help in better management of business and personnel matters. With Nextel Direct Connect, drivers can request information and get issues resolved immediately with just the push of a button. Sprint is the undisputed leader in push-to-talk, serving the world's largest community of users and providing Nextel Direct Connect on the fastest national push-to-talk network (based on initial call set-up time).
"In this economic environment, every dollar counts and businesses are looking to be as cost-conscious as possible. This can be especially challenging for companies like Route 23 Ford with box delivery trucks that hold up to 50 gallons of fuel," said Sal Dhanani, co-founder and senior director of marketing for TeleNav.
"With TeleNav Track, businesses can reduce fuel inefficiencies and increase driver accountability, making sure that every delivery is as profitable as possible." Currently, more than 9,000 organizations rely on TeleNav Track to help manage their mobile resources. In addition, industry analyst firm, Frost & Sullivan, recently recognized TeleNav Track with its 2008 North American Mobility Award for Best MRM Solution on a Handheld Device.
