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LTT Vending: BlackBerry rollout lifts productivity

When it comes to keeping drinks machines running smoothly, LTT Vending Group knows a thing or two about the importance of providing a rapid response to its customers. But it was only when it decided to upgrade its standard mobile phones to a T-Mobile BlackBerry package that it realised how access to real-time information and email access in the hands of its roaming operators could increase productivity and cut costs, the holy grail for any business at the moment.

Operating across the country from three depots in Leeds, Leicester and Lewes, LTT maintains vending machines for high street names like the Body Shop and Next, and educational and healthcare clients, Leicester and De Montford universities and Harrow Hospital.

With annual turnover of £12 million, the company has 160 staff including 85 merchandisers responsible for checking the vending machines on customer sites, 25 field-based technicians and 35 sales and back office staff.

Fact File

Industry: Catering - vending operator

Number of employees: 160

Number of locations: 3 (Leeds, Leicester and Lewes)

Solution: T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8310 smartphones; T-Mobile BlackBerry Bold 9000 smartphones; Business 1-Plan

The challenge

The nature of the business means that vending machines have to be regularly refilled, serviced and installed in locations throughout the UK. Merchandisers and technicians need to be in constant contact with each other and their customers to keep up to speed with service updates.

In the past, the company's vans were equipped with radios for communication between the technicians and merchandisers. However, they now require downloadable information in real-time and the radios were clearly not able to offer this. 

Another issue for the management team was deadtime - a technician's job includes a lot of travelling, which is effectively non-productive and the company wanted to improve daily productivity levels. 

LTT is no stranger to mobile working practices, having been a customer of T-Mobile for over six years. As with all its contracts, its mobile communications contract is constantly reviewed.

"We needed mobile technology that would significantly improve the efficiency of our staff's working patterns and enable them to handle all queries and order updates as and when they occur. It was also vitally important that we could increase our use of mobile communications without significantly increasing our spend," said LTT Vending group finance director Chris Sutcliffe. 

The solution

While LTT staff were given standard mobile handsets in the past, they did not have access to email on the move.  Introducing smartphones required something of a sea change as staff had to change working practices and learn to use a new technology.

To access email, LTT decided to go down the tried and tested BlackBerry route. In a gradual rollout, the company issued T-Mobile branded BlackBerry smartphones - T-Mobile BlackBerry Curve 8310 and Bold 9000 models - to its staff, starting with two to three devices for each of the locations. It also shifted its call plan to T-Mobile's Business 1-Plan tariff. The Business 1-Plan tariff allows companies to purchase an allowance of minutes, text and data services to share across a number of users, providing one simple plan and one bill for all mobile communications.  

Sutcliffe said: "This new technology was a new way of working for us. We wanted to ensure that the adoption of these new smartphones was seamless for our staff and we adopted a soft approach with the introduction. However, through word of mouth, we began receiving more requests for the smartphones and found that they proved very popular."

"Our operators are able to receive data in real-time via their BlackBerry devices and can reschedule visits more easily. They are saving over two hours a week, which equates to a 10% increase in productivity," said Chris Sutcliffe

Each member of staff was trained to use the BlackBerry smartphones.  "Despite the fact that this was a new technology and a new way of working, our staff found them easy to use and they could enjoy the benefits of mobile working straight away," added Sutcliffe.

The benefits

With a demanding workload, LTT's employees need to have the flexibility to manage their high workloads and be responsive to issues which arise throughout the day. Vending machines require frequent cleaning and servicing, which means that not only are there numerous machines to service weekly, but any issues need to be responded to quickly before they cause inconvenience to customers. Certain vending machines require multiple services a month and being able to reschedule services in real-time has really improved the productivity of the operations staff.

"Our operators are able to receive data about the machines in their territory in real-time via their BlackBerry devices and can reschedule visits more easily. In fact, we have calculated that they are saving over two hours a week of lost time, which equates to a 10% increase in productivity," said Sutcliffe. 

Cost savings

While the technology rollout was one thing, cost issues were paramount. LTT undertook a cost/benefit analysis and found that switching to T-Mobile's Business 1-Plan could save them a considerable amount of money.

"We have stayed with T-Mobile over the last six years, mainly due to the price of their tariffs.  However, we noticed a significant saving when we opted for the Business 1-Plan and increased the number of BlackBerry smartphones on our contract. Despite our number of BlackBerry smartphones and mobiles rising from 30 to 120 devices, the cost each month remained the same. Our T-Mobile account manager continually aims to ensure that our tariff suits our usage and this is one of the reasons we have been a customer for so long," explained Sutcliffe.

Flexible working

Many of LTT's operations staff are working mothers and staff with caring responsibilities. The company operates a flexible working policy so they can start and finish work early to fit in with the school run and family commitments; staff can also work from home for two or three days a week and some sales and administration employees work flexible hours to avoid the rush hour.

"We understand that our staff work better if they have the flexibility to choose their hours of work. We have a number of staff members who avoid the morning and evening rush hour by working different hours to the usual 9-5.  Having the right mobile technology in place to allow them to plan their jobs in advance from home means they can work more efficiently and avoid long working hours," said Sutcliffe. 

Adding an edge to competitive pitches

There have been other unforeseen benefits of the BlackBerry rollout. The ability to promote their mobile and flexible working abilities has proved useful in differentiating themselves from the competition in pitches. 

"It seems that the use of BlackBerry smartphones is pretty new in our industry and this has helped in winning new business," said Sutcliffe. "Prospective clients like to know we are responsive to their needs and we have managed to win business on the back this.

LTT: reaping benefits

* 10% increase in productivity

* Increased responsiveness

* Considerable cost savings on Business 1-Plan

* Mobile broadband access key to client relationships

"We have also been able to get a deal signed as a result of our salesman having access to emails. This salesman was leaving a pitch and checked his emails on his Blackberry in the car park, emailed over revised quotes and the prospective client asked him to return: within five minutes the deal was signed.

"The T-Mobile BlackBerry smartphones have enabled LTT Vending to react quicker and respond more efficiently to the demands of customer needs. We can now respond in real-time, which is an invaluable benefit."

The future

The current economic climate has not affected LTT's IT spending plans and it plans to roll out the BlackBerry devices to all field-based staff.

"In the current economic climate we know we need to keep a close eye on our spending. We are aiming to move all our mobile users over to T-Mobile BlackBerry devices as we can see the benefits for both staff productivity and our own bottom line," concluded Sutcliffe.