Transport and logistics · South East England
Jobs, paperwork and billing in one system
A logistics business was running jobs across email, paper and spreadsheets. We built an office system that brings each job, its documents and its billing together.
Software developmentThe client
A transport and logistics business in South East England, handling recovery work, vehicle movements and storage. Office staff coordinate jobs with drivers and manage the paperwork, charges and invoicing that follow each one.
Before OKII
The business was managing jobs across emails, paper records, spreadsheets, messaging and separate software. Details about the same job were held in several places, and staff had to move information between them as the work progressed.
A job could involve a driver handover, vehicle movements, photographs, delivery paperwork and storage charges before it reached invoicing. Those steps belonged to the same piece of work, but the office had to piece the information together from different sources.
The team wanted a clearer view of each job’s status, costs and supporting documents. They also wanted to reduce duplicate entry and make the process less dependent on people remembering every next step. Any new system needed to reflect the operation they were already running.
What we did
We started with a phone call, then visited the operation to follow the work with the team. We looked at actual jobs, driver handovers, photographs, delivery notes and the way charges and invoices were handled. That showed us what the office needed to see at each stage.
We built a shared online system around the job itself. Each job brings together an overview, costs, workflow, documents and communications. Customer and driver records, vehicle movements, storage charges and invoicing are linked to the work they relate to.
The team helped shape those job views with their own sketches and examples. We used representative invoices and delivery paperwork to develop the documents and billing around the records the business actually uses.
As the system became usable, the team tried it on live jobs. We returned to work through the process in person and used their feedback to improve photographs, paperwork, invoices and completed-job views. Secure office sign-in and a record of who made changes were added as the system developed.
The client’s part was to show us the work, try the system and point out what needed adjusting. We handled the build and turned that feedback into changes they could use in the office.
After OKII
Office staff now have a shared system where they can open a job and see its progress, costs, photographs and supporting documents. Customer and driver records are connected to it, so the team can follow the work through to billing from the same job record.
The information needed to finish and invoice a job sits alongside the operational record. Staff can refer to the photographs and paperwork that belong to it, check the charges and work through the billing with that context available.
The system is being used in the operation, with further improvements coming from live jobs and the team’s feedback. Recent work has included reporting, document output and checks on the information held in the system.
The system is in use, and we continue to support and improve it.
Start a conversation
Have a similar problem?
Tell us how the work happens today and what you would like to change. We can start with a call or email.