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CONTENTS
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Operations
high pressure customer interface
When it comes to keeping the lid on the pressure cooker when all other pots are boiling over, operations manager Saroj Narshi is the person to do it.
A key personal trait for success in a very stressed truck hire operations department is the ability not to let your clients feel the pressure. "We are there to take over and care for transport logistical problems so pleasing a client is a serious matter. Every day brings on the pressure for us but with the right attitude, that does not reflect on customer relationships," says Narshi.
The Spartan Truck Hire Operations Department handles the interface between clients and the company in an environment where many variable factors can change in a short space of time. If it's not seasonal demands, then it's weather conditions or some other element of road transport that makes a challenge of sticking to promised delivery schedules.
But Narshi loves it. "That's what I have found most satisfying in my 18 years with Spartan Truck Hire. Each moment is a fresh experience and we take each day as it comes."
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Saroj
Narshi
"Operations
is where customers feel our efficiency and ability
without the demanding stresses that are present in every
transport operation." |
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Osman
Khan
"To
remain flexible and match ever-changing customer
demands, we stretch time and attitude." |
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Solomon
Mangena
"We
work with the attitude that the customer is always right
- without them we don't have a business." |
Having started in this industry with Perkins Truck Hire - a brand now passed into history - Narshi has spent the greatest portion of her working life in truck rental operations and is in daily direct contact with up to 25 customers and the Spartan driver complement.
Over these years, she has seen many advancements on many fronts but when asked for the one technological advancement that she feels has impacted the most on truck hire operations in the past few years, she points to the simple cell phone as being it.
"Without a doubt, cell-phones are the revolution of our business," says Narshi, adding that cell-phone technology has made a huge difference to operational efficiency.
"We are in constant contact with our drivers and clients and can divert trucks en-route to increase vehicle utilisation. Cell-phones have reduced the previously high frustration levels of this type of business. I often wonder how we ever managed before."
Like in all road transport operations, driver communications are an important aspect of the business with driver literacy as a key issue.
Computerisation has also speeded up the truck rental business into operational real-time. All Ops staff at Spartan Truck Hire are computer literate to handle invoicing and other admin issues. "We've passed from manual invoicing and documentation to computerised outputs. The size of our fleet demands this as we just wouldn't be able to keep up with manual systems," she says.
Controlling the national movement of more than 400 trucks means that road incidents will impact on the fleet - and breakdowns and accidents do occur. The operations team at Spartan Truck Hire firmly believes that the in-house workshops are an advantage when it comes to swift technical assistance in breakdown recoveries.
Osman Khan, Operations Dispatch Manager, has also seen long service in Spartan Truck Hire - 14 years to be exact, of which 12 have been in operations where he now deals with a truck fleet that grew from 30 to 300.
Osman Khan comments: "The spectrum of customer relationships that we deal with in operations range from very understanding to not very understanding. Given this, it's not always easy but the success of Spartan Truck Hire points to the whole company doing things right."
Osman sums up a common thread of business approach that runs through the whole operations team: "We really enjoy our work here. The CEO of Spartan has empowered us to operate with little interference so we get along with the job and can swiftly respond to customer requests. It's about being available 24 hours a day 'cause the wheels never stop turning."
And what's most difficult aspect of this business? Ops team member, Solomon Mangena, has the say on this: "When there is a strong demand for trucks, then vehicle availability becomes a challenge. Our service depends on vehicle availability."
Note Mangena's words "it becomes a challenge." Spartan Truck Hire looks on problems as challenges rather than obstacles - and that's one of the characteristics that that makes this company a winner.
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