How the web, satellites and cell phones help FTD florists improve delivery

Many of the customer service calls coming into FTD florists pertain to the status of online orders. Now a system that uses the web, satellites and cell phones is speeding delivery while providing real-time status and cutting down on calls, FTD says.

“FTD’s wireless solution is saving us approximately 15 minutes per delivery, which translates into another full hour of deliveries we can make per day,” says Herbert Stacy of Stacy’s Florist, an FTD member florist in Hinesville, GA.

FTD is using the web-based, wireless etrace delivery-tracking software system from Minneapolis-based Gearworks. The etrace system, branded “Mercury Delivery powered by etrace” for FTD, is designed to work with cell phones that feature global positioning satellite technology.

FTD automatically forwards online orders to its member florists over its proprietary Mercury order network, which florists can access from their own desktops. But until now, florists have had to relay order status information to and from drivers in phone calls.

The system provides delivery people with constant communication with the florist shop. By using his cell phone to access the etrace application, a driver can use the GPS technology to view the most efficient delivery routes as well as driving instructions for multiple orders. Once an order is delivered, the driver uses the cell phone to update the etrace application, allowing the florist to see that the delivery was completed.

While en route, the etrace application uses GPS to track the real-time position of the driver’s cell phone. The florist can then view the driver’s location at any time on a map in the etrace application. “The solution’s real-time mapping enables us to tell customers exactly where their delivery is and when it will arrive, allowing us to provide a whole new level of customer service and increase customers’ overall confidence in us,” Stacy says.