SM UK speeds invoices with CALIDUS ePOD solution

OBS Logistics has announced that Auto electrical installation company, SM UK, is implementing theCALIDUS electronic proof-of-delivery system. SM UK will useCALIDUS ePOD to reduce administration, speed up invoicing by cutting paperwork and improve cashflow by reducing the average 40-day turnaround in payments to 30 days. 

“We need to streamline the back office processes as we are groaning under the weight of the paperwork. The volume is growing and to process it manually would need more admin staff, which is an overhead we wish to avoid. The new ePOD system will reduce the time between invoicing and payment collection as we’ll be able to invoice as soon as a job is completed and signed off by the customer, which will improve cash collection and cashflow considerably,” says Steve MacDonald, Managing Director, SM UK. 

The company’s team of 15 home-based mobile engineers will be issued with Windows-based PDAs running CALIDUS ePOD, which will replace the clipboard and paper systems now in use. As each job is completed, customers sign a signature capture screen on the PDA to record that the work has been done and is satisfactory. The proof-of-delivery is transmitted live using a mobile phone network to the SM UK head office in Leeds and an invoice is sent immediately to the customer. The system will also provide a detailed electronic work report and history file for each customer.

The system uses clever integration with SM UK customers so that job orders are imported directly and these are sent electronically to the PDAs. The live system also updates each engineer’s jobs in real-time.

“We aim to be live with ePOD by the end of the year. It will make a huge difference to our operation, allowing us to grow the business and without having to increase our administrative overheads. It will boost our efficiencies and help us to deliver service improvements to our customers,” concludes Steve MacDonald. 

SM UK installs in-vehicle electronic and electrical systems for the UK’s largest vehicle operators and logistics companies. Its services are trusted by many blue chip companies, including Mercedes Benz, Tesco, Imperial Commercials - the largest DAF distributor in the UK - and Eddie Stobart. The company supplies and installs reversing cameras, hands-free communications, vehicle equipment warning systems, PSV CCTV, power monitoring with active management and satellite vehicle tracking systems.