Background
Infocabs is a UK all-round routing, tracking and taxi dispatch system for the transportation industry. Focusing on both the mini cab and licensed taxi enterprises, Infocabs is a UK success story having developed their management platform from the ground up
At the heart of the Infocabs management platform is a range of highly effective tools that include booking, despatch, payment, driver management, and business analysis. Having stemmed from the transportation industry, Infocabs’ founders have worked closely with providers to hone a platform that integrates seamlessly into their busy operations. Key to the platform’s effectiveness is its ability to be accessible and easy to use, whether as a fleet manager or frontline driver.
The Challenge
The evolution of Infocabs’ intelligence-based platform has also included development of the most suitable in-vehicle hardware to meet the operator’s needs. Whilst dedicated ruggedised terminals have been the preferred choice, more recently enterprises have started switching to handheld mobile devices including Samsung and HTC. To these, Infocabs have injected their own DNA within the units so that signal strength and dead spots between cellular cells have no impact on the overall performance of the management platform.
Early in the product’s life, the Infocabs management team identified a need to rationalise connectivity – a fundamental part of the service delivery. The team faced a number of challenges: As a relatively new market entrant, potential clients were wanting rapid roll-outs of their new systems, with no glitches; Infocabs’ business model dictated that their customers should develop direct relationships with airtime providers; and most important of all, the platform required the ability to limit usage of the device’s SIM to data – plus ‘cap’ the amount of data used on a monthly basis. To all of these challenges, the major networks were simply not able to adapt a combined voice/data offering to the particular needs of transport operators across the UK.
The Solution
To address these obstacles, Infocabs turned to Wireless Logic – Europe’s leading M2M Managed Services Provider. Faced with a ‘must-have’ list of requirements, the Wireless Logic team set about developing a tailored solution to enable all Infocabs’ UK customers to experience best-in-class connectivity complemented with a suite of relevant management tools.
Providing a choice of 26 European networks including all of the UK’s main operators, the first stage was to create a range of data-only capped tariffs with network selection appropriate to the geographic location. Though optimal network tools are available, in most instances local fleet operators can identify the best network to their geographic location. Importantly, speed to market was critical, and by having a focused solution to hand, time to implement would be cut from weeks to merely a day or so.
Secondly, the process in setting up direct accounts with Infocabs’ customers was addressed with a streamlined account approval process – by understanding the nature of the business need and the broad range of potential users, Wireless Logic were able to implement a system with efficient credit-checking protocol to minimise any potential delay.
Data usage and the possibility of misuse of the device was tackled by Wireless Logic’s industry leading platforms. The ‘SIMPro’ platform has evolved to become a vital cog in the entire M2M data connectivity environment. In its latest version, SIMPro empowers users to monitor, manage and control entire SIM estates through one window, regardless of mobile network.
With each SIM, an applied Fixed IP along with Wireless Logic’s APN enable fleet managers to individually monitor each SIM’s data usage in real-time. This capability is vital to managing costs and connectivity performance across a SIM estate. SIMPro automatically issues alerts if any SIM is nearing its data threshold – giving peace of mind and reducing the impact of ‘bill shock’.
All in all, in Wireless Logic, Infocabs found a provider who understood the business challenges in a fast-moving and responsive market sector. By creating access to data-specific M2M tariffs across all UK networks, Infocabs customers have been able to enjoy network choice, professional industry experience, and a host of value-added services to negate all connectivity challenges.
Overseas opportunities for Infocabs
With over 100 operators now connecting through Wireless Logic, more and more fleet users are turning to the extensive features being delivered by the Infocabs platform. New developments may soon include a dedicated VPN directly into the Infocabs platform giving even more control and security. And with Infocabs now being talked about overseas, opportunities may arise in Europe and the Middle East.
For now, many UK taxi and cab operators are benefiting from a seamless and effective connected platform, ensuring passengers experience hassle-free and efficient journeys, wherever may be their destination.
Working with Wireless Logic has been a breath of fresh air. They are delivering a level of service to our customers which we simply could not achieve when dealing with the mobile network operators (MNOs). By positioning themselves as a managed services provider with access to all MNOs, their response times and overlay of services have given Infocabs’ users an important and resilient solution, delivered on time, on budget and in exemplary order.