Page 20 - CTB N7 - 2014-03

COMPANY NEWS
E-Jobsheet.com Set for Autumn Launch
e-jobsheet.com, the newly-developed multi-language, digital tablet-driven work exchange for truck, bus and van tyres developed by CAM International, will shortly open for registration to individual tyre service providers, allowing them to access a multitude of money and time saving functions, and be more efficient in their dealings with major tyre contract holders.
According to Steve Daly, Director of CAM International, the new e- jobsheet.com app is expected to be available late 2014, allowing dealers to receive contract, policy, vehicle and tyre data updates to their fitter tablet devices, to receive and undertake work including vehicle inspections on behalf of a contract holder, to receive visibility of completion of each job almost instantaneously, and to allow work completed to be invoiced within minutes.
According to Daly, the e- jobsheet.com concept came about as a result of discussions in 2013 with Bridgestone Europe concerning the difficulties experienced in connecting the systems used by individual service providers with the e-portal billing systems used by the major contract holders (principally the tyre manufacturers and leading fleet management companies). CAM have first-hand experience of this as they supply a commercial tyre breakdown software platform called
UniSerV, which is in various stages of implementation by a total of 16 major tyre service providers across the UK.
According to Daly, the problem has been that when service work is carried out, the job is entered into the tyre dealer’s system, but then needs to be input separately into the contract holder’s billing system. This may not only be inefficient, but also costly and subject to errors.
In discussions with Bridgestone Europe, the seeds were sown for the development of e-jobsheet, which is essentially underpinned by hub technology that allows the contract holder to securely
have a service provider’s tablet software access its business rules and contract updates for any particular fleet contract. This way the fitter is helped to attend to the contract work as defined by the contract.
It also means that service providers can manage all of their work – both direct contract and 3rd party work – through the platform.
The hub, called TiDaeX® (the commercial tire data exchange), will provide support for the systematic population of data into the contract holders’ and tyre service providers’ respective systems so there is no need to input the work separately. In developing the system, CAM International had to satisfy several requirements to make it accessible to the whole of the market. Firstly, says Daly, not all service providers will invest in significant, fully- integrated software platforms like UniSerV, particularly smaller independents who may be members of independent breakdown networks
like the ITDN and Tyrenet. e- jobsheet will offer ver y simple job management functionality to tablet subscribers so that hopefully all service providers can attend to work professionally on behalf of the contract holder via the highly intuitive tablet technology.
The system also had to allow multi- vendor access, allowing users of software other than from CAM to be able to access e-jobsheet. CAM International will build links with other vendors in the space under agreement.
With a view to developing the system on a Europe-wide level, the system also had to be multi-language and it was also deemed preferable to have an operating system agnostic platform, so that Android, Windows Mobile and Apple’s iOS could all be utilised as dictated by the needs of the individual service provider.
Says Daly; “We have found that most users will prefer to use a low cost android device, but we considered it important to keep the system open to those who preferred alternative solutions. The e-jobsheet tablet software has therefore been designed to operate on most digital tablet devices. Of course, we encourage individual testing by the service providers to ensure they have the right devices for them.” According to Daly, Bridgestone Europe has already signed up to the system and talks are now being held with other contract holders with a view to persuading them to provide participate in the system too. Contract holders would include tyre manufacturers but also major retreaders with their own fleet service packages, fleet management companies and tyre fleet networks as
well as truck service providers and truck tyre dealers with direct accounts.
Contract holders and tyre service providers wishing to access the system sign a user agreement with e- jobsheet.com (which operates independently of CAM). There is a free trial period after which there is a transparent fixed- cost fee based on the number of users joined up to the system.
Says Daly, “It’s a very simple online facility that allows those who haven’t
invested in more sophisticated platforms like UniSerV to connect to 3rd party contract holders. Any service provider anywhere can download the app. It’s that simple.” The e-jobsheet.com tablet software will be available in two subscription models available to tyre service providers. A “Stand Alone” service will be available, which is an entry- level offering and will allow a service provider to receive a digital image of each completed job sheet back via email.
An “integrated” version is also available, which in addition to transmitting the digital image back to an email address will also send job transaction data back to the subscriber in a format available for integration into contract, stock, billing and management software modules.
The issue of the security of sensitive proprietary data owned by individual contract holders is clearly an issue in developing a system such as e-jobsheet.com, and this is something which Steve Daly takes seriously.
“It is understandable that contract holders are sensitive about their data,” says Daly, “and, of course, this is a key question being posed by them at the moment. However, we are doing our best to satisfy their concerns. Of key importance is the fact that the contract holder defines their relationship with the exchange. Every practical measure is being made available to them to secure their interests. This includes the fact that the exchange doesn’t store their data. Moreover, the contract holder does not have to allow access to any information that he doesn’t want to.”
“However, e-jobsheet will provide multiple benefits for contract holders and fleets alike. For contract holders the system will result in data being provided on a consistent and well populated basis. That said, the ultimate winners will be the service providers and the fleets because everything will be able to be transacted through a single platform, aiding support for business intelligence and well as more efficient billing. The fact that the data is going straight through rather than being input at different points and times also reduces the potential for errors and inaccuracies. “e-jobsheet is ultimately about reducing costs,” he adds. “Users will gain from it in terms of being networked into third party contracts, creating a paperless system.”
20 Commercial Tyre Business