Case study · Booking + dispatch system

Skip bookings and dispatch,in one system.

A skip hire and waste business took bookings by phone, Messenger and a contact form, and planned the day in their heads. They asked for more direct bookings and more control over their workload. This is a system we built for a skip hire business, now being rolled out, with views for customers, the office and drivers.

See the screens

Now being rolled out · Screens show sample data · Client name withheld

Screens from the skip hire system: weekly delivery capacity, skip size helper and the driver’s day.

3 viewscustomer, office, driver

7 stepsMobile booking for customers

5 sizesSkip types with a size helper

DailyDelivery and collection slots per day

1 tapDriver: delivered or could not do it

In short: customers book a skip on their phone, with help choosing the size. The office sees how many delivery and collection slots are left each day, assigns each job to a vehicle and driver, and is warned before overbooking. Drivers see their jobs in order and mark each one done. It is a system we built for a skip hire business, now being rolled out. The screens show sample data, and there are no results to share yet.

The story

From challenge to result.

The challenge

Requests came in by phone, Messenger, a Facebook “Book now” button and a contact form. Customers were not sure which skip to choose, and the office had no single view of skips, vans, drivers and daily capacity.

What we built

A mobile booking flow with a skip size helper, an office dashboard with capacity, scheduling and skip tracking, and a simple driver view for the day’s jobs.

How it helps

Bookings arrive complete. The office sees capacity before saying yes, every skip has a status, and drivers report back from the road.

The challenge

Bookings everywhere, and a full day nobody could see.

A skip hire and waste business has a fixed number of skips, vehicles and drivers, and a limited number of jobs each vehicle can do in a day. Every delivery later needs a collection or an exchange.

Requests arrived through a website contact form, a Facebook “Book now” request, phone calls and Messenger. Each one needed back-and-forth to get the address, dates, placement and size. Many customers did not know which skip they needed. Skips placed on the road need a permit, which is easy to forget.

The owner asked for two things: more direct bookings, and more control over the workload.

What we built

Three views: customer, office and driver.

1. Customer booking on mobile

A seven-step booking flow that works on a phone. The customer chooses to hire a skip or ask for a quote for another service, picks a skip visually (mini, large, extra large, with side doors, or closed and leakproof), chooses dates, and says where it goes. If it goes on the road, the system reminds them about the permit. They add access notes, review and send. The office confirms.

2. The skip size helper

Customers who tap “I’m not sure” answer three quick questions: what kind of job it is, how much waste there is, and whether access is tight. The system suggests a starting size, and the office confirms the right skip before anything is booked.

3. Office: today, schedule and hires

The office opens a “Today” screen: what needs attention, what is going out today, collections and exchanges, and tight days coming up. Each hire has one record that links its delivery, any exchanges and the collection, with a full history.

4. Workload and dispatch

A week view shows how many delivery and collection slots are left each day, and which days are closed. The office assigns each job to a vehicle (for example a skip loader or a hookloader), a driver and a date. If a day is full, a skip is not free or a vehicle is double-booked, the system warns. The office can override, but has to give a reason, and the reason is saved.

5. Skips and availability

Every skip has a status: available, reserved, on hire, awaiting collection, in transit or unavailable. The office can see at a glance what can go out.

6. Driver view

Drivers see today’s jobs in order, with the address, where to place the skip, access notes and permit status. They can call the customer, get directions and add a photo, then mark the job “Delivered” or “Could not do it” with a reason. Problems go straight back to the office.

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Inside the system

What the screens look like.

Click any image to enlarge it. Screens show sample data, not client figures. Names, references and addresses are hidden.

Week view of delivery and collection slots left per day. — **Workload.** Delivery and collection slots left for each day of the week, with closed days. Sample data.

Customer booking: choose a skip. — **Customer booking.** Step 2 of 7: choose a skip visually.

Skip size helper questions and suggestion. — **Size helper.** Three questions, then a suggested starting size. The office confirms.

Driver view: today’s jobs. — **Driver view.** Today’s jobs in order, with placement, access and permit notes. Address hidden.

Results

Results: honest status.

This is a system we built for a skip hire business, now being rolled out. It is too early for results, so we do not claim any. The screens on this page show sample data, not the business’s real bookings.

What it is designed to change:

Bookings arrive with the address, dates, size and placement already filled in.
Customers get help choosing the right skip, and the office confirms.
The office sees daily capacity before saying yes, so days are not overbooked.
Every skip, vehicle and driver has a clear status.
Drivers report each job from the road, with a reason when something goes wrong.

We will update this case study when there are real numbers to share.

The service behind it

Booking systems and business systems.

Booking system

Online booking built around your real rules: capacity, resources, staff and confirmations.

Booking systems →

Business systems

Dispatch, scheduling and staff apps that fit how your team works. Custom systems start from €7,500 excl. VAT.

Business systems →

Straight answers

Questions about this case.

What kind of business is this for?

A skip hire and waste business. The same approach works for any business that delivers, collects or dispatches vehicles and staff.

How does the skip size helper work?

The customer answers three questions: the type of job, how much waste, and whether access is tight. The system suggests a starting size and the office confirms before booking.

How does the system stop overbooking?

Each day has a set number of delivery and collection slots. The system warns when a day is full, a skip is not free or a vehicle is double-booked. Overrides need a reason.

What does the driver see?

Today’s jobs in order, with address, placement, access and permit notes, plus call, directions and photo buttons. Each job is marked delivered or could not do it, with a reason.

What results did it get?

None yet. It is a system we built for a skip hire business, now being rolled out, so this case study shows the problem, what we built and how it works. The screens show sample data.

How much does a system like this cost?

Custom systems start from €7,500 excl. VAT. The final price depends on the scope we agree after mapping your process.

A system we built for a skip hire business, now being rolled out. Screens show sample data and are not client results. Client name withheld.

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