JAIX MetroLink Aids Sales for Courier Firm Aceit

Comprehensive courier dispatch and accounting package MetroLink reduced the time for ACEIT to answer customer queries from days to minutes, minimised reconciliation paperwork for customers and speeded up payments.

MetroLink accepts telephone and online bookings for courier jobs, electronically dispatches details to the courier and automatically updates ACEIT's accounting system.

After major Adelaide courier company Suburban Couriers bought ACEIT in early 2002, it was able to quickly and easily extend the MetroLink system to cover Suburban's 65 couriers.

MetroLink is developed and supported by Adelaide transport industry specialist JAIX Software, which supports clients nationally with its other freight and warehouse management products.

MetroLink is quick and easy to use

Managing director of ACEIT Mal Geddie said he had purchased MetroLink because it was designed to solve problems experienced by the courier industry. "In the latter part of 2000, I was looking for a dispatch and accounting package because we were using MYOB which doesn't handle subcontractors," he said.

"What I wanted to do was transfer what we did physically on to a computer, recording what we would write down on paper and reminding us of what we should remember. We also wanted it to take orders received by phone or online and dispatch them to couriers, while the accounting system would automatically do required debits and credits.

"JAIX designed the system to keep it as simple as possible. Most software people have a preconceived idea of how they want things to work whereas JAIX listened to what we wanted."

Mr. Geddie is an industry veteran who has worked in the cab and courier industry for more than three decades, with stints at Suburban, Yellow Cabs and DX Couriers before founding ACEIT.

"All the operator needs to do is type in the first three letters of a customer's name and their customer record comes on screen so you can type in the booking details," said Mr. Geddie.

Depending on whether it is an ACEIT or Suburban booking, MetroLink sends the job to the relevant operator who then dispatches it to a courier. MetroLink then allocates that job to the customer record in the accounting system.

MetroLink provides what the customer wants

Mr. Geddie said MetroLink allowed ACEIT to configure settings to meet customer needs. "When you create a new account, you set up the client as you want by using a little tickbox," he said.

"That way, if the client needs a certain appearance for their invoices, such as references, order numbers, telephone numbers or departments, it's an easy adjustment to make."

MetroLink reduces paperwork and speeds up payments

Mr. Geddie said one ACEIT client was a government department with 90 divisions.

"MetroLink took the caller's name and a reference number, so the printed invoice would include charges with a subtotal by division," he said. "This let them allocate costs directly to that division, and track it to the person who made the booking, with minimal paperwork.

"This cut queries about accounts down by 80 per cent. By the second JAIX statement, instead of taking two whole days, I answered queries in 20 minutes.

"The other benefit is that you get quicker payment because you're giving clients the information they need."

MetroLink makes it easier to sell courier services

Mr. Geddie said MetroLink's main benefit was providing the invoice format required by customers.

You could sort the invoice by date, customer reference or department, depending on the way the customer wanted it," he said.

"When they receive the bill, it looks the way they want it. This ability to invoice against cost centres was a real sales tool for ACEIT. When we told prospects we could do this, it really helped the sale."