JW Filshill keep convenience stores well stocked with PODFather

JW Filshill, the wholesale distributor behind the Keystore convenience shop brand, is using PODFather to keep shelves at its 1,600 customers well stocked. A PODFather user for over six years, JW Filshill relies on PODFather’s delivery management solution to plan and manage its 33 vehicles delivering a mix of fresh, frozen and ambient produce to customers across Scotland and the North of England. With service reliability being one of the key factors ensuring customer satisfaction during the COVID-19 crisis, JW Filshill are using PODFather to help plan double-shifts, and additional spot-hire vehicles, to meet the significant increase in order volumes that the team are currently dealing with.

“Here at JW Filshill our motto is that ‘we’ll support you ever more’…something that has really come to the fore during this current pandemic,” comments Stuart MacKenzie, Senior Operations Manager at JW Filshill. “Our team is under pressure to meet a huge increase in demand and I have nothing but praise for everyone who has risen to the challenge of keeping our customer stores stocked. With systems such as PODFather in place it makes life that little bit easier at what is a very testing time.”

The JW Filshill team uses PODFather every day to plan and manage deliveries. At the beginning of a shift a driver will receive all job information via the PODFather smartphone app. The driver then uses the smartphone app to gather all necessary vehicle check information, which is automatically uploaded back into the transport office, before the vehicle leaves the depot. Once out on the road PODFather enables JW Filshill to track vehicle movements, direct drivers from job-to-job and capture proof of delivery once a job has been completed.

“The PODFather smartphone driver app is very easy to use which means it’s quick to roll it out to both our own, and any sub subcontractor drivers that we need to bring in,” adds John O’Neil, Transport Manager at JW Filshill. “At a time when order volumes have increased significantly it’s useful to have systems in place that we can rely on to keep vehicles moving, and delivering produce to stores, in a timely and efficient manner.”

PODFather also enables JW Filshill to automatically generate customer ETA notifications and send them out to stores once the day’s plan has been released. The visibility of live vehicle tracking data ensures customer service teams can keep store staff updated about estimated arrival times, in real time. “It’s more important than ever that our store staff are kept informed of their delivery ETA,” adds O’Neil. “With so much end customer concern over obtaining produce when and where they need it, it’s really useful for us to be able to let our stores know when our vehicles will be onsite so that produce can be unloaded, and shelves stocked, as quickly as possible.”

“We are proud to be supporting JW Filshill during this challenging time,” adds Colin McCreadie, Managing Director at PODFather. “Being faced with such an unexpected peak in order volumes is going to be a tough challenge but as JW Filshill is showing, with great teamwork and determination, anything is possible. If you, or anyone within your network, could benefit from a solution such as the one we have in place for JW Filshill please get in touch.”

PODFather Ltd – so much more than ePOD

Our software is helping businesses within the logistics, construction, field service and healthcare industries to streamline processes, improve operational and financial efficiency, and eradicate paper. Our cloud-based delivery management software encompasses a range of features and functionality including; job management, route planning and optimization, vehicle checks, proof of delivery, driver and vehicle tracking, as well as invoicing and reporting modules. PODFather allows businesses to be better informed about the jobs they are managing, highlighting problems before they occur, making users proactive rather than reactive. Our customer base includes well-known names such as Tarmac, NHS, Bidfresh, Oxfam and Igloo, as well as a many independent logistics and construction service operators. To find out more visit www.podfather.com.