Why routing and scheduling software isn’t just a technology decision

What was your most recent significant purchase? Maybe it was a washing machine, a TV or a car. Whatever it was I suspect the buying experience influenced your final decision.

Was the website user-friendly? Could the retailer deliver on a convenient day? Did you feel confident about the after-sales service promised?

It’s highly likely that your decision as a consumer was based on more than just the product specifications. When we make decisions as B2B buyers, we also factor in how we feel about the people that we are buying from.

Over the years it has become clear to me that our customers value Paragon as much for the experience of our support consultants as the expertise of our development team. Our customers know that choosing the right partner is key to making their project a success. There are a number of reasons for this.

Paragon people
We place a lot of value on recruiting and retaining the right people to make sure that prospective customers feel that Paragon is the right partner for their business, and we think this shows throughout our business.

We have grown considerably over the last few years adding new faces to our development, support and marketing teams but I’m proud to say that staff turnover remains at less than 1% per annum. Customers are able to build long term relationships with their account managers and support consultants based on a real understanding of the specific challenges that their transport operation faces.

It also means that our support team has retained and documented a huge amount of knowledge which helps us solve seemingly obscure problems quickly.

Focused on what we do
When choosing a routing and scheduling software partner, it’s important that you can be confident about the longevity of the product and the company. Here are a few things you might like to know about us

• Paragon is an independently owned company which means we are guided only by the priorities of our customers and our employees.
• We have been deliberately focused on developing routing and scheduling software for over 30 years, racking up over 700 man years of experience between us.
• We now have more than 4,700 systems live in 61 countries around the world.
• We are passionate about what we do, developing software that enables you to get the most out of your transport operation.

Our approach to selling
The process of evaluating the best routing and scheduling software for your business can be time consuming. This is why we invested in building our customer-facing Paragon Technology Centre here at HQ in Dorking so that you can see the operational and strategic benefits of our software in a single visit.

Many transport operations new to Paragon will provide us with data from their own operation. Seeing Paragon routing and scheduling software in action really brings to life the efficiencies that our software can deliver for each operation.

So what is it like being a Paragon customer?
Our experienced Support Team will take you through the proven implementation process, from calibration through to parallel running and go live. We’ll make sure your data is in good shape before we start and provide the necessary levels of training to make sure you get off to a good start.

Once you’re live, we won’t leave you on your own. In addition to your designated support consultant our Paragon Hotline Team is always on hand to provide advice. This team is further supplemented by our online client portal which contains how to guides and videos, as well as our Pick of the Week emails which provide hints and tips about getting the best from Paragon.

Socially responsible
We genuinely believe that the software we have built has a positive impact on the environment, reducing mileage and CO2 emissions. But giving back is also important to us.

We have been long term supporters of charities such as MyTime and Streetscape. In May, we will be attending the graduation ceremony for the latest Streetscape apprentices who have worked hard to secure their place and then complete the landscape gardening training the social enterprise provides.

All of these things combined is what makes our customers choose Paragon to help them reduce transport costs, improve operational efficiency and increase customer service levels.

Over the next few weeks keep an eye on our Twitter and LinkedIn feeds to learn more about the Paragon team. Or if you’re ready, get in touch today to find out how our people can help you get the best out of your transport operation.