Situation

• Toronto area courier company provided each of its couriers with a cell phone allowance
• Although this was an improvement over the old system of couriers checking in from pay phones, it was still expensive
• The company wanted a more cost-effective solution that would allow for clear, instant communications between dispatchers and couriers

Approach

• A number of cellular service providers approached KJV Courier and offered plans and packages but they were not cost effective
• The company had seen an advertisement for TELUS Mike service with Direct Connect™, which would allow the company's couriers and dispatchers to contact each other at the press of a button
• One of the company's customers was a TELUS dealer
• KJV Courier approached the dealer for a proposal
• After starting with 2 Mike phones, KJV Courier now has 35
• To increase efficiencies even further, KJV Courier is increasingly using test messaging to update its couriers on new pick ups and deliveries

Business Benefits

• Dispatchers can contact couriers instantly to provided information about new pick ups, to confirm deliveries and to answer customer queries
• Direct Connect costs a fraction of cellular calls
• Billing per second ensures the company only pays for the airtime it actually uses when it does make cellular calls
• Text messaging on the Mike network has increased the company's work capacity by an estimated 100%

Solution

With its fleet of cars, vans and bike couriers, KJV Courier offers same day and overnight courier services throughout the Greater Toronto area.  The company can also provide same day service anywhere in Ontario and overnight to any destination in Canada or the U.S.

It's a highly competitive marketplace, and KJV Courier knows that winning and retaining business means being responsive to customer needs, often at a moment's notice.  Couriers must be dispatched quickly to new pick-ups.  Dispatchers must be able to quickly answer customer queries about completed deliveries and estimated times of arrivals.  Which all means that communications between the company and its couriers are vital.

When KJV Courier first opened its doors more than 15 years ago, couriers used pay phones to check for new orders and confirm completed deliveries.  As cellular service became more readily available, each courier was provided with a cell phone allowance instead.  This increased efficiency, but it added significantly to expenses.  KJV Courier began looking for an alternative.

A number of cellular service providers approached the company, but even their most attractive packages were still relatively expensive.  That's when John Sconza, KJV Courier's Sales Manager, saw an advertisement for TELUS Mike service.  he was particularly intrigued by Mike's Direct Connect feature, which enables instant contact at the push of a button.  Direct Connect works like a two-way radio, avoiding the frustration of missed calls and telephone tag, yet its as secure and private as a cellular call.  It's also digital, so calls are crystal clear.  Best of all, Direct Connect costs a fraction of regular cellular calls.

Sconza approached one of his company's customers, a TELUS dealer.  The dealer proposed a Mike plan that met all of KJV Courier's criteria.  The company signed on, starting with 2 Mike handsets and quickly growing to its current complement of 35.

"The Mike package that TELUS offers is very attractive to us, especially with billing per second," says Sconza.  "It was exactly what we were looking for - an effective rate and clear signals within our operating area.  Today 90% of our usage is Direct Connect.  In fact, only our office staff use the phones for regular calls."

KJV Courier has since discovered that test messaging is an even more effective way to communicate between couriers and dispatchers.  For just $5 a month per phone, couriers can receive unlimited text messages.  "It relays information at the click of a button," says Sconza.  "So it allows us to create more work in less time.  In that respect, it's improved our operations 100%.  All in all, the partnership with TELUS has been a good one for us."