Companies that have committed to being best of breed are in a constant state of self-evaluation and evolution. They successfully navigate the pros and cons of change implementation and adjust as required. These companies clearly understand that they need to be cutting edge, offering technologies that provide both internal and external benefits.
Customers expect their data to be accurate, digitally transparent, in real time, delivered on a simple and easy to navigate platform. Producers that ignore this will ultimately find themselves in the back of the line in the eyes of a consumer.
As discussed in my previous blogs, ready mix producers are finding themselves in a challenging yet exciting atmosphere in terms of technological evolution. Historically speaking, given the choice in investing in equipment vs. technology, the latter would typically get the short end of the stick.
If you broaden the definition of investment, you can see that a digital transformation involves investment both monetarily and in people. Wise investments yield a strong ROI and can even reduce fleet demands, and increase employee engagement, strengthening the argument about where to deploy your capital.
The portal
In the ready-mix world, there are a considerable number of redundancies. This puts an undue burden on employees, including dispatch, sales, accounting, drivers, and plant operations to name a few. As a producer, it is also imperative that the customer facing impacts of these redundancies are clearly understood.
A customer portal for ready mix producers allows their customers to access a host of data rich information pertaining to their accounts, in real time. Customer portal benefits include, but are not limited to:
- Ready mix quotes, and quote archives
- Real-time truck status information with GPS map overlays, and SMS alerts
- Order summaries, placement, and editing
- Invoice copies and account aging
- Customer real performance data, including project level breakdowns
- Historical order data
- SMS chat functionality with dispatch
- Project level access by superintendent
- Electronic payment, ACH, credit/debit cards
A digitally transparent producer will also benefit from offering this portal to their customers. Here are a few direct benefits that the producer will notice:
- A drastic reduction in inbound phone calls
- Sales, quotes are electronically uploaded to the portal
- AR, aging and invoicing information uploaded to the portal
- Dispatch, eliminates “where’s my truck”, and order requests can be submitted via the portal
In addition to reduced call volume, producers can benefit from centralized data storage for all these data points. Clarity and uniformity can exist across the organization, providing customers with access to their relevant data at any time.
Truth in data
The producer and customer relationship has always been built on trust. This uncut, unedited data exchange describes the very definition of what digital transparency is and it will ultimately strengthen this bond. It may take time to adjust to the open data concept, which is completely normal but after going through this process, I can assure you that once the practice is installed, you will wish you had implemented it earlier.
A customer portal for ready mix producers allows for a controlled rollout. In other words, it is not just ‘on’ or ‘off’ for everyone, you have the ability to invite customers to the portal environment as you see fit. This is a great feature in case you prefer a controlled deployment instead of the ‘all in’ approach.
Customer Performance
Once a customer begins to use the customer portal, they quickly see the value of it. Not only do they have access to all of their account information, but they also have access to their crew’s performance metrics across their jobsites. This can assist in productivity measurements and KPI tracking.
Ultimately, it is a wonderful tool that they can use to coach their teams, putting them in a position of being proactive rather than reactive. Working together, ready mix producers and their customers can improve their operations, via the customer portal, in the name of digital transparency.
