Internal Tracking

Types of Internal Tracking

Our off the shelf tracking system called DeliveryPoD tackles any kind of “internal tracking” as well as “external tracking”. If you want to look at a specific area, please click on the appropriate description below:

  • Mailroom / Postroom Tracking

    – Track inbound mail and parcels. These may be Collected (Collection based Postroom), Delivered (Delivery Based Postroom) or both (Deliver to some Departments, whilst others Collect Items).

    • Collection Based Postroom

      Typically when an item is received it will automatically email the addressee to invite them to collect their item. It can then automatically remind them at set times.
      If there is no email address for a person, the system is typically configured to print a Collection Card which can be placed in the addresses pigeon hole.

    • Delivery Based Postroom

      Here we use a Smartphone to deliver the items to people at their desks or to set delivery locations.

    • Collection and Delivery Postroom

      You may need to Deliver items to say “The Medical Centre” and “Finance Team”, but others are expected to collect their items.
      Typically items for collection are booked in on a “Collection Service” and these will send a “Come and Collect” email. Those booked in on Delivery Service will either not send an email, or will send a different email (i.e. Not a collect email).

      More Information or click on “Contact Us”

  • Residential Tower Block Parcel Tracking

    – Book in items, email the tenant and get them to sign when they collect their items.

  • Halls of Residence Parcel Tracking

    – Receive parcels and recorded mail for students, automatically email the student to ask them to collect and finally sign for their items on a signature pad.

  • Business Centre Package Tracking

    Track inbound parcels for tenants. Typically these are booked in, an email automatically goes to the tenant, who signs when they collect their items on an electronic signature pad

  • Enterprise Tracking

    Track desk to desk, but where the desks are in different offices.
    More Information or click on “Contact Us”

  • File and Document Tracking

    Track files and documents into storage, out of storage, allocate to members of staff / customers etc.

    Click on “Contact Us” for more information

  • Asset Tracking

    Track all types of assets such as Furniture, Keys, IT Equipment around your infrastructure.
    More Information or click on “Contact Us”

Web Based System

Being a modern system, it is of course web based so you can access the main system via a web browser such as Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox. This has many benefits:

  1. No need to install software onto lots of PC’s
  2. You can access the system from the nearest PC
  3. Mobile devices such as Tablets (Apple iPad, Android Tablets etc).
Web Based Tracking System

Hosting Options

Customers can choose to host the Website themselves or they can ask us to host it for them (which most do).

If we are hosting, our solution complies with UK Data Protection Acts and was certified to meet  “UK Secure by Design” standard by a large UK Public Sector organisation.

  • Hosted In UK
  • Backup Hosted in UK
  • Meets ISO Certifications for both Main Host and Remote Backup
  • PCI Scan Option
  • “Secure by Design”
  • Company has Cyber Essentials Certification

More Information on Hosting

MOBILE COMPUTERS & BARCODES​

Barcodes (or sometimes RFID tags) are produced for items that you wish to track.

Mobile Computers are then used to track items through the various tracking stages that have been configured for you.

Barcodes are used extensively both on items being tracked as well as on Mail Trolleys and Physical Locations. So for example a “Scan Into Storage” stage may ask the user to scan the location barcode (or select via a menu) and then scan the items they are putting into that location.

Signatures can be captured by people signing on the screen.

Photographs can be taken using the inbuilt camera to record / prove things such as failed delivery attempts (take picture of locked door or empty desk), damage or installation (take picture of item where it was installed).

Data can be sent back to the website via Wireless LAN, Mobile Phone Network (3G, GPRS etc) or a simple desk cradle.

Android Mobile Computers with built in barcode readers are used to track parcels
Mobile Computers can send their data via Wireless LAN, 3G, 4G, 5G and Ethernet Cradles

Tracks Any Type of Item

DeliveryPoD can track any type of item. We divide items into 2 main camps:

1) Single Journey Items – these are typically letters, parcels and documents that need to be tracked from Point A to Point B at which point they are deemed to be delivered and tracking stops.

Our dedicated Mail Tracking and Parcel Tracking modules provide the perfect answer for these types of items. Specialist features are geared up to the single journey, no matter whether it is going from a mailroom to a person at a desk or from a desk in one office to a desk in another country.

2) Long Term Items – These are likely to be Assets, Files and Documents that you keep for many years and need to keep track of.

These type of items are catered for with our Asset Tracking and File Tracking modules which have features dedicated to both tracking and managing these types of items.

