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Front loaders. Rear loaders. Side loaders. Whatever the configuration, your solid waste trucks are designed to do a very specific job. You’re not picking up trash with a school bus or taking kids to school on a snow plow — as much as they might enjoy that! The point is, you make sure you’ve got the right tool for the task at hand.
Using all-purpose software to manage your solid waste and recycling program is like doing trash rounds with a horse and wagon – quaint, but very much a thing of the past.
Municipalities and haulers gain a number of benefits when they use waste-specific software to plan, manage, and promote their solid waste and recycling programs. Enterprise software that’s been purchased for use by adjacent municipal or business departments simply isn’t well suited to waste management data and processes.
Get more benefits with the right software
The right software tools can add money-saving efficiency to your waste management program, serve and educate residents, and even lead to tangible environmental benefits. Centralized decision makers may suggest adapting platforms that have already been purchased with the idea of making the most of an existing investment. It’s important to understand the cost, timing, and limitations of this strategy:
Cost – In order to adapt an enterprise software program to the specific needs of waste management, you’ll need to hire consultants and programmers who can build it out based on your specs. If, by chance, you have an internal resource who could take this on, they’ll still have to be pulled off other work until it can be completed.
Timing – The development cycle for software customization can be extensive, and it’s usually difficult to justify when compared to solutions that you can put to work immediately. You also need to consider the time it takes for users to learn a program that may be less intuitive and task-specific.
Limitations – Software programs that are purpose-built for the waste industry are designed to address the issues you’re dealing with every day. For example, route optimization (different from sequencing) is different for haulers who take the same routes every week compared to other fleet situations. And nothing new has to be built for in-cab screens when you can get waste-specific software that communicates directly with the central office.
Just as attorneys and CPAs have their own software programs for managing clients, documents, and billable hours, at ReCollect (A Routeware Company) we’ve assembled a suite of integrated tools designed with one industry in mind.
All the products and integration you need
When you choose software solutions built for the waste management industry, you get a partner who knows the business and speaks your language. You’ll be implementing tools that are already proven in other municipalities. Many features have been designed based on insights gained in real-life applications, so you know they’re going to work. With people behind the software who are passionate about the waste and recycling industry, your ideas and challenges are always met with enthusiasm.
Here are some of the ways vertically integrated software brings efficiency and cost savings to your waste management and recycling program:
Fleet management – Routeware fleet management solutions increase productivity and safety and reduce customer complaints. In-cab tablets and automations replace paper while also automatically collecting performance data. Residents will be impressed by the responsiveness you provide to their unique needs or special requests.
Workflow automation – Connect and automate back-office data and workflows, making it easier and faster for your team to look after customers. Integrated software also allows you to securely and accurately process customer payments.
Route optimization – Periodic route optimization with EasyRoute will deliver more balanced workloads, more efficient fuel and vehicle utilization, smarter timing for pickups, and decreased congestion.
Customer engagement and education – Online and app-based tools powered by ReCollect reduce call volumes by providing self-serve collection information; eliminating the need for printed calendars and educational materials; notifying residents about program changes and service disruptions; and engaging customers to reduce contamination and wishcycling.
Learn more. Ready to take a look at what purpose-built software for waste and recycling can do for your organization? Let’s talk!