Waller Transport Services Ltd

“Business has increased substantially since Traffic and Horizons were implemented – but there has not been a corresponding increase in our staffing levels. This success can be accredited directly to the software itself.”

Adam Waller founded Waller Transport Services in 1976, to act as an intermediary in the allocation and completion of road haulage contracts. In addition to its Ipswich headquarters, the company now has branches in Rochford and Hull. Between them, these three offices are responsible for handling a huge number of haulage jobs and coordinating the activities of numerous sub-contractors.

The company had successfully used paper-based job tracking since its formation, alongside a bespoke Unix (DOS-based) accounting system. However, as the millenium approached the need for greater computerisation became increasingly obvious. Mr. Waller reviewed the position carefully and decided to update all his office systems simultaneously, with effect from September 1999 – the start of his new financial year.

The search for new solutions led quickly to his local Access Specialist Centre. After a series of demonstrations on Access and rival mid-range products, including Sage, Mr. Waller chose a 3-user Access Horizons package to run his accounts.

This decision was heavily influenced by two major factors. Firstly, Mr. Waller found Horizons extremely easy to use. He says, “Horizons is logical and transparent – you can quickly grasp the purpose of each part of the system and immediately see the consequences of each new action.” Secondly, his Specialist Centre was able to recommend a job management system specific to the haulage industry that would compliment Horizons perfectly: Traffic.

Following a brief assessment period, Mr. Waller went live with a 10-user Traffic system to run alongside Access Accounts. Closing balances were transferred from Unix to Horizons, and the combined solution went live on 1st September – on time and within budget.

The transition from paper-based to computerised procedures was hard work at first, but Traffic’s ability to mirror previous ways of working was decisive. Mr. Waller says, “Almost overnight, Traffic took over every major aspect of our day to day dealings with the outside world. With so many other changes happening at the same time, it was essential for us to gain a good understanding of our new system. Having our manual forms replicated on-screen made a huge difference. Confidence was boosted still further with the realization that support and advice was always available when we needed it.”

With little previous computing experience to draw upon, reducing the time and effort required to keep several systems up-to-date (and consistent with one another) was equally important. Seamless data exchange between Traffic and Horizons helped make this possible. Accounts staff soon began raising invoices and purchase orders out of Traffic, safe in the knowledge that the financial ledgers of their Horizons solution would be updated automatically with all the relevant detail.

Today, job information from the three separate branches is brought to head office using SQL Server Replication. From here it can be consolidated in the accounts, enabling company-wide performance to be analysed quickly and easily. Mr. Waller says, “Centralising the accounts in this way has led to significant improvements in efficiency and helped to boost cash flow. Indeed, business has increased substantially since Traffic and Horizons were implemented but there has not been a corresponding increase in our staffing levels. This success can be accredited directly to the software itself.”

Waller Transport recently moved to BACS payments and is already benefiting from the ability to automatically fax remittance advice notes to suppliers – administration has been reduced, postage costs have been eliminated and payment queries are far less frequent. Mr. Waller concludes, “This is further evidence that we have invested in flexible systems for the long-term benefit of the company. Overall, our first foray into the world of integrated office systems is proving to be extremely successful.”