Birmingham, U.K. - December 21, 2011
Most people don't know how difficult the jolly elf's job really is. But if you visit the Birmingham City Mission in the United Kingdom, they can give you a pretty good idea. The Mission is responsible for the delivery of over 10,000 gifts each holiday to children and families around the world.
The Birmingham City Mission has been participating in the program for over thirty years. Reliant on donations and a volunteer network, its annual gift delivery is funded by gifts in kind, and donations both from other churches and individuals. The mission even receives the free use of a Land Rover for three weeks in December so that it can deliver gifts to needy families.
"Last year, 296 people were involved altogether. This number was made up of volunteer present wrappers, drivers and deliverers, students, software support, a personnel manager and office staff. Together, over 3,200 volunteer hours went into wrapping and delivering the presents. This doesn't include the work done by those who collect toys from churches and school children, or the referring agencies who collate the names and visit the families who will be receiving parcels," says Frank Williamson, volunteer.
But until this year, planning efficient delivery routes was left up to a database administrator, who would use software to map delivery points, but then have to place them in order manually. Not only did this take a lot of time, but it also opened the door for many errors, which could slow delivery down during a very limited deadline of a mere few weeks.
This year, however, error-free deliveries were made and drivers and volunteers were able to save over 50 hours of labour with the help of Postcode Anywhere's Route Optimiser software, smart route technology that allows for the planning of complex routes in minutes.
The software eliminates lost time due to travel errors and comprehensive route planning. Instead, users of the software only need to enter the zip codes of delivery points, where the route begins and where it ends, and Route Optimiser does the rest. Routes can be downloaded directly to a vehicle's satellite navigation system for easy access on the road.
Guy Mucklow, managing director of Postcode Anywhere said, "We're enormously pleased to be able to offer them the use of our Route Optimiser service at no cost. It's fantastic to see one of our oldest institutions, the Church, making use of the very latest technology so they can make Christmas that much more special for children across the Midlands."
Broadband service has paved the way for so many technologies such as these to slash costs and increase efficiencies. Internet providers continue to expand their networks and improve download speeds so that these types of innovations can continue to develop.
Article Author
Elizabeth Brosuga
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