“From 5 Hours to 8 Minutes” The Time-Saving Impact of Mandata

Since onboarding the Mandata Transport Management System (TMS) and driver apps three years ago, D.A.W Logistics has saved enormous amounts of time, digitising its operations, which has made a significant difference to their operations.

Founded in 1987, by owner David Wright, D.A.W Logistics operate a mixed fleet of artics, rigids, vans and Moffett forklifts, providing transportation services to a wide range of customers out of Full Sutton in York.

The company transports everything from prison fit-out materials to archive boxes throughout the UK, working to RHA and FORS standards. With a small, but adaptable fleet, the company prides itself on tailoring services to meet customer needs.

After using a bespoke system for many years, Helen Mook, Operations Administrator and Storage Manager, led a review of the market to find a new TMS solution that would elevate D.A.W Logistics to the next level of customer service, efficiency, and to streamline their processes.

“My role is basically anything to do with admin,” explains Helen, “but also integrating new systems, like Mandata, and working closely with our transport managers to put both sides of the business together.”

Helen explained that their previous system lacked the flexibility the business needed. “Our old system wasn’t doing everything we needed – we couldn’t split loads or allocate vehicles, nor could we communicate with drivers, and all our documentation was still on paper. It was no way as flexible as Mandata.”

Identifying Mandata As Their TMS Of Choice

When reviewing the options available, Mandata stood out as the clear choice for its flexibility, functionality, and robust driver communication through their integrated Manifest app.

Helen said a major factor in selecting Mandata was its ability to provide real-time information and instant electronic proof of delivery (ePOD).

“The fact that customers could sign on a driver’s app and we would have a POD sent instantly back to the office and attached to the job, was one of the big reasons we chose Mandata.”

“Ever since we first started the TMS, from the planning side of it, to the invoicing side, it has been fantastic. It has made things so much simpler for everyone in the business, as well as our customers. It’s really good.”

Smarter, Simpler Planning

With constantly changing customer requirements, D.A.W Logistics needed a system that offered complete flexibility in planning.

“No two days are the same here – we never deliver the same thing twice,” explains Helen, “and with Mandata, the planning side is simple. It allows you to see everything you need, and to see what everybody else in the team is doing.”

“This provides us with the flexibility to plan for one day, or to plan weeks, months, or even years ahead, if we want to!”

“Planning is just so much simpler. Our customers email us with job information and adding that into the system and planning the job takes seconds. It’s sped up our planning enormously. And because we’re using the data straight from the customer, we aren’t making any mistakes within our jobs – it’s absolutely fantastic.”

Strengthening Driver Communication and POD Returns

When looking for a new TMS, digitising driver communication and POD collection was a major objective for the team.

“The Manifest app has been a life-changing addition to our business,” declares Helen. “As it updates our jobs live with real-time progress, and uploads PODs to those jobs once completed, it automatically keeps our customers updated., They no longer need to chase us for updates, which means we deliver a better level of customer service, instantly.”

For Helen and the team, another key benefit has been improved compliance and making life easier and safer for their drivers.

“With in-app messaging and instant updates to job changes, we no longer need to call drivers with amendments. All amendments appear instantly on driver’s apps, so they’re no longer having to stop to take calls, allowing them to focus fully on their driving.”

“The Manifest app has been a life-changing addition to our business!”

From Five Hours to Eight Minutes: Remarkable Time Savings

Mandata has also significantly reduced manual administration and freed up valuable time for the team.

By automating many tasks, the team at D.A.W Logistics has seen huge amounts of time added back into the business.

“I’d say we’re saving around 45 minutes a day on planning alone,” explains Helen. “But the biggest savings are with our POD returns and driver timesheets. It used to take me from 7am to 12noon every Monday to scan and record all the documents – that’s five hours. Now it takes eight minutes!”

“Also, we no longer wait for drivers to return to the office to hand in PODs, which could take days. Now, they’re uploaded to our TMS instantly.”

Invoicing Made Simple

Mandata’s integration with Sage accounts means customers can be invoiced immediately on job completion.

“We’re getting invoices out to customers a lot sooner.”

“All of our invoices are emailed out through Mandata, which integrates into Sage, and matches information up with our customer details saving our Accounts lady many hours every day. It is fantastic. She literally presses a button, goes to grab a cup of coffee, and by the time she returns, all the work is done. It’s saving us hours of invoicing admin, every single week.”

Mandata helping with FORS Gold

According to FORS, their Gold accreditation “is only awarded to exceptional operators who have met exacting targets”, which includes stringent and diligent targets and providing additional evidence of year-on-year improvement, environmental leadership, community engagement, and staff development.

“We’ve been FORS Gold for 4 years now,” shares Helen. “Achieving the accreditation is hugely rewarding, but very challenging. The accreditation has helped us with customer retention and to bring on new customers.”

Helen also shares how, through their use of the Transport Management System, Mandata has helped to make the rigorous FORS Gold operational standards more achievable:

“Mandata has helped to simplify the FORS audit for us, as all the information we need to produce is held in one place. Evidence of our compliance, including a full digital paper trail, can be easily produced. 

“We are able to identify and reduce empty miles, and make the most of our fleet by assigning the correct vehicle types to the correct job, as well as planning more efficient routes, helping us to reduce emissions, which has ensured we meet our FORS Gold environmental goals.”

Read more: How A TMS Could Help You Obtain and Retail a FORS Accreditation

Recommending Mandata

Helen is encouraging other operators to consider using Mandata for its simplicity, efficiency, and flexibility.

“We’ve been showing our Mandata TMS and the Manifest app to a number of companies and subcontractors that we work with, and they’ve all been impressed.”

“We’ve even paid for one of our subbies to have their own Manifest app, as it benefits us both when they use it! Companies ask, ‘you’re a small company, yet you’ve got fantastic software, how are you managing to do this?’, and we show them Mandata, and explain how affordable and easy it is to use.”

“We certainly recommend Mandata to transport operators that are looking to make their jobs easier, without breaking the bank.”

Mandata enables small teams to manage complex operations with confidence, save time, and deliver exceptional customer service.