When Eclipse Couriers decided that its crash-prone courier management system was holding it back, the company, which operates in Sydney and Melbourne, selected JAIX Logistics Software as the replacement system. Since implementing JAIX in October 2011, Eclipse Couriers has experienced no unplanned downtime while JAIX’s ease of use and reliability has seen Web bookings soar 40 per cent.

What Eclipse says

“Prior to JAIX, all my focus was on the system and making sure it was operating properly. Now I can use that time to focus on the business and where we are heading - which is what I should be doing. From a management point of view, JAIX has allowed us to focus on the business rather than putting out fires.”

Eddie Camilleri
Director, Eclipse Couriers

Company

Eclipse Couriers

Industry

Courier Services

Location

Sydney and Melbourne

Business Problem: System instability meant customers could not trust IT

Eclipse Couriers is an Australian company with a fleet of vehicles operating in metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne. Established in 1997 with a fleet of less than 10 vehicles, Eclipse aimed to provide its customers with a reliable and competitive delivery service.

Now with 75 vehicles in Sydney and 30 in Melbourne, Eclipse plans to further extend its East Coast coverage by establishing a direct presence in Brisbane during the coming year. Eclipse employs an internal staff of 12 in Sydney and five in Melbourne.

Eclipse directors Phil Riley and Eddie Camilleri, who came to the company from a customs and freight forwarding background, recognise that the business requires effective technology to handle the complex needs of freight forwarders and customs brokers.

However, in 2010, Eclipse Couriers identified that its business technology had problems that were holding back the company’s ability to grow.

Eddie Camilleri said the biggest problem was system stability. ”We consistently had system crashes, so there was a lot of downtime, especially with sending data to vehicles,” he said.

“Since the system was never stable, our client base never wanted to use the web booking function because it would fall over halfway through booking a job. We used to get complaints all the time about clients being thrown off the system.”

“Another issue was that we had to adapt to the system rather than it fitting us. Our former provider had the attitude that we had to fit our business with how their system worked.”

JAIX Solution: “A good fit provided by like-minded people”

Eclipse Couriers began looking for a replacement business management system in the middle of 2010.

Mr Camilleri said the company was seeking a system that could deliver the stability, the booking and allocations tools along with the Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capability that customers required. “Because we do a lot of work for freight forwarders and customs brokers, our business is not just a straightforward matter of moving a parcel from point A to point B,” he explained.

“These freight forwarders and brokers are multinational companies for which technology with EDI and updating their systems in real time is becoming the norm.

“We came across JAIX online. We were looking for people who were like-minded, so we went through a fairly detailed evaluation to make sure they would fit our requirements.

It was quite a long process, which took more than 12 months before we made a decision to go with JAIX. After completing this process, we decided JAIX was a good fit.”

As well as choosing the JAIX software to deliver its core business operations, including couriers and distribution, accounts and payroll and web-based customer self-service, Eclipse Couriers outsourced its entire network to JAIX, from the keyboard right through to the Cloud.

Eclipse Couriers comprehensively examined the capabilities of the JAIX software, even visiting the JAIX head office and software development centre and met with other JAIX clients in the courier industry. Eclipse Couriers worked with JAIX for six months to ensure the new software could take over seamlessly from its former system.

“You don’t want to rush things when you undertake a change like this,” explained Mr. Camilleri. “We wanted to make sure everything was 100 per cent right when we moved.”

JAIX went live at Eclipse Couriers on the long weekend in October 2011, providing the company with a stable platform for growth and performance and the ability to dynamically implement changes across the business to meet emerging demands.

Business Benefits: Web bookings increased by as much as 40%

Mr. Camilleri said the “the beauty of JAIX is their system is very stable”. “In an industry that is time-sensitive such as ours, stability is crucial,” he said.

“To be honest, I can’t think of any downtime since the JAIX system went live in October 2011. I must admit I don’t miss those 5am phone calls from someone saying ‘we can’t connect to the system’.

“Even more important is the ability and willingness of JAIX to listen to us and to change the system to suit us.”

Mr. Camilleri said the JAIX Web booking function delivered one of the biggest benefits. “The ease of booking online has allowed us to increase Web bookings by 30-40 per cent,” he explained.

“That gives our staff more time to focus on customer service rather than just taking telephone bookings. With JAIX, I can see how many Web bookings we’ve received quickly and easily. Just being able to see numbers clearly has delivered us some gains.”

“Also JAIX contains a GPS component that allows us to tell the customer where the driver is. By just looking at the screen, we can answer the question within seconds.”

“JAIX has streamlined everything, from the web booking and communicating with the driver via PDAs to the deliveries and reporting.”

“Prior to JAIX, all my focus was on the system and making sure it was operating properly. Now I can use that time to focus on the business and where we are heading - and that is what I should be doing. From a management point of view, JAIX has allowed us to focus on the business rather than putting out fires.”

Eclipse is not sitting on its laurels with the improvements already delivered by JAIX. The company is currently implementing an EDI function to upload POD (Proof of Delivery) images with pickup and drop off timestamps. Beyond that is an intention to link courier GPS data with the Eclipse website to allow customer self-service.

Mr. Camilleri said what stood out about JAIX was the company’s willingness to listen and to make its software fit the Eclipse business. “I’d have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending JAIX,” he said

“In fact, I’ve already suggested to three or four companies that they should at least have a look at JAIX. Dealing with JAIX has been a pleasure.”

About JAIX http://www.jaix.com.au

JAIX Logistics Software is a privately-owned Australian company that designs, develops and delivers successful technology for Australia’s logistics sector. Since it was established about 30 years ago, JAIX has developed innovative solutions for leading transport companies across national and local freight, warehousing, express courier, parcel and distribution operations.

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