There is a fine line between the good modern technology can bring and the difficulties we can have when using it. On the one hand, it can provide you with all the information and efficiency you need in a heartbeat. It can create happiness by booking a holiday. It can keep your banking up to date, or you can conveniently order something online to arrive at your door the next day. On the other hand, using it can be an absurd and frustrating experience that can create a dystopia, sometimes making it difficult to find human interaction, or where one innocent incorrect click can create a myriad of consequences with no positive outcome.
Such juxtaposition can be found in any vehicle recycling yard in the UK. Efficiency can occur in any well-maintained ATF – from the point of collection to the destruction of a vehicle and all the processes in between. However, such productivity can easily be negated with one slip of a finger if a CoD is recorded incorrectly. Anyone who has made such a mistake will understand the frustration and helplessness it creates for them and the customer. And those who haven’t are merely running the gauntlet against the inevitable to a place they don’t want to go.
Wishing to avoid such interaction with the DVLA plus wanting to make their own operation even more efficient, husband and wife Jamie and Millie Davies from Davies Salvage Car Breakers LTD in Nottingham went about creating an app to tackle these challenges.
ScrAPPmate has been designed to keep their team better connected, be more transparent transparency when dealing with vehicles and, more importantly, avoid costly, time-consuming mistakes.
Millie Davies said that before creating ScrAPPmate, the company had a paper system for booking in vehicles which was very time-consuming, especially if having to rebook a time slot. This process was often prone to errors.
ScrAPPmate now makes it easy for office staff to deal with customers, book time slots for collections, ensure no double bookings, handle all of the legislation and payment requirements needed and all in real-time.
Millie said that this process only takes a minute when using this app. They can also see what drivers are available for collection, and for the driver, all the details needed to collect vehicles can be found on their phone or tablet without the risk of mislaying or losing vital documentation.
Finally, the software owner can keep up to date with the purchasing of vehicles, knowing what stock is entering their yards, the security of satisfied customers, and knowing that all the red tape is handled correctly.
Millie continued to say that the app was not to be confused with software that provides leads and sells parts, but she said with the time saved using ScrAPPmate, there will be plenty of time to sell parts and run the rest of your business.
Tom Hayward, I Need Spares, Managing Director, gave his opinion on the app:
“We recently had a trial of the app, and we’re really impressed with its functionality and user experience. Great App solution for the industry!”
Simon Charlton, General Manager, from National Recycling Services said:
“We have been using ScrAPPmate for three months now and have found it to be incredibly useful for our business. Our customers upload their photo ID and bank details online prior to vehicle collection. This helps ensure that the data is both secure and accurate, no more handwritten notes and uploading ID images from cameras or phones.
We can set access for our drivers so they can login and see all their upcoming jobs in real-time, they can then mark the vehicles as collected on the system.
We are also able to set up accounts for any export customers so they can select a vehicle for dismantling prior to it even reaching our site.
All the payments for our vehicles are managed by a member of staff that is offsite. The scrAPPmate system has meant that they can see in real-time when a vehicle has been collected, and payment can be made promptly. Once a vehicle is marked as paid, it is then automatically flagged as awaiting a COD. This system has meant that we no longer rely on the “paper Trail”, and no booked-in vehicle can have its payment or COD missed by accident.
All in all, the scrAPPmate system has provided excellent value and added increased efficiency to our business.“
To find out more about how ScrAPPmate can help your business, go to
scrappmate.co.uk or call Millie Davies on 01949 861131.
