Waiting can be the most frustrating part of a construction job. The crew is ready, the equipment is on standby, and no one knows where the concrete is. Calls are made, promises are made, and the waiting continues. When materials are late, it creates a ripple effect that impacts every activity and significantly adds to project costs.
The answer might be coming from a “customer portal” that is being developed by Command Alkon, a software and solutions provider that recently introduced a mobile application to provide visibility in the materials delivery cycle. Called, logically, Customer Portal, the app allows materials buyers to streamline operations, self-serve monitor orders through instant, reliable data sharing, and create, manage, and track orders 24-hours a day.
Designed for both Android and iOS, Customer Portal can streamline order management and provide visibility to delivery statuses. Customer Portal is fully integrated with multiple Command Alkon software including COMMANDbatch, TrackIt, Command Alkon Dispatch systems (COMMANDseries, Integra, and the new Dispatch solution), and can also integrate with other third-party systems through open APIs (application programming interfaces).
Ticket data shared through Customer Portal informs buyers of when the driver picks up the materials and the exact quantities that are on the way to the job. Sharing order information gives contractors the insight they need to improve planning and utilization and can dramatically cut down on unnecessary phone calls—by as much as 30%, according to Command Alkon.
Sharing truck locations and ETAs provides visibility from dispatch to delivery and gives customers confidence in knowing where orders are and when they will arrive. Field personnel can monitor inbound movement of supplies so that they don’t stack up at the gate and instead can flow easily in and out of the jobsite.
Users can place orders directly to dispatch from a phone or tablet and track when the truck leaves the plant and truck location throughout the delivery process to improve planning and utilization while reducing customer friction. Customer experience is elevated through instant, reliable data sharing and transparency, while phone calls and two-way online messaging volume is dramatically reduced. Command Alkon adds that users will soon have the ability to expedite payment collection with integrated invoicing, reconciliation, and credit card processing.
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