At Expert Netherlands, there has been talk for some time about purchasing a vehicle tracking system. Jeroen van Dongen, owner of three Expert stores in South Holland, decided not to wait for this and has already fitted the TrackJack GPS tracker. "This allows us to further improve the information we provide to our customers."
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Expert has been delivering more than ever. Many consumers are avoiding the big cities and large consumer electronics stores. Instead, they are relying on their local Expert retailer. "Service is our strength. Anyone who buys a washing machine from us today will have it delivered the same day or tomorrow at the latest," says Jeroen van Dongen, owner of the Expert stores in Berkel en Rodenrijs, Pijnacker and Gouda.
Van Dongen has also noticed that consumers are increasingly buying online. Expert has a single nationwide webshop with 132 shops handling the orders. The consumer decides which shop to place their order with. "That’s often the nearest shop or the one that has the product in stock. Sometimes orders are delivered directly by the supplier, but whenever possible, we deliver them ourselves. Especially if the products need to be connected and installed. These days, people prefer to have a familiar face come round."
If a customer asks when the delivery van will arrive, the Expert team can easily see its current location.
Jeroen van Dongen: "The system is extremely handy for anyone who wants to take their service to the next level."
Arrival time
Van Dongen has a fleet of ten vehicles for product delivery, including two Volkswagen Crafters with closed cargo compartments and an Opel Vivaro. However, the majority of the fleet consists of Nissan vans. “We use the NV300 and NV400 because of Nissan’s mobility and maintenance plan. If we ever break down with a flat tyre, they’re on site within 45 minutes,” says Van Dongen, who estimates that the ten vehicles together visit 130 to 140 addresses a day.
Since 1 January, all vehicles have been fitted with TrackJack GPS trackers. Via the accompanying fleet management system, Van Dongen can now see where the vehicles are at any time. “It’s a robust system offering good value for money. Of course, we looked at other systems, but this one works well. And another factor is that they’re local. I’ve been following them for years,” says Van Dongen from behind his desk in Berkel en Rodenrijs.
The investment in GPS trackers is entirely due to the growth in delivery activities. As a result, the number of calls from customers wanting to know when the Expert employee will arrive is increasing. “Our staff at the counter can now see immediately where the vehicle is. Using the route list, they can then provide a fairly accurate estimate of the arrival time. Before the GPS trackers were installed, we were just guessing at the arrival time."
Better planning
The route list is generated by the shop management system. It lists the delivery addresses in the most efficient order. "Ten minutes before we arrived, customers would always receive a phone call or text message letting them know we were on our way. But with TrackJack’s solution, we can further improve the provision of information and, consequently, our service."
The GPS trackers contribute to the reliability of the planning. For example, Van Dongen estimates 45 minutes for connecting a washing machine and 90 minutes for installing a dishwasher in a kitchen unit. "Thanks to the data from the fleet management system, we can check whether those times are accurate. If an employee spends an hour and a half connecting a washing machine, we ask them why. We learn a lot from that, which enables us to improve our planning."
Sometimes it turns out that the employee had to fit a pull switch. "Fine, but that does need to be charged," says Van Dongen. "I’m thinking of disputes over invoices. If a customer says our employee was gone within half an hour, we can prove that he was on site for an hour."
Driving behaviour
The fleet management system also provides information on employees’ driving behaviour. How hard do they accelerate and brake? How fast do they drive through sharp bends?
"Driving behaviour affects fuel consumption and tyre wear, but can also lead to transport damage. At the moment, we are not doing much with this information, but in the long term we also want to coach drivers on their driving behaviour."
The delivery vans from the Expert stores in Berkel en Rodenrijs, Pijnacker and Gouda visit 130 to 140 addresses per day.
Van Dongen points to the growing number of vans in residential areas. “Occasionally we receive a phone call from a resident complaining about driving speed. When we speak to staff about this, they often deny having driven too fast. The fleet management system gives us insight into the facts.”
An additional benefit is the support it provides for mileage tracking. The fleet management system shows how many kilometres have been covered per vehicle and per day. Does the investment in GPS trackers pay for itself? “I doubt it,” says Van Dongen honestly. “But the system is extremely useful for anyone who wants to take service to the next level. That is why we have invested in it. I’d rather put the money into this than into an advertising leaflet. And in the long term, this leads to better planning and better driving behaviour.”
In any case, Van Dongen is pleasantly surprised by the functionality on offer. "Within Expert’s national organisation, there has been talk for some time about introducing a system like this. I decided not to wait for that and to go ahead with TrackJack. If I’d known what we’d get in return for the monthly subscription fee, I would have done it even sooner."
This story was published in the May 2021 issue of Bestelauto.
Text: Marcel te Lindert
Photos: Expert, Marcel te Lindert