Recently, I’ve been interested in learning about new courier technology. It seems like more and more often, delivery companies are going paperless, or trying out a new technology to up their on-demand delivery game. 

Since my newfound research topic has invaded and consumed my brain, I got connected with Andy Tyriver, marketing analyst at Elite EXTRA. Luckily, Tyriver is interested in courier technology, too. He agreed to answer a few questions about his company and how it provides tech to the delivery industry.

Courier Magazine: What does your company do?

Andy Tyriver: Elite EXTRA was developed about five years ago as an efficiency tool for the auto parts distribution industry. Through our partnerships, we've been presented with opportunities to enter new markets -- heavy truck parts, tires and radiators, office supplies, and now courier/carrier. The company behind the product, Applied Data Consultants, Inc. (ADC), is a GIS (geographic information systems) firm specializing in mapping, software, and technology.

As a complete dispatch and delivery management platform, integration with any order management/entry system gets orders into EXTRA for easy dispatching -- whether it's on-demand/hot shot, scheduled, recurring, and/or anything in-between. From there, drivers are optimally routed and GPS tracked in real-time from mobile devices. Clients get dynamic ETAs, drivers can capture signatures on the devices and change the route depending on user preferences/needs.

EXTRA is software as a service -- if you can check your email, you can use EXTRA – so, it's flexible and lightweight, easy to install and use, and most importantly, cost effective to the point where it generates ROI immediately. On the back end, users get robust reporting on anything from driver activity/breadcrumbs, by order, by customer, by exception -- get a complete snapshot of delivery operations.

CM: How did your company break into the courier industry?

AT: Our first foray into the industry was with a driver-staffing firm whose niche was delivering auto parts. There are many overlaps in the way the two do business. As such, courier has always been on our radar, and with auto parts reaching maturity, and heavy truck and office supply growing to a point where most features have been developed, the invitations to ECA and CLDA/MCAA last year came at a perfect time.

We were blown away at the reception to EXTRA at both conferences. And we're really excited to be partnering with various couriers across the country as we build and unveil solutions for the industry.

CM: How can your company help courier businesses?

AT: We're in the efficiency business, and EXTRA is designed to fit into a courier's operations, rather than the other way around. Further, it's priced to be cost-effective from the get-go, with value and return the highest priorities. While EXTRA out of the box works for many clients, some businesses do things differently, and that's where we excel -- putting our heads together and coming up with technology that meets needs.

We've heard industry complaints about solutions that don't exist yet, so we're partnering with couriers to build them: Customer relationship management (CRM) for courier, vehicle maintenance, and a billing/quoting engine are examples.

Couriers who use EXTRA say they benefit from increased efficiencies, alleviated challenges, cost savings and being able to provide better service to their customers. We are proud of our 98-percent customer retention rate and attribute that to not just the utility of EXTRA, but to the service, support, and consultation that comes with it. Our customers will tell you that we are there, night and day, to help with any challenge, question or issue that may arise.

More about Elite EXTRA here: http://eliteextra.com/