Unlike mail and parcels you need to record things such as Category, Owner, Planned Retirement, Retired, Value, Depreciation etc. You also need to carry out things such as Location audits to make sure what you think is in a physical location is actually still there.

You may also need to loan Assets and Files to staff and customers and ensure they come back on time etc.

General Concepts

  1. In most cases we produce a Barcode to Track an item:

  2. For Postrooms we scan the Inbound Courier Barcode to obtain the Couriers Tracking No (along with Courier Name) and Record who it is for (along with any other information you may need. Then we produce a 2D Barcode for Tracking that Item. *

  3. For Logistics, we Select (or enter) who something is for and produce a 2D Tracking Barcode. *

    * A Delivery Service is selected which creates a “Due By” date and time, that can then be used for our Active Lateness Prevention Tools.

  4. For Long Term Items such as Keys, Furniture, Assets, Medical Bags, Transport Bags etc we create a Long Term Items Record (Description, Category, Owner – plus Customer Specific data fields)  and produce a Asset Barcode that tracks the item over years.

Barcodes are produced either on PC Software or via the Website.

Data collected when producing the barcode is immediately searchable. So in a Postroom you can quickly see all items for a Person, Department and/or which Courier they arrived on etc. With Long Term Items you may wish to search for all “Fire Extinguishes” owned by “Facilities Management” etc.

Mobile Computers (Android Smartphones) are then used to Track Items through any tracking step imaginable:

  • Collection
  • Delivery
  • Move to a Physical Location
  • Load a Vehicle
    Option for checking Postcode of Parcel, with Postcodes on route etc.
  • Deliver with Vehicle
    Option for Manifest – list of items and delivery points etc
  • Load Mail Trolley
  • Deliver with Mail Trolley
  • Allocate an Item to a Person
  • Loan an Item to a Person (with due back date and time)

Each Step is configured in our application generator and your staff can add, edit and delete to create your own applications.

Proof of Delivery, Collection or Task Completed

We are often asked “what options do you have to prove delivery, collection or that a step has been done?”.

Scanning a Location Barcode to prove you left something in a given location
Scanning a Location Barcode
You can sign on the Smartphone Screen to prove delivery or collection
Sign on Smartphone Screem
Take a photograph of where you left an item or of the person holding it
Taking a Photograph to Prove an Item was Delivered / Collected

Just Buy what You need

Organisations are free to purchase the modules they need and not the ones they do not.

If you only need Internal Mail Tracking, you can just purchase that module. If you just need Asset Tracking or File Tracking you just purchase the module.

You can at anytime upgrade your license to include other modules, so you know you are not just buying into a dead end system. It is also a lot cheaper than buying separate systems from multiple vendors for these reasons:

  • You can use the same mobile computers
  • We just enable a module (already installed on your system) with a license key – avoiding the need and cost of a separate installation
  • You deal with one company for multiple systems, reducing support costs dramatically

Seamless Tracking

Whilst DeliveryPoD allows you to separate out long term items (Assets, Documents and Files) from single journey items (mail and parcels) you can actually track all types of items with the same mobile computer at the same prompt!

So for example a member of staff can deliver Mail, Parcels and Assets at the same time. We call it the “Seamless Integration” of tracking systems.

Another way of looking at it is that you have a seamless tracking system for mail, parcels, assets, documents and files.

Track Anywhere

DeliveryPoD allows you to keep track of items to the following level:

  • Building / Site

    • Location (option to print location barcodes)
      • You can set up desks, filing trays, cabinets etc as separate locations and scan items into them

    • Mail Trolley (option to print Trolley Barcodes)

  • Vehicle
    • Can select Vehicle Registration etc

  • Courier
    • Select courier name, enter vehicle registration, driver name etc, possibly ask the driver to sign
  • Depot

  • Staff – You can loan or allocate assets, files to staff

  • Customers – Loan or allocate assets and files to customers

Tracking stages are configured for you in a few minutes (you can do this yourself). Each stage is given a name and you tick boxes depending on what you want the mobile computer to prompt for. Options include:

  • Obtain a Signature
  • Obtain a Persons Name (text entry)
  • Select a person from a list
  • Take a photograph
  • Record Failed Delivery Attempts (text and photograph)
  • Record Damage (text and photograph)

Some customers have configured tracking stages for proving that a process has been complete, rather than just for what we would view as normal tracking. For example one customer has a “Assessment Complete” stage where they scan an item returned for repair once the person assessing whether it is economical to repair has completed the task.