Concrete dispatch software for concrete producers is the center of all operations. Order taking, scheduling, tracking deliveries, and some back-office functions such as invoicing can all be handled by dispatch software.
Utilizing a productive dispatch solution can simplify concrete production workflows, improve operational efficiency, and significantly improve productivity. Also, it can expand with your business growth in a finger snap.
Dispatch is connected to ERP, concrete batch, quality control software, GPS tracking systems, and more. Once it’s implemented, it’s very hard to make a change again, so it’s important to make the right choice that will meet your needs and grow with you quickly and easily.
There are many companies out there providing concrete dispatch solutions. Each one has its pros and cons. We think for you to make the right decision on a dispatch system, in addition to evaluating the functionalities of each choice and seeing if it meets your needs, you should take a close, hard look at:
- The technology the dispatch is built with.
- The product roadmap
- The customer support
- The character of the company that provides you with the dispatch software
Technologies are evolving extremely quickly these days, as everyone knows. Every day, we see and experience something new; Smart cars, smart sensors, smart batch panels, smart concrete plants, and more. In today’s world, technology has become the driving force for cost reduction, collaboration, efficiency, and productivity.
With the development of new technologies, the tech society is abandoning the old for the new. New APIs, coding languages, tools, and development libraries are quickly developed around new technologies, while older systems get left behind and become obsolete. Putting all the benefits aside, just to be pragmatic, you want to make sure your dispatch product is built with the latest technology platform, so you can be supported for years to come. The support we are talking about here has very little to do with the company that developed the dispatch software. Even if a software provider wanted to support their product, once the tech society has moved on there would be no sufficient means and tools available.
Digital transformation might seem like a buzzword thrown around quite a bit. A CDO, or chief digital officer, may also be appointed within large multi-national concrete producers. Assuming it’s a high-paying job, I would assume it’s not just a flashy job title and PR stunt. In fact, if you learn more about digital transformation, you will discover it is your secret weapon for beating your competitors and growing your margins. Once you arrive at that conclusion, you will also realize that an effective technology platform, such as cloud computing, would be the basis for digital transformation.
The Product Roadmap
It isn’t very common for people to ask about a product roadmap when evaluating dispatch software. After all, it’s crucial for you to know what the software can actually do NOW. On the other hand, concrete producers rarely replace dispatch software every couple of years; Many concrete producers have been using the same dispatch for 10, 20 years.
Because of this, it is important to know a product roadmap, which is the guideline for product development. A good dispatch system should be backed by a development team that can keep up with the advances in technology five, ten, or even fifteen years down the road. At the very least, you must confirm that the product will not be discontinued any time soon. If you want to know that, you should ask for the product roadmap.
The Customer Support
Concrete producers and software providers would both agree that no one wants to receive or make customer support calls. No news is good news. When no calls are needed to be made and no calls are received, the product functions as it should. Unfortunately, this is not always the case.
When dispatchers are attempting to solve problems, they need prompt attention and assistance. So when you are doing your due diligence on dispatch software, you want to get into the details of the support:
• Is the provider well-staffed to handle support?
• How long has the average support staff been supporting the product?
• How long does it take on average for a support request to be responded to during and after business hours?
• Is it possible to talk to someone over the phone or must everything be done online?
• Will periodical training be provided?
• What is the frequency of updates?
• Does the provider have support staff in your country?
The Character of the Company
There’s something odd about this one. I am looking for dispatch software, not a romantic partner, why would I care about the character of the company?
In reality, once you purchase the software, your relationship with the software provider will last for a decade or more. Compared to most relationships, that is a long time. Therefore, you should have a good understanding of the software provider:
• Are they driven and only driven by making money? Or are they also in business with a purpose?
• Are they passionate about concrete and want to do something good for the people and the industry?
When you look back at the history of the provider, it’s not that difficult to figure out who they are. Some companies are adept at implementing new technologies and innovating. Some companies excel at sales and marketing. Some companies are working hard to reinvent themselves so that they can provide the best, most advanced products to the market. Many companies are complacent about the products they’ve been selling for decades and are satisfied with the status quo.
Some companies are truly customer-oriented, and some companies just say they are. Taking the time to conduct research will allow you to make a sound decision.
