On any given day, Fox drivers and employees are spread around the country, working 24/7 to make sure that deliveries are accurate and on time. Technology is crucial for connecting everyone wherever they might be.
“Nobody is alone out there,” said Mary Anne Fox, CFO. “Sometimes they have problems and they need to call somebody for help – what do I do, I can’t deliver this, I got in an accident, I need to call someone – they call here and we have to have the internet up because they’ll either get ahold of us through phone or email.”
Pocket Knife for Server Wasn't a Confidence Builder
Before partnering with Accent Computer Solutions for managed IT services, the company had been resourcing IT internally and, supposedly, everything was going okay. One day Maryanne went into the server room and discovered that their IT guy had stuck a pocket knife into a server to keep it going. If that was a signal for his expertise, then Maryann knew that they were in trouble. The next thing she did was to bring in Accent.
Technical Assistance to Meet Sophisticated Customer Requirements
Since they’ve been working with Accent, Fox Transportation has updated their servers and their IT network has been brought in line with industry best practices. They have also had the help they’ve needed to meet the sophisticated communication specs of their large customers.
Not having to be the middleman for the type of technical discussions that have to take place for setting up EDI and similar systems has been a huge benefit.
“Accent will help us do that because they know what’s at the other end and what needs to be provided so we can do it,” said Maryanne. “Otherwise it would be very difficult. You’d have to have somebody here full time running around doing it, but we don’t have to because we have Accent.”
Reliable Technology Keeps Them Rolling
Fox Transportation relies heavily on IT support from Accent to make sure that they can keep operations rolling and keep up with all of the administrative functions that go along with each delivery.
Many drivers out in the field now use smartphones to streamline business processes. They send bills of lading and paperwork to the office after delivery so the customer can be invoiced right away. Maryanne works from home sometimes and needs to have access to administrative and financial information. Drivers and dispatchers who work at night and on weekends are supported 24/7
“We really rely on Accent a lot," said Maryanne. “If we go down, we’re in trouble and we know who to call because you have someone on call all the time too.”
