How Northern Motor Group Keeps the Wheels of Industry Turning Thanks to Accurate ETAs
Keeping Melbourne motoring
Northern Motor Group is a car dealership in Melbourne, Australia, selling cars and parts for eight vehicle brands, including Jeep, Nissan, and Isuzu.
With over five hundred customers based in Melbourne and neighboring states, their seven drivers run morning and afternoon routes every weekday to supply mechanics and panel shops with much-needed car parts within 24 hours of ordering.
Consumers expect their vehicles to be repaired and ready within a few days, and this expectation travels up the supply chain to Northern Motor Group, which helps reduce wait time by offering next-day delivery on all items.
As Gus Strangis, their General Manager, explained, meeting customer needs hasn't always been easy.
“We used to work with a different transport company who used their own software, which didn’t offer live tracking or accurate ETAs, and the proof of delivery photo quality wasn’t great”As a result, their team of six Parts Interpreters who handle customer inquiries was regularly swamped with calls requesting updates on ETAs. Each Parts Interpreter repeatedly had to spend time away from their desks, going to the warehouse to gather delivery updates and attempting to contact drivers out on their route for a progress report.
Everything you need at your fingertips
In search of a better solution, Northern Motor Group found a new transport partner who was familiar with Circuit for Teams. They now employ five drivers supplied by this partner and one in-house driver specializing in out-of-area routes ranging from 60 to 120km long.
The positive impact of this change was felt immediately by their team of Parts Interpreters, who, thanks to Circuit’s Dispatcher Dashboard, have all the information they need at their fingertips and can effectively answer customer inquiries in real-time.
This has resulted in cost savings for the business as time wasted tracking down delivery information can now be spent more effectively servicing customers, and incoming customer calls are no longer missed due to agents being away from their desks.
“That's a big cost saving for the business, and we’re not wasting time. Everything is on your dashboard. It has all the drivers there, the map, just click on your driver, all the drops, whether it's delivered or not, your photos if you need them, and the live ETA. It's improved the business heaps"Winning back lost business
The switch to Circuit has also helped Northern Motor Group win additional business. Their previous last mile management tool was problematic, particularly when it came to providing trustworthy ETAs, and as a result, some customers decided to take their business elsewhere.
The delivery of car parts has a very low margin for error, as waiting for parts costs customers time and money. Therefore, reliable, accurate ETAs are essential to help mechanics and panel shops plan their days and make the most of their time.
Circuit allows you to send recipients either a fixed or a dynamic delivery time window. Most couriers use dynamic time windows because they automatically update as the route progresses, so the recipient will always see an accurate, real-time ETA for their delivery.
“Because we can now provide reliable ETAs, we’re winning back the trust and business of former customers”Despite intense competition in their field, Northern Motor Group is ramping up operations and plans to expand within six months. Now that their last mile management problems have been addressed, they are increasing their warehouse space to accommodate more stock and product SKUs. By widening their product offering, they will be able to serve more clients within the locality and maximize route profitability.
Note: Circuit for teams is saving thousands of businesses at least 20% on delivery costs. Try it free for 7 days.
