Phleetbo

About Phleetbo

Started by working phlebotomists, Phleetbo was founded to address gaps that the founders recognized in the mobile laboratory services industry. Recognizing that many patients are forced to work around busy schedules, limits in mobility, transportation issues, needle phobias, and the risks associated with clinical environments for immunocompromised patients, Phleetbo set out to rethink the blood draw process from the ground up to develop a system that addressed every patient’s needs.

A simple online and mobile app ordering system provides patients with the flexibility they need to schedule blood draw and other laboratory services in their own home at a time that works for their schedule. Phleetbo recognizes the role phlebotomy plays as a specialized trade and has built a staff of dedicated field technicians who all share a common goal: to eliminate stress and anxiety from the lab service experience.

Route Manager 360 allows us to schedule more appointments and enables us to really dial in and provide a better customer experience.

The Challenge

Visiting patients at home provides them with a wealth of convenience, but provides unique logistical challenges for those conducting visits. While servicing their patients, Phleetbo began to notice areas in which they could improve their customer care—particularly as they realized they were outgrowing their previous routing software.

A key sign that it was time for a change came in the form of customer feedback. Phleetbo’s previous software provider didn’t give patients a way to track their technician’s arrival; Phleetbo’s focus on convenience and patient experience drove them to take this opportunity for improvement seriously.

Routing multiple appointments across a wide area was a challenge as well, particularly when accurate routing and ETAs depended on visit duration estimates from technicians. Phleetbo founder C.J. Johnson recognized that these estimates often proved to be inaccurate, making it virtually impossible to effectively group appointments together or to provide patients with accurate ETAs. This caused scheduling difficulties for Carina Betancourt, office manager, often forcing her to call patients back later after using her best guess to fit their appointments into existing schedules.

The inability to effectively batch appointments into clusters was not only impacting patients’ experiences but also impairing Phleetbo’s profitability. “Profitability comes from the drive time,” says Johnson. “That’s a huge cost when it comes to this type of industry. Our goal is to reduce drive time for our techs.” Committed to driving profitability and providing the best patient experience possible, Johnson decided it was time to seek out a better software solution.

With WorkWave we can pull a floater’s information into the software and we can see what technician can serve that area and force fit the appointment to see who can help them. It’s now much easier and faster.

The Solution

As Johnson explored routing software options for Phleetbo, it quickly became clear that the decision would be easier than he anticipated. After considering adding routing to Phleetbo’s existing customer relationship management software—an option that he discovered came with a six-figure price tag—he contacted a number of routing software providers to learn more about his options. Right away, WorkWave’s fast response times and attentiveness, which mirrored the same values Johnson worked to build into Phleetbo’s operations, stood out.

After learning more about WorkWave Route Manager 360’s route optimization algorithm and its robust suite of features designed to improve the experiences of both users and their end-users, Johnson knew the software was the right choice for Phleetbo. As they continued to work alongside their Route Manager onboarding specialist and their account manager, their appreciation of that consistent communication only grew.

Their experience using Route Manager 360 has further solidified that relationship, providing Phleetbo with the tools they need to streamline their operations and boost their profitability. The ability to quickly look at an area and see the best fit for a new appointment, something Phleetbo couldn’t do with other companies, simultaneously makes scheduling new patients a quick process and ensures time and fuel aren’t wasted on unnecessary driving.

Route Manager 360’s added virtual tracking functionality allows Phleetbo to locate technicians’ positions in real-time and monitor their travel and break time, providing them with accurate information and enabling them to improve their scheduling even more for future appointments. Minimizing drive times with route optimization, as Johnson points out, correlates directly to improving efficiency and ensuring profitability in any industry involving travel.

By allowing Phleetbo to add new appointments to existing routes, Route Manager 360 makes the process of scheduling an appointment much simpler for their patients and helps Phleetbo to fully realize their goal of providing on-demand laboratory services. The company has also improved patient satisfaction with the addition of Route Manager 360’s Live Tracking Link and Customer Notification features, keeping patients informed so that they can anticipate their technician’s arrival.

The Results