Drivers/Track (2016-2017)
Project Justification
- Assist drivers in delivery process.
- Real-time tracking of product deliveries for operation and customers.
- Filling technological gaps with use of mobile applications.
- Collecting data to streamline delivery process.
Team and Responsibilities
Desk Research
- Uber - UX patterns and interaction anlysis.
- Google Maps - UX patterns and interaction anlysis.
- Titan GPS - Competitive Analyisis
- Command Alkon - Competitive Analisis
Understanding the ready-mix order delivery.
Undestanding the product
The first layer of insight in research was dictated by the inherent characteristics of the product (ready-mix concrete), which has a maximum handling time before it must be discarded entirely, which is the worst case scenario for both the company and the customer. The time factor dictates a few guidelines:
- Precisely illustrate the point of delivery.
- Planning routes for drivers to avoid traffic jams and roadblocks.
- Estimating truck availability from those returning from deliveries.
- Digitizing all documents associated with deliveries such as truck inspections and Proof of delivery.
The needs of the operation
The company was interested in streamlining the delivery process. To accomplish that, collecting all the data possible from the deliveries was a must. There were other essential needs identified in field observations:
- Informing drivers of the scheduling for the next work shift.
- Receiving shift confirmation from the driver.
- Individuating the location of any truck of the fleet
- Receiving notifications of irregular events along the product delivery.
- Calculating truck availability.
- Appending product delivery documents without human intervention.
- Checking past delivery information for "forensic" investigation.
Delivering the product
Direct observation of the delivery process also provided insight into the main pain points of drivers:
- Drivers may not be aware of the deliveries schedule or shift start.
- Location of delivery points may be unknown to some.
- Occasionally drivers must wait more than expected for reasons the cannot control to unload the product, decreasing their productivity.
- Drivers may not find the responsible person to provide proof of delivery at all times.
Driver Journey
Time is the master for our customers
The main necessity of the customers after ordering our products and services is for deliveries to be on time with their scheduling. The digital transformation of our operations would fit perfectly into providing the necessary visibility of the transportation process in order to synchronize their working crews.
Enhancing visibility
Many applications were needed to cater to the specific needs of the diverse profiles involved.
There's an app for that!
Recording delivery data and solving the pain points of drivers was an adequate scenario for a mobile application.
An app, not only would work as a tracking device but could also help with the issues detected in our first hand research.
A delivery happy path
The operation counterpart
The app technology raised some necessities within the operation that the current systems did not address correctly. A few of these were:
- Renewing scheduling technology from phone calls to push notifications.
- Tracking trucks real time on mapping systems.
- Searching specific units by the trip meta-data such as driver, order number, associated plant, etc.
- Being able to generate geofencing to trigger automated events in the journey.
- Being able to review trip information.
Tying it all together
The drivers app and console are part of a larger ecosystem which also includes mobile apps for jobsite field personnel as well as a tracking section within the cemex go application suite. This evolution in digital transformation has elevated the perception of the CEMEX brand to a higher standard and it is now seen as pioneers within the industry.
The consequence for the business has been increased engagement of our customers and has definitely provided the tools to reduce friction and amplify the visibility for all the parts involved.