Concrete Contractor, the nationally recognized magazine serving concrete construction professionals, names Customer Portal from Command Alkon, the leading software and solutions provider for the heavy building materials industry, a 2024 Concrete Contractor Top Products award winner.
The 2024 Concrete Contractor Top Products award represents the concrete industry’s best products gaining interest from end-users and concrete professionals alike. The awarded products, exhibiting innovation and utility, were chosen based on submitted nominations and audience engagement during a 12-month period on ForConstructionPros.com/Concrete and narrowed down by the editorial team and advisory board.
“The innovations being made in the concrete construction industry are second-to-none,” said Jonathan Kozlowski, Editor, Concrete Contractor. “Nowhere else would you be able to find such creative ideas solving the problems modern contractors face daily. I’m proud to announce the winning products in this year’s Top Products program.”
Customer Portal allows materials buyers to track and manage orders 24 hours a day and self-serve new order requests easily from the field. Customer Portal operates seamlessly with Command Alkon’s COMMANDbatch, TrackIt, Load Assurance, and Dispatch systems, and integrates with other third-party systems through open APIs.
“If materials are late, it creates a ripple effect that affects every single jobsite activity and significantly adds to project costs; the value of Customer Portal is that it answers the question ‘where’s my truck,’” said Ranjeev Teelock, Chief Product Officer at Command Alkon. “Ticket data shared through Customer Portal informs buyers of when the driver picks up the materials and the exact quantities that are on the way to the job. Sharing order information with customers gives them the insight that they need to improve planning and utilization and can dramatically cut down on unnecessary phone calls – by as much as 30%.”
Sharing truck locations and ETAs provides visibility from dispatch to delivery and gives materials buyers greater confidence knowing where orders are and when they will arrive. One Customer Portal user, Asphalt Paving & Supply, has been able to cut routine customer phone calls for their ready mix operation from 10 a day, down to just one.
“Customer Portal has made customers happier, and pump operator lives a lot easier,” said Dale Funkhouser, Batch Plant Superintendent. “We are a growing company, and now that we can see where our production stands in real time, we are gaining clarity and moving faster.”
The latest release of Customer Portal includes in-app notifications for truck-in-route and will call orders as well as load properties data for trucks equipped with Load Assurance sensors. Text messaging features and visibility into invoices are currently being developed to level up communications and customer service.
Additional information on award recipients can be found in the May/June issue of Concrete Contractor and at ForConstructionPros.com/Concrete.
