American Textile Maintenance Company
05-12-2009
Automating Field Order Entry Increases Invoice Accuracy and Boosts Customer Confidence
American Textile Maintenance Company increases operational efficiency by implementing Mobile Computing Corporation’s Route Manager mobile workforce automation solution
Los Angeles-based American Textile Maintenance Company is a multi-division industry leader in providing uniform and linen rental services to businesses in Southern California. Through its three distinct brands (Republic Master Chefs Textile Rental Services, Medico Professional Linen Service and Republic Uniform Sales), American Textile services the daily needs of hundreds of restaurants, snack bars, hotels, motels and food processing companies. It also meets the specialized textile requirements of medical clinics, surgical centres and physicians’ offices.
By 2005, American Textile had the region’s busiest uniform and linen cleaning facilities, with almost 600 employees and 100 route representatives dedicated to serving hundreds of customers. American Textile has earned more than a half-century of success in a fiercely competitive business, enjoying a large and loyal customer base, a diversified and profitable business model and the respect of its industry peers.
One of American Textile’s key challenges was that its route delivery operations were being throttled by inefficient and error-prone route management processes. Using old-fashioned clipboards, route representatives were filling in order forms and performing calculations on-site at customer locations, on the fly, and under time pressure. This included manually recording and calculating order amounts, fees, surcharges and taxes. The route order forms were then manually entered into American Textile’s systems in the back office after the route reps returned to the warehouse.
“Our invoicing was inconsistent. We were making mistakes and our customers were unhappy,” says Gail Reynolds, Controller at American Textile. “Invoicing errors caused customers to lose confidence.”
Reynolds decided to implement a route management solution to replace clipboards with handheld computers and automate American Textile’s data entry processes. “Our route reps are not accountants - we want them to focus on what they do best - servicing the customer. In order to support this, every data capture situation must be easy, fast and accurate.”
American Textile engaged Mobile Computing Corporation (MCC) to provide a mobile workforce automation solution customized to its needs. Comprehensive and scalable, MCC’s Route Manager helps delivery-based organizations boost the efficiency of their field operations with simplified route processes, automated workflow, accurate invoicing, efficient data collection and transfers, and seamless back office integration.
MCC worked closely with American Textile to deploy the Route Manager solution. In fact, the route representatives themselves quickly took ownership of the project and assisted the Route Manager implementation team with suggestions of how to improve the system and better integrate it into American Textile’s business processes. Says Reynolds: “Feedback from both our route reps and accounting staff was crucial to our successful implementation of Route Manager. And, as a result, adoption has been outstanding.”
American Textiles estimates its route representatives save more than an hour every day using their handheld computers and MCC’s Route Manager wireless workforce automation solution. Order accuracy is up, billing complaints are down and end-of-day check-in procedures at the warehouse are a simple matter of transferring data from handheld computers.
“If we had to do it all over again, we would. Implementing Route Manager has solved every one of our order entry and invoicing issues. MCC’s technology has significantly enhanced our operational processes.”
Today, American Textile and MCC continue to collaborate to identify further features and enhancements to Route Manager. American Textiles values the close partnership with one of its key technology vendors and MCC gains invaluable insights into the daily field operations of a sizeable delivery fleet.
“MCC is extremely proactive,” says Gail Reynolds. “They will call me unexpectedly and ask, Are you ready for the new version yet? What can we do to help get you going? MCC provides a powerful product and extraordinary service. We are pleased to see our field operations management evolve alongside their product suite.”