Large Freight Company Increases Options, Cuts Costs
Highlights
- The money saved on cellular costs went toward the purchase of new devices for the drivers.
- Runs on any cellular and WiFi network for complete coverage.
- History feature protects drivers while helping employees stay updated.
- Zello works on most phones, allowing users to take advantage of advanced smartphone features.
YRC needed a new push-to-talk (PTT) solution for dispatchers to communicate with drivers because Nextel was shutting down. Besides that, the cost for phone calls was very high. The service ran on only one network, which didn’t provide enough coverage for this company. After much research, YRC selected ZelloWork for its PTT needs.
Challenges
With the shutdown of the Nextel PTT service, YRC needed a new solution to allow dispatchers to communicate with drivers. The previous solution was very expensive and only ran on one cellular network. This was a big problem because YRC has terminals all over the nation, and there were areas that lacked cellular coverage. “We needed something reliable, that we could use with our drivers all over the country to communicate our issues, to serve our customers better,” said Don Aye, project manager.
Solution
YRC looked at Mobile Tornado, but it had console and volume problems. In requiring a PTT service capable of servicing approximately 11,000 devices, YRC also considered Motorola PTT and AT&T Enhanced PTT. However, it ruled out both options due to high pricing plans. In addition to offering better pricing plan, YRC chose ZelloWork for the support team’s responsiveness and its 24/7 support.
Along with installing Zello on all the phones with Zello, the IT department sent a trainer to the sites. The trainers showed employees how to use the mission critical delivery application and Zello. They also created documentation for the drivers and produced a video for the terminals.
How Zello Helped
Because of ZelloWork, the company has more phone choices than it did with its previous solution. Furthermore, the phones are optimized pickup and delivery services because the newer phones have a scanner plus other features and are compatible with the existing mission critical software.
Before Zello, it was tedious to enter zip codes and letters because they had old phones requiring they use the keypads for data entry. The previous network didn’t have complete coverage. This not only made communications difficult but also inconvenienced drivers in requiring them to use their own personal cell phones or borrowing the customer’s phone. Thanks to Zello’s ability to work with all carriers, this problem no longer exists. Although drivers aren’t allowed to use phones while driving, they can listen to dispatcher messages and make changes in their routes as needed. Zello also saves all messages in its history feature, a critical one for the drivers as it allows them to check missed messages.
What can Zello do for Your Organization
If you need instant voice communications for your team, please contact our Sales team to request a demo of Zello Work, or start a free 30-day trial. We look forward to helping you explore the many ways in which Zello Work changes the way people communicate and collaborate in the frontline.
About YRC Worldwide
Based in Overland Park, Kansas, YRC is a large freight and logistics company providing transportation and delivery services in North America, Canada and Puerto Rico. YRC serves a wide client base including major companies in industrial, commercial and retail sectors. Its employees do more than just get packages from point A to point B. They’ve saved lives, stopped crime and carried a tuba for one-half a mile, up a steep and muddy mountain road, to a customer’s doorstep. (Tubas weigh 20 to 25 pounds!)
- Industry: Transportation
- Mission: Transport goods and products safely while being committed to environmental sustainability.
- Founded: 1924 as Yellow Cab Transit Co.
- Cool fact: Linehaul drivers drove 25,443,130 miles without a preventable accident.