This happens to any of us who venture out in the boonies far enough and long enough. No cell service, no data service, and no interactive map service. But when it impacts route management and delivery drivers in the function of their duties, then the importance tends to get more ‘real’ as time and money are on the line. However, there’s no reason to think that any delivery app shouldn’t be able to continue to function as efficiently as possible when cell service is lost and data is not readily transmitted back to the dispatching point.
Not only should all app functions resume once the affected mobile device gets back in range of a cell tower, but the app should also be able to transmit any lost data back as well. Well, meet EXTRA Driver. An app that will do all of that, and cook you breakfast as well. That last part is only possible, however, whenever smartphones become 3D-print capable … maybe.
Picture, if you will, a happy delivery driver out on State Route XYZ, trying to deliver essential material to a customer, but cell phone coverage is spotty, at best. Up until cell phone coverage loss, our app will continue to store GPS data locally on the mobile device, but that data as well as any signatures and photos captured during this out of cell service delivery will be transmitted back to base as soon as the device re-establishes connection with the cellular network again.
In case of a more widespread cellular outage, our EXTRA Driver app will simply store any and all information locally on the mobile device’s hard driver until cell service has been restored. The beauty of these fail-safes is that they are used to make sure there is no data loss in case of a software failure as well.
While technology has advanced far beyond what we could have imagined 30 years ago, it still has a long way to go. Knowing that there are built-in safeguards in the event that the technology should fail, even in small ways, brings peace of mind in the route management process. Since the Elite EXTRA app can function without cellular service for short periods, your customers will still receive exceptional service, even with no reception.
