VANTIQ > Case Studies > Real-Time Dispatch System: A Mitsuiwa and Vantiq Collaboration

Real-Time Dispatch System: A Mitsuiwa and Vantiq Collaboration

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics
Functional Applications - Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS)

Applicable Industries

National Security & Defense
Telecommunications

Applicable Functions

Human Resources
Maintenance

Use Cases

Personnel Tracking & Monitoring
Real-Time Location System (RTLS)

Services

System Integration

The Customer

Mitsuiwa

About The Customer

Mitsuiwa is a company that responds to more than 1,000 customer requests every month, including maintenance personnel, security guards, caregivers, and more. The company was facing challenges in dispatching Customer Engineers (CEs) to respond to incidents and computer breakdown requests due to the manual and time-consuming nature of the process. The situation was further complicated by a national decrease in the working population, making it difficult to hire more operators and maintenance personnel to respond to issues quickly. Mitsuiwa needed a solution that would optimize operations within a limited workforce and resolve these challenges.

The Challenge

Mitsuiwa, a company that handles over 1,000 customer requests monthly, was facing a significant challenge in dispatching Customer Engineers (CEs) to respond to incidents and computer breakdown requests. The traditional process involved an operator receiving a request, referring to the personnel’s skills and schedule, and then contacting multiple individuals by phone or email to find a match. This process took an average of 30 minutes per case. Moreover, the personnel were often unavailable to take calls while working at the customer’s location or on the move, leading to repeated contact attempts, increased frustration for CEs, and longer response times for customers. Compounding these issues was a national decrease in the working population, making it difficult to hire more operators and maintenance personnel to respond to issues quickly.

The Solution

Mitsuiwa collaborated with Vantiq to develop a Real-Time Dispatch System that automates the dispatch process, replacing the manual processes of their operators. The system intelligently assigns personnel by automatically selecting the appropriate responder for the request, confirming availability and scheduling a time, and collecting the work completion report after the job is done, all with minimal input from CEs. This is achieved through asynchronous processing, allowing for multiple different workflow processes to run simultaneously. Additionally, Mitsuiwa’s service personnel can now intelligently collaborate with the dispatch system through a mobile app, ensuring CEs are kept in the loop and the system runs smoothly from the moment service personnel start their day to the completion of tasks. This eliminates the need for CEs to repeatedly phone service personnel or send multiple emails.

Operational Impact

The implementation of the Real-Time Dispatch System has led to a significant reduction in time and cost required for dispatching responders. Mitsuiwa can now select candidates by matching their skills, schedule, and current locations, deciding on the correct responders in a much shorter period of time. This has not only reduced the workload of the operators but also the response time for customers. By automatically matching and dispatching the closest engineer with the right skillset, the real-time system has improved work efficiency, enhanced the customer experience, and increased customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the system has helped resolve labor shortage issues in an aging country like Japan by automating manual work and improving productivity.

Quantitative Benefit

Reduced the average time required to arrange personnel from 30 minutes to 10 minutes per case.
Automated the manual work for the operators, improving productivity and enabling Mitsuiwa to serve a larger network of customers with fewer dispatch centers.
The system can be applied to other operations such as security guards or caregivers to help with limited workforce issues.