Lanarkshire courier Acorn Express Logistics founder Mark Wilson chose the PODFather when he sought a solution to manage the increasing number of proof-of-delivery documents his firm was handling.

Speed of confirmation and accurate recording of details, plus the ability to communicate sometimes complex information to couriers on the road, were the requirements.

He said: “Some of the offerings were costly. For example, one was £10,000 to buy the software, plus £2,000 per annum for IT support.

Although the system would probably have offered us what we required, it was simply too costly for a company at our stage of development.

“One of the immediate factors that attracted us to the PODFather was that it is pay-as-you-go – we only pay when we use it – but I also had to be sure that it was functionally sound and that staff and customers liked it.”

At the start of the trial period the firm loaded the PODFather system on to T-Mobile Vario III Smartphones, but they proved to be too chunky for drivers to use.

It changed to T-Mobile Touch Plus handsets, which, says Wilson, are proving user-friendly.

He said: “As long as you have a PDA with Windows Mobile, it works well. You can even have it with GPS but our vehicles have already had that fitted.

“So far, the PODFather is proving positive from a management point of view and popular with the drivers.

"Unlike some online systems it is easy to use, stores all the information drivers need and has a simple ‘drag and drop’ feature for moving information around.”

The standard system is free. A PODFather-compatible PDA from O2 can be supplied free as part of a three-year contract for £27.38 (ex VAT) per month.

Minimum charge is £25 per month including the first 50 PODs. Charges are then either 33p per completed job (and 5p per picture), or capped at £25 per driver, per month.