IT Systems
by Lynne Thomas
For most moving companies IT systems are something of a mystery. In this article, Colin Wynn of Administer Software Ltd., who has spent 25 years working in the removals industry, gives some good advice on what companies should be looking for when making their choice.
Administer Software Limited provides products and services to the removals and storage industry. Its main product, Move Administer , first sold in 2005, is now successfully running in 39 companies and is continuing to grow rapidly.
Managing Director Colin Wynn and his team believe that removers should have the correct tools to be able to manage their businesses effectively and to be able to give their customers the service that they expect and deserve.
Colin explained that it was important for systems to be designed specifically for the removals and storage industry and to be flexible. This way they can be made to fit in with existing company systems, improve profits and make everyone’s job easier. “No two movers are the same,” he said, “so systems need to be tailored specifically to what they need irrespective of the size of the business.”
The company supplies two products which it calls Survey Administer and Move Administer. As the names suggest the former is primarily for collecting information on the customers’ premises while the latter is a fully integrated system to link all the operations of the business together. “It’s vitally important for both products to be able to link together to avoid the need for double entry of information and prevent mistakes caused by human error,” explained Colin.
The Survey
The survey product has moved on a long way from the early days when products would simply collect inventory information and work out a volume. Survey Administer, for example, allows surveyors to take photographs of items, rooms or access, record the condition if items, and provide instructions to the packing crew such as ‘dismantle’, ‘crate’ or ‘owner to pack’. “Each time an item is added the necessary materials and equipment required are also added,” explained Colin.
The system also helps the sales process too with a multimedia section that allows sales staff to show photographs, videos and Adobe PDF documents of, for example, types of materials, examples of export wrapping, containerised storage, videos of different stages of the moving process to sample quotation forms or even completed quality control questionnaires.
At the Office
Back at the office the IT systems of today need to control the entire process from the initial enquiry right through to delivery, invoicing and the provision of management statistics. “Many people want to pay by credit card now so the system must allow them to do that too,” said Colin. “It should also handle direct debit and standing order mandates.”
Move Administer is a fully integrated system that does exactly that. Information is entered once only at the enquiry stage and follows through the entire job. The system records the source of enquiries to help monitor advertising and maximise revenues; runs the appointments diary; generates quotations automatically based on information collected at the survey; provides follow up reminders; and measures the surveyor performance and closing ratio. Costings include all aspects of the move such as labour, vehicles, materials, optional extras and specialist materials required. “It can even accommodate varying margins for the time of year, which helps companies maintain the best possible prices during busy periods.”
Many companies, even if they are mainly involved in domestic moving, need their system to handle overseas moving too. A truly integrated system will, therefore, have facilities for handling the shipping documentation and emailing shipment advices to overseas agents.
Storage too needs to be part of the system. It needs to be able to maintain a detailed container occupant history with the location of each container recorded and map those locations to provide on on-screen representation. Storage invoices should be raised automatically and sent by email.
Communications
Fast accurate communications are essential to a modern business and an IT system needs to be part of that. The latest systems provide a history of correspondence including letters, emails and even SMS messages all of which can be created using the company’s own branding. “It keeps all communications and makes them easy to retrieve,” said Colin. “This also helps the environment by significantly reducing the need for hard copies to be kept on file.”
On-going relationship
Of course there is much more to an IT system than just the system itself. Of equal important are the back-up services that are provided and the personal relationship that exists between the key people within the moving company and the IT supplier.
Much of that relationship will be established right at the beginning with an initial strategy meeting that allows both mover and supplier to work out exactly what is required to maximise efficiency and profitability. Installation and training has to be planned carefully to minimise disruption to the business during the changeover and make sure that everyone in the business has the training they need to use the system efficiently. And finally, moving companies need to be confident that the on-going support that is on offer is sufficient for their requirements. This support should be capable of being provided on demand. “For example, we can take over control of a computer remotely so we can sort out any problem straight-away,” explained Colin.
Nobody can predict the future: all that is certain is that it will be different from the present. A computer system that does not have the flexibility to grow and evolve to meet the needs of the business well into the future will, inevitably fail. The industry calls it ‘future proofing’. “Anyone setting out to buy a computer system must be sure that it can grow as they do,” said Colin. “As far as our systems are concerned, I am absolutely confident that they have the flexibility to meet any challenge that comes our way today or in the future.”
