Halperns’ Steak & Seafood: Elevating Tradition with Descartes Technology
Halperns’ Steak & Seafood, a wholly owned subsidiary of Gordon Food Service, is a premier provider of center-of-the-plate proteins for white-tablecloth restaurants.
With seven facilities across six states, Halperns’ operates a fleet of about 250 trucks, serving more than 7,000 customers across 28 states. While the company prides itself on tradition, it recognized the need to embrace technology to improve efficiency and communication within its operations.
The Challenge: Lack of Technology Leads to Last-Mile Inefficiencies
Despite its renowned reputation, Halperns’ faced challenges due to a lack of technological advancements in its transportation and logistics processes. Without modern tools to collect and analyze data, the company struggled to make informed business decisions, leading to inefficiencies and communication gaps across its network.
“We really thrive on tradition, but a lot of the challenges we faced came from not having the right technology in place,” explained Patricia Carlsen, Assistant to the Director of Transportation at Halperns’ Steak & Seafood.
This lack of visibility also led to operational inefficiencies, including delays in communication between drivers, sales representatives, and customers. Without real-time order tracking, support teams and sales representatives were overwhelmed with estimated time of arrival (ETA) inquiries, creating unnecessary phone calls and emails that slowed down operations.
The Solution: Implementing Descartes for Visibility and Efficiency
To modernize its logistics operations, Halperns’ implemented Intelligent Dispatch and Tracking across all seven facilities, providing real-time tracking and visibility into route execution. The company has begun leveraging Descartes Driver Safety™ and Descartes Customer Engagement™ in its Atlanta facility, exploring new ways to streamline communication, improve safety, and optimize delivery operations.
Halperns’ took an innovative approach to Descartes Customer Engagement by rolling it out to sales representatives first. This strategy gave sales teams full visibility into order locations, significantly reducing ETA-related inquiries and improving cross-department communication.
“With Descartes Customer Engagement, sales reps now see exactly where orders are, cutting back on ETA calls and emails,” said Carlsen. “Drivers also have direct contact with sales reps, eliminating delays caused by phone tag between multiple departments.”
Automated notifications provide planned arrival updates, followed by live tracking emails, enabling sales reps to give customers real-time updates without the need for additional follow-ups.
The Results
Enhanced Order Visibility
Real-time tracking empowers Halperns’ to offer customers immediate and precise delivery updates, improving transparency and satisfaction.
Streamlined Communication
Drivers have direct access to sales representatives and customers, eliminating time-consuming phone tag and streamlining delivery adjustments.
Decreased ETA-Related Inquiries
Automated notifications with ETAs and live tracking updates significantly reduce the volume of calls and emails between sales and operations teams.
Strategic and Scalable Implementation
A phased rollout of the Descartes solutions ensures a smooth transition, avoiding disruptions and laying the foundation for sustainable, long-term success.
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