Truck manufacturer Scania’s 24/7 roadside assistance service (Scania Assistance) is rolling out Scania OnScene, a flexible technician and service vehicle management system run by MiX Telematics’ Workflow.
OnScene combines messaging, job scheduling and reporting, vehicle tracking, navigation, signature capture and voice calls into a fully mobile single system which has been integrated into Scania Assistance’s workflow processes. The system includes a hand-held PDA for technicians and a PC-based reporting suite for use by Scania Assistance staff.
The system enables Scania Assistance to contact its mobile service technicians directly to enquire if they are in a position to accept a job. The technician responds via the PDA and, if the job is accepted, keys in the expected time of arrival. Scania Assistance then informs the customer and, if their driver has logged a contact phone number, the system automatically texts him or her with the information.
The PDA is used again to report the technician’s arrival at the scene and the estimated time of repair. The system requires the technician to conduct a risk-assessment before starting work and prompts to ensure there is sufficient guarantee-of-payment to cover the job.
Paul Frost, Scania’s customer support manager for the UK, said: “MiX Telematics has developed the system to facilitate better communication between us and our customers while also enabling us to work in a more efficient manner. We are now able to identify and communicate with the nearest technician to a particular job rather than having to relay messages via their dealership.
“Also, arrival-on-scene being confirmed by a tap of the screen improves upon our previous system, which required the technician to call in to Scania Assistance. As breakdown calls always take priority, this could mean technicians having to wait to report their arrival whereas now they can be getting on with the job instead. As well as speeding up our workflow, this also has obvious safety advantages as the overall time on scene will be reduced.”
