NetDespatch has announced an innovative multifunctional mobile web platform. NetDespatch Agility allows a single mobile device to be used for an array of specialist functions by accessing web-hosted software and databases. Using this NetDespatch Software as a Service platform, the functionality of the device is determined simply by entering different login codes. This allows the application to be automatically configured for the role of the current user.
The innovation is a result of new web technology developed by NetDespatch
and a major advancement of the company's Agility platform, which was first
launched in 2007. Agility runs on mobile devices and complements
NetDespatch Velocity online booking and tracking, giving live access to the full range of NetDespatch web-hosted services and providing instant traceability via the web of all tracking stages. Through a unique login ID assigned to different users, the same device changes function depending on the requirement.
"Agility allows a mobile device to react like a chameleon, changing its
appearance to match the person holding the device. This is one of the great
innovations to result from the web and at NetDespatch we have taken
advantage of this to develop solutions in the parcel tracking market," says
NetDespatch CEO Becky Clark.
Equipped with mobile devices usually incorporating barcode scanners,
drivers, couriers and other mobile workers use Agility to receive jobs and then report job status such as a parcel scan and electronic signature at the
point of delivery. A key feature of Agility is that it eliminates the need for
conventional pre-built manifests. Instead, manifests are built dynamically
when the driver 'pulls' data from the web-based system by scanning the
parcels.
Through the web, the device can be used for any number of tasks. "We see
Agility as the commercial equivalent of the iPhone, allowing many different
applications to run on a single device. Agility has the benefit of also
being fairly device independent so it will run on a series of PDAs,
smartphone or wireless scanners depending on the requirement," comments Clark.
NetDespatch Agility has been developed primarily for managing courier and
parcel deliveries and allows, for example, users to scan barcode labels,
capture signatures and provide real-time Proof of Delivery (POD). Wirelessly
connected to NetDespatch web servers, Agility provides live data for
instant updating of consignment tracking websites.