The sun has barely broken the horizon on the backside of the Datamax Tyler building, but already the heat has made itself known.

It’s around 7:45 a.m. when Jerry Ford and Wesley Andrews stand aboard the lift-gate ready to load a multi-function printer onto the truck. Perhaps without knowing it, Jerry’s already wiped his brow with a sweat rag a couple of times, but his forward movement continues. Both he and every other delivery driver at Datamax know… it’s only going to get busier.

“With the labor we’re putting into this, and the extreme heat of August, you’ve got to make your mind up that you’re ready to take care of the customer,” Jerry says. “The heat can be aggravating, but we always manage to get it done.”

School is almost back in session. For service and delivery teams, that means hundreds of devices being delivered in the blistering August temperatures, under some high pressure. East Texas will deliver 80 to 100 devices to three upgrading schools before the first bell. DFW services around 50 schools, but will specifically update around 10 districts with all new equipment, as will the Arkansas delivery team. For a device count, consider this: since April, the Hot Springs marketplace has delivered 332 units to school districts in the area.

Heat-tolerant plants thrive when the temperature rises — so do our delivery teams. But how do they stay nourished? What’s their game plan for Creating Raving Fans inside our schools... in the heat of summer?

Don’t Forget Your Water. 

DFW-based Logistics Manager Mark Mansell can’t stress it enough. To stay safe in this intense heat, everyone must stay hydrated. Perhaps few know this better than Arkansas delivery driver Michael Hinton, who had to be taken to the hospital last year for dehydration.

“I had to call Tamara (Hargrove). I was at one of the tallest buildings we have in downtown Little Rock,” he recalls. “Dehydration and getting overheated is really serious, and I didn’t know how serious it really was.”

This year, he’s focused on drinking tons of Gatorade or water on a consistent basis. Jerry carries a 64 oz. cup full of water with him every day, with the intent of fully emptying its contents before he arrives back in the afternoon.

Check the Trucks.

“Our drivers do a walkaround of the trucks every morning. We want to make sure the driver has good A/C, we check the tires, and make sure the truck is in good shape. The route they may take that day might be just around town or it could be several hundred miles,” Mark said.

Pace Yourself.

As Michael reminds us, “it ain’t no race.”

Jerry has spent the past month or so training new hire Daniel Durand on delivering in the summer months. Among his advice?

“Don’t let (a large number of devices on a delivery) overwhelm you,” he’s said. “Take your time, find your pace to go at, and you’ll be all right.”

Trust the Process.

Large orders are a good thing, but it certainly adds a lot of work for sales, admin, services, and of course logistics. Mark’s process for his team?

“We begin by checking paperwork, addresses with equipment being delivered, and what will need to be picked up at that same location,” he says. “ Ordering the equipment to receiving and staging it – unboxing ( Disposing of all the cardboard-packing foam and pallets) (Trash). Putting all the equipment together and placing it into the shop for set up. While the equipment is being set up we are contacting the customers at each location to set appointments to deliver and install. Once all the equipment is ready for install the Service Techs and our Logistics Install Team will begin the Install dance.”

Communication is Key.

“Good communications between the customer/sales rep/service rep/admin/logistics is the true key to a smooth install. One breakdown in this chain can cause hours of extra work and delays for the customer,” Mark says.

Remember the Pay-off.

For Jerry, this part is easy. Every time he rolls a piece of equipment into an office or school, and begins cutting the plastic with his knife, he can see the happiness in their faces.

“It’s like an early Christmas for these customers,” He says. “They’re happy to see me, and they’re happy to see the copier. That’s what makes me feel so great about what I do, why I take such great pride in what I do.”

Even in the extreme heat, Datamax is ready to deliver.