Overnite Express Delivers Competitive Advantage with Sprint Palm® Treo™ Smartphones Protected by OtterBox Cases

Case Overview

Overnite Express is a regional express carrier serving California, Arizona, Nevada and Mexico. Having grown to almost two million deliveries annually, the company sought an innovative and robust solution to replace its existing dispatch and delivery technology. The customized Palm® Treo™ smartphone solution gives Overnite Express the distinction of being the first express carrier to visually record the location of a delivery.

Using Palm smartphones powered by Windows Mobile® and enclosed in rugged OtterBox cases, drivers have an interactive, durable solution to scan bar codes, capture electronic signatures, and immediately transmit photos and other delivery information to the company's website right through the case. The time-saving solution gives Overnite Express a competitive advantage and a projected annual savings of $30,000 in equipment alone.

Challenge: Upgrade delivery solution with durable, cost-effective tools

Steep demand for its express delivery services has helped fuel the growth of Overnite Express. With deliveries at close to two million and growing, the company needed to reengineer its dispatch and delivery technology. Overnite Express sought to build a solution which would set it apart from its well-known competitors.

The company faced:
-- A scanner which took up to 6 seconds per scan and did not prevent drivers from loading the wrong packages onto their trucks.
-- A proof of delivery (POD) component which required drivers to manually key in recipient's name.
-- Paper manifests of recipient's signatures; retrieving POD's required employees to dig through file boxes.
-- Fragile delivery devices that were expensive to replace.

Solution: Innovative custom applications for dispatch & delivery

According to Shane Lougheed, Overnite Express' VP of Systems and Technology, "We were looking for a way to stand out in a competitive market, so we thought about how cool it would be to take a picture of deliveries that were left without a signature." Overnite Express chose Treo smartphones, combined with protective OtterBox cases and integrated Socket scanners. The smartphones, running Windows Mobile, directly connect to the company's Microsoft® Exchange Server.

The solution includes:
-- Treo smartphones with embedded cameras to photograph packages left on the doorstep when signature is not available.
-- Custom dispatch and delivery applications built using Microsoft ASP.NET.
-- Protective device covers from OtterBox built to survive the rugged delivery environment.
-- Socket scanners and a fool-proof interface speeds scanning time and prevents drivers from loading packages outside their delivery area.
-- Electronic signature capture, transmitted in near real-time to the dispatch system for customer access.

Benefits: Cost-effective solution provides competitive advantage

Overnite Express' innovative solution is improving efficiency, lowering costs, and increasing the quality of service. With over 200 drivers using the solution, shaving up to 5 seconds off of every scan represents a considerable labor savings. Furthermore, Overnite Express stands apart from their competitors as the only delivery company to provide visual evidence of a delivery when there's no signature verification.

Other benefits include:
-- Near real-time communication of delivery information, available via email or the company's website, provides customers with immediate updates.
-- Custom solution provides drivers with delivery instructions, significantly reducing delays.
-- Estimated annual device replacement savings of $30,000, based on industry standard 10-15% damage rate.
-- Devices connect to Exchange Server 2007 for more secure access to delivery information.

As an added benefit, drivers have eagerly embraced the new solution. "Drivers feel empowered by having the devices. If there's any discrepancy about whether a delivery was made, the Treo lets the drivers prove that they did their job. They have a photo of the package, placed neatly at the front door, right next to the recipient's potted plant on the front porch," said Lougheed.