Hire and Rental News - February 2018

INDUSTRY in FOCUS – ON THE COVER Baseplan’s Chief Operating Officer - APAC, Chris McArthur said the innovative solution is being developed in response to the surging demand for on- the-go software. “With rapidly expanding business operations, workplaces are not limited to workstations anymore. Mobility is driving smarter businesses with a future-ready approach. Baseplan recognised the need for enterprise flexibility and developed a suite of intuitive mobile solutions for the hire and rental industry," Chris said. “Built using a cutting-edge platform, the application can seamlessly integrate Baseplan Enterprise solutions with leading mobile operating systems – Android, iOS and Windows. “Baseplan Mobility has built on our current functionality and will eliminate complex manual and paper-orientated procedures, allowing staff to engage more productively with customers. “Our new mobility solution is being designed and built after five years of experience building generic and bespoke mobile applications for a variety of companies and industries. Crucially, it will not just be a web application running in a browser, but a fully-featured cross platform solution making the best use of what hardware devices can offer. Allowing the users to use the application while offline, is an intrinsic component of our mobility solution and a key differentiator.” Transport App Baseplan’s journey with the new mobility solution will start with the Transport App. “We consulted with our customers to find out what they needed t from a mobility solution – resoundingly, the answer was Transport,” Chris said. "This enabling technology will connect in-field workforce to office staff and relevant job information. The application has been designed with a user-friendly interface and an intuitive workflow to Mobility solution accesses business info even without phone reception Baseplan users will be able to access their business information anytime, anywhere, using practically any handheld device and most importantly, carry out critical activities even without a phone signal with the launch of its state-of-the-art mobility application. simplify and speed up transport runs. "Transport coordinators will appreciate the ability to effectively allocate and track runs from Baseplan Enterprise, using the new advanced scheduling screen. In the future, these runs will be generated automatically, ensuring the most efficient route is used, taking into account details such as traffic, load size, and OH&S requirements for drivers. "Drivers will use ‘Day Sheets’ on the mobile app to view, action and complete their list of activities for the day, at the touch of a button. Improved communication between coordinators and drivers can substantially reduce delays and errors. The Transport App can streamline everyday processes for business Chris said, including: • Delivery and pickup dockets can be received in real time from Baseplan Enterprise, without the hassles of producing and maintaining piles of paperwork; • Optionally, drivers may adjust the sequence of activities assigned to them through simple and advanced planning modes. Activities can be divided into more granular actions indicating various stages in the day run such as, driving to branch or customer site and loading or unloading equipment; • Detailed status of the transport run is available for better visibility and reporting. You will know where the driver is and their progress through the day; • Drivers can directly call customer contacts, and pull up navigation maps directly from the app; • Item quantities included in a transport activity can be confirmed by scanning bar codes – ensuring the right equipment is delivered the first time; • Photos of the equipment can be captured before delivery or after pickup, and attached to the activity to accurately report damage charges and mitigate the risk of disputes; • Special instructions or notes can be entered against the transport activities while they are on route, eliminating the need to pen notes on printed dockets; • -signatures can be signed by customers to speed up approvals and confirmations; and • Dockets and invoices can be emailed to customers instantly." The Transport App is available now (early 2018) and further functionality will be added throughout the year. Baseplan will be demonstrating the Transport App at the HIRE18 convention in Brisbane. As part of the future roadmap, principal Baseplan modules including Rental, Service and CRM will be moved onto the new mobility platform. Visit: www.baseplan.com/us 13 HIRE AND RENTAL NEWS • FEBRUARY 2018