The route to success
July 1st 2005

Paragon’s fixed routes have been praised by Albany Washroom Services for their role in its recent expansion. Adapted swiftly for this specialist washroom and hygiene services application, the system has accommodated new business while maintaining service and efficiency levels. In fact, this team effort has enabled Albany Washroom Services to grow its business at a rate of 70 new calls a month while improving planning and transport efficiency throughout its operation.

So significant is the amount of new business being won by Albany Washroom Services that Paragon is being put to work three times a week to reassess the efficiency of its fixed routes. Having already been programmed to factor in constraints ensuring consistency for existing customers, Paragon rapidly produces new, optimised, routes incorporating the new customers. It also comes up with creative solutions such as double-shifting ideal for 24-hour a day customers such as the Metropolitan Police.

Driver continuity is important to Albany Washroom Services therefore they like the same driver to visit the same customer, for example, weekly collect cabinet towels, fortnightly for mats of every four weeks for hygiene bins. To provide a way of planning in new business while meeting existing customer constraints, Albany turned to Paragon to provide a suitable routing and scheduling solution. “This operation is a testament to Paragon software’s success because it takes all these things into consideration and yet is easy to use,”says Albany’s Adam Speck. “With the Paragon software has been very easy to incorporate new business into our operation and we’ve had the added benefit of being able to make efficiency savings in the form of a 7% cut in mileage and fuel usage as part of the process.” So pleased has Albany been with the whole Paragon package that when it was recently put forward for an Essex Countywide Business Award for Excellent Customer Service it showed the system to the judges as an example of its IT support. Albany won the award. Next year, Albany intends to call on this support in a different way. “We will be using Paragon for strategic selling purposes”, says Adam Speck.

The sales team will look at the plans and see which vehicle routes have spare time or capacity. We can then target these geographical areas and increase business in the most economical way.”