“Axon – It Just Makes Life Easier For Everybody!”
For over 20 years, Dan
Meaney’s Trucking Ltd. of Calgary, AB has hauled pipe throughout
Western Canada. In May, 2004 they made the leap to Axon software to
manage their operations. Arlynn Sleeman, Office Manager, speaks
about their “Axon Experience.”
Tell
us about some of the problems that you have solved using Axon
software.“
“It has certainly made a big difference in how we operate in that
there's a whole lot less work. Because you do something once, and
it's done – you don’t ever have to go back and deal with the same
info. again. It's already there, and it just splits up into all the
areas where it’s needed.
For instance, let’s talk about the dispatch
procedure. In the past, it was written down by hand, and then it had
to be transferred from the dispatch office and broken down between
each operator. And then from there you would type it up so you
actually have a decent type of statement to hand out to the guy. And
all the additional transactions and so on were done by hand and in
Excel. That's all been completely changed now. Dispatch enters their
portion, invoicing enters their portion, and then when it comes time
to do the statement, it's all there so you just print it and hand it
out. Quite easy.”
Are you operating now with the same number of
staff as you had previous to implementing Axon?
“Yeah, we haven't changed that at all. Had we continued doing it the
way we had been doing it prior to Axon, we would have had to add
somebody, but as it turned out we had to add no one. So we have
maintained the staffing level, but it just makes life a little
easier for everybody.”
Has Axon improved the way the driver and owner
operator settlements have been handled?
“Oh, certainly. As something transpires throughout the month, over
and above the trip, and you need to add something to their
statement, you just put it in, and it's there. You never have to
deal with it again. Once it's been input into the computer, it pops
up where you need it to pop up on the statement – compared to the
old way where it would have been entered manually into their
[ledger] page and then retyped onto a proper statement for them, so
we were handling the same stuff more than once. That's the biggest
thing that has changed for us – there isn't so much repetitive work
in anything.
I think the guys have a better statement - it has
far more detail than what I ever typed out on the statements way
back when. And they seem to be quite satisfied with how easy the
statements are to understand. They just provide a great deal more
information than what they had previous to the Axon program.”
How has it effected the time it takes to
prepare your statements?
“Oh, big difference! That’s why I say we didn't have to bring
anybody else on. When I sit down to do the statements, it takes us a
very short time. I don't really time it, but you know, when I sit
down, I can have it all done in the morning or far less.”
Has using the automated fuel downloads helped
you?
“Well, again, it is a very quick process. And it shows on the owner
operator statement as well. The fuel-ups never did show on the
statement before when we were doing it the old-fashioned way. So
there is more information for them on their statements.”
How do you feel about the ease of use of the
software?
“Oh, I find it very simple to use. It's certainly user friendly and,
of course, the support is there when you need it so that’s a big
issue as well.”
How would you describe the training that you
received?
“The training was very good. I managed to retain a fair bit of it.
Every now and then, you'd forget a little bit of it, and when you
would call, the help was right there so it was great. They were very
patient with us, and you never felt like, oh jeez, maybe I shouldn't
be calling them because I sound like an idiot. So it was great
working with them.”
If one of your peers in the industry were to
ask you about Axon, how would you describe your experience?
“I have always said that getting this software was one of the best
things we'd ever done. I can’t imagine how we would have carried on
the way we had been prior to Axon. As far as how the system works,
the support that we've had, the training that we had is great. I’m
completely satisfied! As far as the software goes, it has certainly
made my life a great deal easier. I actually get to work a little
less every day so that's nice. I like that.”
If you had to do it all over again, would you
do the same thing?
“Oh, yeah, and I would have done it sooner than we did. We had
actually looked at Axon several years before that, but, for whatever
reason, we didn't do it then.”
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