News

CHX Major Enhancements Released

15/09/2015

Distinctive Systems is pleased to announce the release of several major enhancements to Coach Hire Exchange (CHX) which greatly enhance the capabilities and usability of our free cloud-based passenger recovery and job exchange service. CHX was only released in April of this year, but operators have been very quick to adopt it and it is already in use with over 500 coach and minibus operators.

Coach Manager Integration Extends the Reach of CHX to Over 1,000 Operators
Coach Manager is by far the most widely used booking management system in the UK and is in daily use with over 750 of the country’s leading operators.

The CHX integration works in conjunction with the established Coach Manager Connect service which allows operators who use Coach Manager to share jobs with each other.  This service works in much the same way as CHX; operators can quickly and easily post the details of a job they would like to contract out to a large number of other operators.  Every operator can see all the available jobs and can offer to cover anything they might be interested in.

By combining the functionality and user base of both CHX and Coach Manager, Distinctive Systems has now achieved by far the largest full access membership for a UK job exchange service.  The details of jobs posted to both CHX and Coach Manager Connect are now viewable as one combined list and are sent instantaneously to over 1,000 operators via either email or app notifications.  Every operator can see the details of every job and can contact the originating operator directly with an offer of assistance, irrespective of whether the job was originated on CHX or in Coach Manager.

Another major advantage for Coach Manager users is that they can now manage jobs they have posted to Coach Manager Connect using the CHX website and mobile apps.  A Coach Manager user can see and accept offers to cover jobs, or post new jobs to both CHX and Coach Manager Connect, using the CHX website or an iPhone®, iPad® or Android™ device.

Mechanical Assistance Requests, Available Vehicles and Empty Legs
In addition to its existing ability to handle jobs, CHX has now been enhanced to allow operators to post mechanical assistance requests, available vehicles and empty legs.  Each of these three different types of post now has a dedicated input form.  This not only streamlines posting, but also allows operators to have a greater degree of control over their notification preferences.  So, for instance, if an operator wants to be notified about new jobs, but not mechanical assistance requests, then they can easily specify this in their account preferences. CHX doesn't send out emails and app notifications for available vehicles and empty legs, but the details of these can be viewed at any time on the CHX website or app.

Google Maps
CHX has now also been integrated with Google Maps.  When a new job is posted, both the pick-up point and destination can be located on a map and automatically geocoded in just a few seconds.  This not only allows a route map to be viewed by other operators, but it also makes it possible for operators who are only interested in local jobs to elect to be only notified about jobs within a chosen distance.  Just like jobs, mechanical assistance requests, available vehicles and empty legs can also be geocoded.

CHX is an entirely free of charge service.  There is no sign-up fee and there are no membership or commission charges.  Although it is now integrated with Coach Manager, CHX is still a standalone service and it can be used by any coach or minibus operator, irrespective of whether or not they have a booking management system.

The CHX website can be used on a browser running on a desktop or laptop computer, a tablet or a smartphone. The website’s responsive design adapts automatically to any size of display.

CHX is also available as an app for Apple’s iPhone and iPad, and as a separate app for Android phones and tablets.  Both apps are free of charge.

For further information please call Distinctive Systems on 01904 692269.

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