Changing the landscape of traditional logistics operations
The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns around Australia significantly impacted the courier industry, which was not set up to handle supply chain blackouts, closed borders, massive procedural change, labour shortages and tightened health inspections
Situation
The Aramex franchise in Mayfield West faced challenges because of the limitations of its communication system, which amongst other issues was not set up to handle a distributed workforce.
The key to overcoming these challenges was to have the right systems, processes, and solutions in place which look beyond the now and accommodate for the transforming needs of the industry. Having the right purpose-built technical solution is critical as it will allow businesses to be agile and pivot quickly in the future.
Patrick Allen, Head of UCaaS at Viatek said they approached the Aramex franchise regarding an upgrade to its telephony system. “We had provided Fastway with its previous system and as part of our account management process, identified the opportunity to transform their business with a unified communications solution that would address the critical issues they were facing, and set their business up for the future.”
Franchise Administration Manager, Russell Jackson, saw this as an opportunity to create a more flexible and nimble system. “We were looking for a solution that would enable couriers to work from anywhere and reduce ties and reliance on the warehouse, in addition to addressing issues the business faced in relation to security and other government dependencies.”
“We were looking for a solution that would enable couriers to work from anywhere and reduce ties and reliance on the warehouse, in addition to addressing issues the business faced in relation to security and other government dependencies.”
Russell Jackson – Franchise Administration Manager
Solution
Viatek worked with Aramex/Fastway to develop a solution that would meet their business requirements and facilitate a fast and successful outcome.
Allen said, “We designed a UCaaS solution for nine users with three call centres and a hunt group to handle call queuing requirements. This solution will allow Fastway to quickly and easily scale services up and down.”
Access4 Head of Channel, Bill Fraser said the Viatek solution leverages Access4’s provisioning portal SASBOSS, which features fast provisioning self-serve and automation. “Customers can provision, manage and update all their users and functions across the business from one place. If a company adds a user, SASBOSS will fully provision that service within minutes including automated handset configuration.”
Allen said, “The solution we’ve developed with Access4 means we can deliver a 100-200 seat organisation in one day. No more manual data entry, no human error and no duplication of user data in multiple systems.”
At Viatek, we look to solve the problem for customers in a cost-effective, low touch way. We are committed to providing customers with high performance, user-centric solutions helping them embed operational agility and responsiveness into their business. Our software-defined approach across networking, cloud, threat defence and UC, ensures our customers reap the rewards of faster provisioning, a seamless user experience and 24/7 support.”
Jackson said that Viatek showed flexibility in designing the solution, which is scalable and cost effective. “Our experience partnering with Viatek was excellent. From scoping to implementation, they covered all the bases. We experienced no issues with the planning and execution. The plan was well executed, with only minor follow ups needed post implementation.”
Result
Allen said “This is the first Aramex/Fastway courier in the franchise to implement this type of UCaaS solution. It has provided the business with the right tools to make their workflow more efficient, giving their workers a robust product and the data needed to manage an efficient pickup and delivery process.”
Jackson said, “Our new UCaaS solution has completely changed the landscape of the traditional operations within the business.
The many advantages of this solution include the cost reductions we have seen from decreasing our office space – including infrastructure, rent, expensive on-premises equipment, and maintenance costs. Staff no longer require individual mobile plans as it’s all included with the UC capabilities. We have also been able to streamline invoicing for call queues and telephony, which has resulted in reduced manual administration hours to reconcile each month.
We were impressed by Viatek’s ability to scope and deliver a solution to suit our specific business industry needs at speed, the fast delivery and the customisation of the solution.
The team is really happy with this solution, we’ve found workflow is easier, and should remote access be needed in the future, this can be quickly accomplished.
Our team is very enthusiastic about this new communications style and the things they can do. We have no regrets whatsoever in making the change to unified communications with Viatek and Access4.”
About Fastway/Aramex Australia
In 1993 Fastway began operating in Australia and over 20 years later Fastway became part of the Aramex family, a leading global provider of comprehensive logistics and transportation solutions based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its network includes 29 regional franchises and over 900 franchise partners across the country, from Cairns to Perth and almost everywhere in between. In 2019 the company began a complete re-brand making the transition from Fastway Couriers to Aramex Australia official.
About Viatek
Viatek Group offers tailored business solutions in IT, communications and print. Established in 1984, the company is Australian owned and operated. With over 400 employees across 23 locations nationally providing local knowledge and a breadth of expertise.