The key features of WIMS are summarised below. For additional information please
visit the WIMS website at www.wastemanagementsoftware.co.uk.
Benefits
Improved decision making
WIMS ensures that the correct, up-to-date, and sufficiently detailed information
is available where and when it is needed. There are various search facilities designed
to ensure that information can be found quickly and easily. This allows the user
to immediately locate the information required to make decisions.
Prevention of redundant data
With a manual system or some older computer systems there can be several points
where the same information has to be entered over and over again. We endeavour to
ensure that information in WIMS is only entered as often as it changes. This minimises
a familiar problem where useful analysis is prevented by there being several similar
versions of what should be one record.
Extensive pricing model
The pricing model in WIMS allows the system to be configured to store default prices
on a per product and per site basis. This ensures that when prices have been agreed
with a customer they are applied automatically and consistently to orders subsequently
received from the customer. Additionally, if no default prices are setup for the
customer the user is forced to provide a price before WIMS will allow an order to
be completed. This forces the user to think about the pricing rather than simply
assuming the defaults.
Automatic calculation for complex prices
WIMS supports a variety of methods in which to charge the customer, allowing the
user to properly model the agreements they form with customers.
Improved customer support
The main search screen in WIMS is quick and easy to use. Whether customers are phoning
up to quote their name, their site name, an invoice number, an order number or a
ticket number, the records in question can be quickly found and the customer's query
can be answered more often than not during the initial call.
Invoice when you want
It is possible to tell WIMS about the individual invoicing requirements of individual
customers and sites. Invoicing runs can be carried out at the touch of a button
every day and WIMS will ensure that only customers that are due to be invoiced will
be invoiced.
Improved accuracy
WIMS tracks every appropriate item of activity and stores it in an appropriately
robust, industry standard database server. At any given time WIMS can provide accurate
information on what has been done, what is currently being done, everything that
has been invoiced, and everything that is due to be invoiced.
Automated round-based activities
Round-based activities such as FEL and trade-waste routes can be tediously repetitive
to administrate. To cut down on as much of the repetition as possible, WIMS utilises
templates to create rounds. Exception based data input is used to update what actually
took place, i.e. the user tells WIMS the few things that didn't happen rather than
the many that always do.
Staff performance monitoring
Two key reports facilitate the monitoring of the performance of certain types of
staff. Every morning, the transport manager can have an email in their in-box showing
details of any drivers that did not manage to achieve daily targets. The sales manager
can call up a report that will break down sales activity by customer, by date and,
of particular interest here, by sales representative.
Customer negotiations can be better supported
Detailed customer activity reports have been designed to provide members of staff
with the correct information before visiting a customer for a review meeting. This
ensures that the customers claims and predictions can be checked on the spot before,
for example, conceding to inappropriate discounts.
Improved credit control
WIMS always knows what has been invoiced, what has been paid and what is due to
be invoiced. This enables WIMS to make it clear when an order should not be accepted
or a job should not be scheduled because a customer has exceeded his or her credit
limit.
Improved credit administration
WIMS automates many tasks that credit controllers have to perform. Invoices, statements
and reminder letters can be produced at the touch of a button. Reports detailing
the current debt can also be generated.
Immediate location of assets
WIMS can generate a report that details the locations and last service dates of
all containers that are known to be on customer sites.
Improved cash flow
In addition to supporting any desired frequency for invoicing, WIMS can help improve
cash-flow by helping to ensure that invoices will be accepted.
Invoices are laid out in a consistent and detailed manner, providing customers with
enough information to clear the invoices.
If a particular order or site is known to cause problems with payments then WIMS
can be set-up to place that work on separate invoices in order not to hold up the
payment for other work that will be cleared more readily.
WIMS can be told about those customers that require purchase order numbers to be
quoted on invoices. Jobs will not be accepted for those customers without the order
number.
WIMS can be told about those customers that require proof of service before clearing
payment. This requirement will be brought to the attention of customer service operators
and drivers at the correct time.
Jobs that shouldn't happen won't
WIMS performs credit limit checks when the user attempts to create an order for
a given customer. This ensures that orders cannot be created and jobs cannot be
scheduled for customers who don't have the necessary credit. Additionally, WIMS
will warn the user when an order is being created for a site that has not been active
for a long time. Although this is just a warning it may help prevent a skip being
erroneously sent to a completed building site.
Accurate reports of waste movement
The expected type of waste and the actual type of waste received are important pieces
of information in WIMS. WIMS has been designed to capture this information as material
flows in and out of the transfer station and the disposal sites.
With this information properly captured, reports of waste movements for internal
analysis or, for official returns to the Environment Agency, can be produced at
the touch of a button.
Accurate and detailed analysis
WIMS is supported by a thoroughly designed relational database, which is used to
capture activity down to a very low level of detail. There are currently dozens
of standard reports providing detailed information on just about any aspect of the
system. We are confident that if one of these reports does not give the desired
analyses then the appropriate queries and reports can be written in-house or by
The Solution Works.
Improved pricing control
WIMS can export an Excel spreadsheet containing a complete list of prices for all
jobs that are applicable to all customer sites in the system. More importantly,
the spreadsheet can be imported back into WIMS with updated prices. The system can
then automatically generate letters detailing the price changes for all customers
whose prices where affected.