Detica keeps the AA on the move
Client name: The AA
Project at a glance
- The Automobile Association (AA) is the UK's largest motoring organisation and breakdown service.
- The AA is committed to repairing as many of its members' cars by the roadside as possible.
- Detica designed and implemented a GPRS Mobile Technology Infrastructure (MTI) system that provides the core of the AA's job allocation process.
- The call-out procedure for AA patrols is now fully automated and hugely simplified, and, as the MTI is integrated with the AA's central dispatch and information systems, more cars can be fixed at the roadside than ever before.
The client
Established in 1905, the Automobile Association (AA) is the UK's longest running and largest motoring organisation with over 12 million members and a 3,600 strong patrol force offering breakdown assistance across the country.
Customer satisfaction is of paramount importance to the AA and, since its conception, it has been committed to reducing the inconvenience for customers of breaking down by repairing as many vehicles as possible by the side of the road.
The business challenge
As part of an ongoing commitment to its members, the AA announced in December 2002 that it would be making a £30 million investment in new technology to provide all 3,600 of its patrol force with state-of-the-art roadside diagnostic equipment by September 2003.
Part of this would see the AA replacing its private mobile radio network, which was proving very costly to run and lacked the enhanced functionality now available on modern mobile networks, such as the use of the internet for transporting data.
The association aimed to simplify the call-out procedure for its customers by supplying its patrols with laptop computers that can be plugged into a car's electronics. This not only enables them to diagnose the cause of a breakdown, but also gives mechanics instant access to the AA's wealth of technical support information.
Detica was chosen as the AA was impressed with the consultancy's track record in the development of mobile solutions and understanding of the complex technical issues associated with mobile workforce solutions.
How we helped
Detica designed and developed the communications infrastructure behind the AA's mobile workforce solution. Based on a public GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) network, the state-of-the-art system - called Mobile Technology Infrastructure or MTI - replaced the old mobile radio network. Detica is also providing round-the-clock support and maintenance service to the AA for the next three years.
In order to make the new system even more reliable than the old one - which was owned and operated exclusively by the AA - and to combat occasional bandwidth issues associated with GPRS, Detica used innovative message queuing technology to optimise network use; if a patrol does not have a mobile connection then the message will be stored and delivered as soon as network connectivity becomes available. The technology also uses specialised rules to overcome some of the inherent, complex technical constraints of GPRS, such as high network latency.
The system was also engineered to include a seamless back-up facility in case any component of MTI should fail. The whole communications platform was then integrated directly with the AA's existing and highly successful central despatch system, called AAHelp.
Implementation was greatly assisted by Detica's cutting-edge internal development and testing laboratory at its Guildford headquarters. This permitted live testing before work was carried out at the AA sites, meaning that the project length could be reduced by a number of months. Detica has also minimised the training times for the new solution, since the interface has been built to look similar to the one it replaces, ensuring end users are already familiar with the system.
Outcome and benefits
MTI is critical to the efficiency of the AA's operations, providing the core of its job scheduling and resource management process. Patrols receive instructions from the system on the next breakdown they are scheduled to attend and use it to update the operations centre on their location and status.
The Panasonic laptop computers used by patrol personnel have Detica-built interfaces linking in with the AA's central despatch system. This greatly simplifies the call-out process, through full automation. Once the call-out is complete, this is registered automatically with the despatch centre and the next assignment given.
The MTI is currently meeting all of its Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with, on average, 98% of messages delivered to patrols within 15 seconds.
The client said
Chris Bailey, Head of Business Systems, AA Road Services, says: "The decision to choose Detica was a natural one as it has carried out projects with all five mobile operators in the UK. This excellent track record was a key factor for such an important venture and as a result we've had a seamless crossover to the new system".
"We believe MTI is enabling the AA to maintain its world-class service to members and offer more reasons than ever for motorists to choose to join us over any other breakdown organisation."
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