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For many companies engaged in providing courier work services, paperwork remains a common problem. Fortunately, evolving technology and new apps are making at least some components of paperwork easier to handle. What is Paperwork? From as early as the 1960s, technologists have been eagerly predicting that the paperless office was almost here. History has continually proven that these forecasts were unduly optimistic and paperwork continues to be a fundamental part of everyday courier work. Even though in the 21st century much of the form-filling activity is now electronic, it is still something of a problem for drivers and ‘paperwork’ doesn’t have to be actually made of paper! Anything that requires completion and editing on something such as a tablet or smartphone is, in itself, a form of paperwork. Delivery drivers know that only too well. They may have a paper or electronic delivery sheet on some form of hand-held device, but if complications arise, then changes to ‘the paperwork’ and an associated degree of office administration is going to be involved. Reflecting Change Paradoxically, the increased use of technology has generated requirements for additional physical pieces of paper at times. So, a courier company might well have given all of its drivers tablets instead of delivery sheets but then a new problem arises: how they can leave a note with a collection or delivery point showing that something has changed? Alternatively, how can a customer write a qualified acceptance clause on an electronic delivery sheet which only has room for a single signature? In some cases the application of technology has led to numerous ad-hoc solutions, with delivery drivers sometimes returning to home base with electronic devices AND a pile of associated ancillary notes. The two then have to be matched and reconciled with each other with all the cost and scope for confusion that entails. Apps and the Cloud But now, the latest generation of apps and associated Cloud computing applications are available to help. Apps such as Dynamic Workflow and RemoteCall can allow both courier work drivers and collection or delivery sites to share access to sophisticated workflow management processes sitting in the Cloud. At the touch of a button, they can bring an app on their devices which allows changes to be simultaneously reflected in the company’s and driver’s schedules. These are then picked up automatically and integrated into the courier work provider’s systems instantly. As a result, ancillary pieces of paper and ‘post it’ notes are eliminated and both the driver, their central office and most importantly the customer, all have identical mirror-image records of what has just taken place. If somebody really wants a physical piece of paper, it is possible for any of the parties to link to a printer on the customer’s site and print out a hard copy. Although technology in courier work has been a little slow to eradicate the need for manual processes involved in a collection or delivery, the good news is that solutions are now available! Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world's largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Over 4,000 transport exchange businesses are networked together through their website, trading jobs and capacity in a safe 'wholesale' environment.
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