MaxTrack
A COMPLETE SOLUTION FOR EMERGENCY RESPONSE INDUSTRY
KG Communicationsisauniquefleet,mobileworkforceanddispatchmanagementsolution,whichprovidesyou withtheabilitytogatherreal-timelocationandbusinessintelligencefromyourvehiclesandmobileworkers inthefield,aswellasoptimizeoperationsintheofficeandimproveyourresponsetimesby20%.
ADVANCED JOB MANAGEMENT
KG Communication’s unique order management module is one of the most robust in the field and offers an unrivaled competitive advantage to your business. With the Orders Feature, your dispatchers are able to create electronic orders in seconds and dispatch the service calls directly to the closest available technician or emergency crew.
MORE THAN JUST FLEET TRACKING
Powered by state-of-the-art GPS technology, the Fleet Tracker solution provides you with real-time visibility over your fleet location and vehicle diagnostics data. The KG Communications system turns this data into actionable business intelligence that will help you make smart decisions and efficiently manage your fleet.
The in-vehicle devices can be plugged into the OBD-II/CANBUS, J1939 or J1708 connections or hardwired into your vehicles and collect important information such as ECM status*, MIL sensor, ignition status, battery voltage and DTC Codes*, as well as driverbehaviorssuchasspeeding,idling,harshcornering/brakingandrapidacceleration.
Î DISPATCH THE CLOSEST AVAILABLE VEHICLE IN TIMELY MANNER TO SERVICE SITES OF RETAIL, FUEL REQUESTS, FIELD REPAIR OR OTHER MOBILE BUSINESS
Î MANAGE YOUR ROUTING SERVICE CALLS ELECTRONICALLY AND DISPATCH THE CLOSEST AVAILABLE CREW DIRECT FROM THE KG COMMUNICATIONS PLATFORM
ÎTRACKANDMANAGEYOURMISSION-CRITICALFLEET,ASSETSANDWORKFORCE IN REAL-TIME WITH CONFIGURABLE TRANSMITRATES
Î MONITOR ECM DATA* FROM YOUR VEHICLES AND REDUCE FUEL, MAINTENANCE AND OTHER OPERATIONAL COSTSOTHER OPERATIONAL COSTS
BACKGROUND
Since the early-1980s, employees of Accuro– a leader in healthcare transportation services – are meeting the varied and fluctuating needs of medical facilities, regional health networks and private sector healthcare companies, operating pre-scheduled routes in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. No two days are the same in the life of an Accuro employee. Perhaps best described as couriers with a cause, the Accuroteam must ensure accuracy and timeliness with each and every delivery given the high pressure nature of the industry within which they operate.
When a patient is waiting in an operating room for an urgent blood transfusion, the blood needs to go from the laboratory to the hospital in recordtime.Whenthestakesarehighandlivesareatrisk,timelinessand accuracy is everything. Though medical operations always involve trained hospital staff, a host of others perform an equally important behind-the-scenesrolethathelpssaveliveseveryday.
CHALLENGE
Although Accurohas long been recognized as an industry leader in medical transportation, more recently, the company decided to re-focus its core service on higher-stakes medical deliveries, including same-day rushes and live specimen deliveries.
In 2008, before the new direction was implemented, Accuroinvested in KG CommunicationsDispatch to track the accurate delivery of mail items given the company’s existing processes involving paperwork and medical documents. When the company’s focus shifted, KG Communications was able to offer deeper insight into Accuro’sapplication of the system in order to successfully secure new businessopportunities.
Inthelatesummerof2009,Accurohadtheopportunitytobidonalarge contract involving the urgent delivery of lab specimens. Understanding that a strong business case was essential to winning the contract, Accuroput their existing technology to its full use. One thing was clear: GPS tracking software was not only a pre-requisite for success in the industry, but a major competitive advantage for businessdevelopment.
SOLUTION
Staff from KG Communicationsspent a few days bringing employees up to speed on all of the software capabilities and how the system can be implemented in day-to-day activities to ensure accuracy and efficiency with new objectives in mind.
“Once we brought in staff from KG Communicationsand put the technology to use, we were able to grow our company and win new business. The software became a selling point - our clients could take comfort in the fact that we had high-level GPS monitoring tools that would track 36 vehicles, making it easier to locate resources at any giventime and respond quickly to urgent situations,” says Tom Kobayashi, Director of Transportation Services. “We use KG Communications tracking devices in all of our vehicles. Some vehicles are equipped with temperature probes for temperature sensitive products.”
The integration of KG Communicationsinto Accuro’sdaily operations certainly opened up new opportunities for the company, but this was not a decision based on business expansion alone. Accuro realized they could benefit from reduced fuel consumption and more efficient routes in addition to the general tracking of its fleet.
“KG Communicationsletsusdoperiodicalauditsof ourdrivers,examiningfuelconsumptionand performance.We’vebeenabletoreducemain- tenancecostsbecausewecanidentifypoor driving and correct the behaviour before it becomes an issue,” - says Tom Kobayashi, Director of TransportationServices.
BENEFITS
KG Communicationsallows Accuroto generate reports on instances of harsh braking, rapid acceleration, speeding and other aggressive driving patterns on a specified asset during a given time range. This helps pinpoint improper driving activities and implement behavioral changes in drivers. “It’s a great tool for evaluating employee performance,” explains Kobayashi. “We’ve hadpeople’s lives at risk and the technology acts as a set of eyes on our fleet, ensuring we get the job done accurately and on time.”
The solution also delivers enhanced monitoring features that make it easier for dispatchers to locate the closest available vehicle to urgent medical calls. “If I have a driver with six orders to deliver and I know that she’s heading West, I’m not going to send her on a job in the East. KG Communications shows me that she’s in fact headed the other way,” saysKobayashi.
KG CommunicationsDispatch proved to be a good training tool for new drivers who join the company because it allows routes to be integrated and
pre-scheduledonto any mobile device. “We’ll have routes automatically sent to a driver’s device and the driver will check off the routes, pick-ups and deliveries as they are completed,” says Kobayashi. “This is a great tool to show around new employees who may be unsure about a route.”
As Accuro’sobjective changed, so too did their use of KG Communications. When the company made a calculated decision to focus on rush medical deliveries, they knew they could better sell their abilities by utilizing the software they already owned to its fullest potential. “Owning and eventually implementing this technology was a huge benefit, “ says Kobayashi. “We can demonstrate to clients how focused we are on
cost-savings, efficiency and precision.”
From a contractual standpoint, Accurois obliged to meet certain delivery and response times to urgent medical calls - 99.5% of their calls must be on time to meet the regulations. KG Communications allows Accuroto adhere to this high set of standards. Without these tools they would not be able to analyze metrics, make improvements and work to achieve these rates.