“Cheetah makes route planning easy and helps us to send rush deliveries to the right driver to eliminate inefficiency and reduce our fuel bills. It’s also been a huge plus on the customer service side as we know in real time if a driver is projected to be late and can notify the customer to avoid any upsets. Cheetah has been an excellent marketing tool for us to use when selling new customers. We can show them how easy it is to see delivery times and to track their shipments. Customers are most interested in accurate delivery and order tracking and Cheetah enables us to provide them with exactly what they require.”  - Tom Tunt, President, Vinlux

Transportation Startup Delivers Customer Service as Fine as its Wine

As the transportation industry struggles with soaring fuel prices and shrinking margins, only those organizations that achieve the greatest possible efficiencies can survive—and thrive. Premium wine carrier VinLux experienced this first-hand as it launched in the middle of record-high costs and a shipping market heavily impacted by a soft economy. However, an emphasis on high-tech route optimization, delivery tracking, and proactive customer service turned potential disaster into a bona fide success.

The company leveraged Cheetah Delivery, a real-time logistics system from Cheetah Software Systems, to exceed the expectations of its demanding customers while holding operating costs to a minimum during its startup phase. Furthermore, Cheetah’s software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution required a very minimal up-front investment, allowing VinLux to ramp up quickly.

“Cheetah makes route planning easy and helps us to send rush deliveries to the right driver to eliminate inefficiency and reduce our fuel bills,” said VinLux president Tom Tunt. “It’s also been a huge plus on the customer service side as we know in real time if a driver is projected to be late and can notify the customer to avoid any upsets.”

As well as providing real-time routing, delivery, and dispatch information to dispatchers, drivers, and customer service reps, Cheetah’s real-time logistics solutions informs customers on exactly what is happening with their orders. Cheetah Delivery provides continual updates on delivery sequences, optimized routing, and arrival and departure schedules. If a driver is delayed or a routing change occurs, the customer can learn the current status simply by logging on to the Web. According to Tunt, this alone eliminates over 50 percent of calls from customers, as well as sharply reducing the number of times dispatchers have to contact drivers for updates.

In addition to helping VinLux enjoy immediate efficiencies, Cheetah has helped the company generate new business. Potential customers can see immediately the added value that technology brings to VinLux in the visibility and price control afforded by Cheetah Delivery.