Boons bvba is a family business specialized in earthworks, demolition and road works since 1983. With a large team of professionals and an extensive fleet of modern excavators and trucks, they bring every project to a successful conclusion. We were allowed to talk to Katrien Boons, who together with brother Toon forms the second generation of Boons to actively participate in the company.
Why did you go looking for a track and trace solution?
Well, the thing is that we work with a lot of trucks here every day. Although they only drive to and from our own yards, it was always a bit of a guess where exactly they were since we have to take driving and rest periods into account. Before, we had to call our drivers to ask where they were at that very moment, in order to estimate their arrival time at a yard. So we started looking for a way to make this more efficient.
So how did you come to All-Connects?
We actually started our search on the Internet. There we searched for companies that specialized in track & trace. In the end, we invited 3 companies here, including All-Connects. You were neither the cheapest nor the most expensive, but once we stand behind something, it is not necessarily the price that is the most important. And the investment turned out not to be that big either, so the system has paid for itself completely in the meantime. But what was most important for us was that we had a good feeling about it. And that was certainly the case with you guys.
The terms of the contract were also very important to us. With the other companies we really had to sign for 5 years, whereas with you the subscription can be cancelled after one year. Since we didn't know the product yet, that was a big plus for us. Don't get me wrong, no doubt some people like that that they're tied to a contract for 5 years, but at the end of the day you have to get to know each other a little bit. So on that front, that was also a reassurance.
How do you experience the online management application?
The platform is actually really tremendously easy to work with. We just look up the driver's name and we can see perfectly where he is exactly and what route he has followed. Therefore, we actually do have a perfect picture of how our drivers are driving. Now it's not like we're really into checking them for all those things, it's mostly to work easily and efficiently.
We have about 15 trucks. So it's not like we have 200, but it's still easy. Now if we want to know which truck we can urgently send to a yard, we just check on the platform where a driver is and then we can brief him for the next job. We work closely together and there is a family atmosphere. Each of our drivers we know very well, so it's nice that we can be so short on time.
Everything does come together very smoothly. It's certainly not like I have to think "How should I do that again?" every time. Because even though I haven't made any adjustments for a while, I can still adjust everything myself in a few minutes. That was the main objective for us and it has certainly been achieved.
Do you use the smartphone app often?
Yes, because take our business manager, for example. He is 61 and is totally into it. I installed the application on his smartphone and he can follow everything perfectly. We also chose to give all trucks the name of their driver, so we don't have to remember license plates. That also makes it very accessible to our site managers. They can work with it perfectly. All colleagues in the office here also have a login, so everyone always has access to the same information.
Do you notice any differences or advantages versus before in operational functioning?
Sometimes trucks are operating on one job site, and a site manager on another job site desperately needs an extra truck. That used to be really difficult to arrange all that. We then had to call our drivers to ask where exactly they were driving and for which yard. That communication was not always easy, since a lot can change in a short period of time. Now everyone can simply open the application and consult the information.
Now suppose we need to take a person away from one site to send to another site, we know exactly which site manager we need to contact to check whether that is possible. Because of course we also have to make sure that the work for the person working with the crane doesn't come to a standstill if we take someone away. So that's definitely a whole lot more efficient and easier.
How do you experience the service offered by All-Connects?
I am not the type of person who e-mails when there is something; I much prefer to call. With you I always get someone on the line who helps me well. Even when I call to make an appointment, for example, I immediately get a ticket number. If I get someone else on the line afterwards, that person still knows exactly what it's about. For me as a customer, that's just easy. And if I'm not mistaken, you have an installer from Kasterlee, which we also like because it's someone from the area. He always brings everything in perfect order, so we are really satisfied with that.
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