Elite EXTRA

The Elite EXTRA product is robust, feature-rich and an excellent fit to the automotive parts delivery business. The staff at Elite EXTRA also know our business inside and out and were very helpful in showing us proven best-practices for getting the most out of the service.

We have not been able to deploy the "Driver Self-Dispatching" feature yet because it requires our paper invoices to have bar codes on them which we are waiting on our software development team to implement.

What I really like about using Elite EXTRA is how much easier it makes managing our deliveries day-to-day. The route whiteboard is a game changer it gives me a clear picture of where everything stands at a glance. I also really value the notifications that go out to customers once their deliveries are made; it saves us a ton of follow-up calls and gives our customers peace of mind. The on-time reporting and overall reports make it simple to track performance, and the dashboard ties everything together in a way that’s easy to understand. It feels like everything I need is right there in front of me, which makes the whole process run smoother.

One thing I find challenging with Elite EXTRA is that the reporting doesn’t let me separate shuttle transfers from regular customer invoice reports. Because of that, it’s tough to get a clear picture of how many drivers I really need. I usually base staffing decisions on both the volume of merchandise moved and the number of deliveries made, but without being able to filter that data, the numbers get blended together and make the algorithm I use less accurate. Having a way to separate those categories in the reports would really help us plan more effectively.

I like how the auto dispatching works with our system to implement routes in an organized manner. Though it doesn't get it right 100% of the time, a vast majority of the time it gets it selected to the correct route.

The part that I don't like particularly, is when I am trying to put a stop onto a different route using the arrow. When I do this, it goes away for a second, then immediately comes back onto the route. From there I have to exit the route I'm editing, go to the stop that I need to change, and change it from there. It seems that this is not working the way it is intended. It is pretty annoying dealing with this when I have multiple drivers over my shoulder waiting to be dispatched. It causes a delay in the dispatching process which means drivers get out later. Drivers get mad, I get mad, and my boss gets mad. Also, when I put orders on hold and release them, they disappear until I refresh the screen. Sometimes it takes 2 refreshes. Some days are worse than others as far as how long it takes to show back up. The last issue I have with it, is when I am trying to add a stop to a route using the + button. It will show up on the route then immediately come back off, then I have to exit the route I am trying to add it on and add it using the arrow (which takes multiple tries sometimes).

What I like most about Elite EXTRA is the great customer service and their commitment to continued software updates and product improvements. I also really appreciate the ease of adding stops to routes on the fly, as well as the intuitive graphical interface, which makes designing and adjusting routes very simple and user-friendly.

One thing I like least about Elite EXTRA is that the traffic data and maps used for calculating ETAs are often not as accurate as I’d like. This can make it challenging to rely on route completion times. I would really value having more up-to-date mapping and improved ETA accuracy, ideally leveraging some of the newer mapping platforms available.