A Q&A with Santa, and Fleet Manager Mrs Claus, of North Pole Inc

North Pole Inc has long held the contract for Christmas present delivery for as long as anyone can remember. You think Christmas, you think North Pole Inc and their frontman and director, Santa Claus. Leading the team is Mrs Claus, who officially holds the title of Fleet Manager, to ensure that Santa, their unionised elf workforce, and the reindeer meet the organisation’s only primary KPI: presents delivered to all households worldwide, in one night, every year.

The North Pole Inc team holds high expectations with no margin for error. Any wrong turn, any delay, even a second, can throw off the balance and might mean that some children won’t get their presents – something no one ever wants. Ever since 280 A.D., when Santa first got his role, everything from making the list, checking it twice, right through to the flight path, has been completely manual – that is to say, held in knowledge and passed down within the brilliant minds of all of the workers of North Pole Inc each generation. This needed to change as it was starting to prove too difficult, and meant that planning for the future was difficult.

After many years of testing and trials, it was North Pole Inc’s choice to move forward with Teletrac Navman for a solution to help with fleet & asset management, route optimisation, scorecards, and AI-enabled insights – keeping the magic alive on the busiest night of the year.

 

The team is busy year-round, but we managed to grab a moment with a rep from North Pole Inc to ask a few questions about the organisation’s experience with Teletrac Navman’s technology. We were also lucky enough to get our photographer in for an afternoon to show you a little of what North Pole Inc look like on a busy working day. 

Q1: Who is responsible for managing the delivery of Christmas presents for North Pole Inc?

Fleet Manager Mrs. Claus oversees the delivery of Christmas presents for North Pole Inc year on year. She is crucial in ensuring that Santa and the reindeer meet the organisation's only key performance indicator (KPI): delivering presents to all children worldwide in one night, every year. Beyond that, Mrs Claus also manages the elves and their workload to ensure there are enough toys for every delivery. Her efficient management is essential to the success of this monumental task. But in the end, it’s Santa who completes the delivery run on 24 December in the company's environmentally friendly reindeer-powered sleigh. Fun fact: the structure of today’s Sleigh is still the original from way back in 280AD, though it’s undergone renovation a number of times to ensure it can fly safely.

Q2: Why did North Pole Inc turn to Teletrac Navman for a solution?

Given the high expectations (from Mrs Claus) and the need for precise planning, route optimisation, and real-time insights, Teletrac Navman offered us the best solution after a trial period that could help keep the magic of Christmas alive on the busiest night of the year. We aim to continually streamline operations and improve the efficiency of our Christmas present delivery mission. As the modern age is upon us, our Teletrac Navman solution will allow us to grow together into the future.

 

Q3: What incidents have been avoided since partnering with Teletrac Navman?

Since partnering with Teletrac Navman, North Pole Inc has successfully avoided incidents that could have disrupted our Christmas present delivery operations. One notable incident that no longer occurs is when the elves forgot or incorrectly written up the latest delivery slips to Santa, which once caused him to backtrack to Spain after completing deliveries in Japan. Additionally, North Pole Inc has not missed any real-time updates on air traffic hazards (like migrating geese, ducks and other migratory birds), which is crucial for ensuring the safety of Santa and the reindeer team during their worldwide journey. Understanding migration patterns is important to avoid incidents like the flock of geese that got stuck in Dasher’s horns back in ’97 – don’t worry, no one was injured!

Q4: How does the route planner from Teletrac Navman benefit Santa and the reindeer team?

The route planner module has proven to be invaluable to Santa and the reindeer team. It ensures that even during the chaotic and fast-paced Christmas Eve deliveries, the team can maintain an efficient and optimised route. This technology allows Santa and his reindeer to swiftly adapt to changes and overcome unexpected obstacles, such as housing construction, weather-based hazards like snowstorms, or unplanned prolonged stops at houses that make very good cookies. Using the route planner, the team can quickly get back on track, ensuring that all presents are delivered on time.

Q5: What benefits does Teletrac Navman’s TN360 offer Mrs. Claus?

With TN360, we benefit from a comprehensive real-time overview, complete with sleigh front and rear dashcams. This allows Mrs Claus and the team to monitor the team's safety on Christmas Eve, and keep an eye on traffic and potential hazards. This visibility extends to sky conditions and other flying objects, some of which Santa swears were unidentified (but the elves love to play pranks on him on the big night), further enhancing the safety of Santa and the reindeer team. Moreover, TN360 helps Mrs Claus keep the reindeer’s flying behaviour in line.

 

Q6: You mentioned reindeer behaviour. What do you use to monitor that? How does that help?

With TN360’s Scorecards, specially adapted for our organisation that we’ve nicknamed Reindeer Scorecards. It serves as a vital tool for North Pole Inc to ensure the safety and consistency of their reindeer team during the intense and high-stakes Christmas present deliveries. These scorecards allow us to measure various factors that impact the well-being of the reindeer. This includes tracking the distance between each reindeer to minimise the risk of injuries, assessing their braking behaviour to ensure smooth stops and emergency stopping power, evaluating their ability to navigate obstacles like trees and buildings and monitoring their speed tendencies. Essentially, the scorecards comprehensively evaluate each reindeer's performance, akin to a "reindeer report card."
This means we can look at each reindeer as an individual with their own metrics and analytics to ensure they’re at peak performance for their voyage. We can work with each reindeer and coach them through the areas they need help, meaning the improvement in safety and performance we see each year increases exponentially.

Q7: I understand North Pole Inc had an issue with RUC charges from Waka Kotahi. How did Teletrac Navman’s solution help resolve this?

North Pole Inc faced a substantial amount of unpaid road user charges accumulated over the last few decades. Luckily, Teletrac Navman’s RUC Manager insights have allowed North Pole Inc to demonstrate that most of the sleigh’s travel on Christmas Eve is off-road, exempting the organisation from these charges. We can now claim rebates for distance travelled off the main road.

 

Q8: How does Santa encourage and reward the reindeer to save energy during the delivery?

As a result of the insights from Teletrac Navman’s solution, Santa now employs a mindful and eco-friendly approach to sleigh riding during Christmas deliveries. Instead of rapid acceleration and harsh braking, he encourages the reindeer to gradually increase their speed as they take off from each rooftop and to alight gently on each home.
This strategy conserves energy and prevents presents from falling overboard, resulting in a more environmentally conscious and efficient delivery process. This approach has saved us approximately 20% of reindeer energy, reducing their carrot intake and making them less cranky at night’s end. This means the team return less fatigued, have reduced fuel costs and increased our beloved reindeer's welfare.

 

North Pole Inc has thoroughly embraced modern technology to transform the business into a lean, efficient, and highly reliable Christmas present delivery operation. After all, it ensures no chance of missed deliveries to all the good boys and girls. With more projects to undertake between Teletrac Navman and the team at North Pole Inc, further creating a solution to meet the future needs of the business will ensure a successful partnership and a successful business for Santa and Mrs Claus.