Safestyle UK improves efficiency of appointment scheduling with Sidewinder Europe

Safestyle UK, the largest independent window and door company in Britain,
has implemented a service optimisation solution from Sidewinder Europe. This
means Safestyle can book survey appointments for customers more efficiently,
and increases the number of appointments its survey staff can complete.

Sidewinder's ServicePLATFORM real-time scheduling software has been in use
at Safestyle since June 2005, and has already enabled Safestyle to make
substantial efficiency improvements. The number of surveys completed per
week has increased from 900 to over 1000, improving customer service,
bringing down lead time and improving cash flow for Safestyle.

When an order is placed, the salesperson books a survey appointment by
phoning staff at the Bradford head office where five booking-on computers
are connected to Sidewinder's ServicePLATFORM. During this appointment the
surveyor ensures that all regulations are complied with and measures up each
frame, as well as agreeing an installation date with the customer.

"We chose Sidewinder primarily because of its proven track record with
customers - such as The AA and Sainsburys to You," said Andy Clegg, Head of
Survey, Safestyle UK. "We were delighted when Sidewinder was able to
implement the solution and go live on time in only five weeks, and we have
seen excellent results already."

Previously, the survey appointments were manually allocated, which led to
inefficient use of resources, and problems with logistics. With the
Sidewinder solution, the survey teams are more efficient, completing more
jobs and driving less miles. There is also a tighter control of resources.

The lead time from sale to survey has also been reduced, to typically within
48 hours. Customer satisfaction is improved, and there is less chance that a
customer will cancel their order.

Before the Sidewinder implementation, 60-75% of surveys were completed at
the first attempt, with the reasons for missed appointments including
customers not being present, jobs cancelled or rearranged and traffic
delays. The completion rate has now increased to 86.7%.

Later in 2005, Sidewinder will also be implementing a second phase for
Safestyle which will provide scheduling for service technicians with real
time connection to their mobile devices, thus allowing them to receive and
send updated scheduling information directly.