When you think about investing in a fleet management system, often there are three main points you will want to know about: reducing fuel consumption; improving driver accountability and increasing overall efficiency. All three of these are fairly easily achieved, but if you stop there you’re missing out on some of the great features of your fleet management system.
Here is a quick breakdown of the benefits you can get from your fleet management system:
Fuel Savings
The cost of fuel is one of those things that can really put a dent in your bottom line as a business. It’s something you have to spend out on, but it’s hard to shop around and find a cheaper supplier. The only option is to take steps to cut down your fuel consumption. Knowing exactly where your vehicles are can help you to set routes more efficiently and reduce your fuel usage. As well as this, a fleet management system can help you to get on top of other things that might increase fuel consumption such as unauthorised vehicle use, excessive idling of the engine or speeding.
Improving Driver Safety
We all cut corners from time to time, and we all behave more properly when we know we’re being watched. Often just knowing that you’ve invested in a fleet management system will cause your drivers to behave more responsibly when driving your vehicles. A fleet management system will provide you with reports and data that can help you to identify unsafe behaviour on the road. This encourages accountability and discourages risky driving practices such as speeding or hard accelerating and braking. In addition to this, you can quickly locate drivers in need of assistance if their van has broken down or there is a problem.
Boost Efficiency
The first step in boosting efficiency when you manage a fleet is knowing exactly where your vehicles are. With vehicle monitoring you can locate all of your vehicles and ensure you’re sending the closest person to the next job, or send someone else if your driver is stuck in traffic.
Improve Customer Service
When you can see exactly where all of your vehicles are you can provide a better service to your customers. You can provide a precise ETA for a delivery or job, or if your driver is on a property working and doesn’t have the necessary part, you can locate a driver close to them and have them work together to complete the job. Customer service can really make or break a business, so being able to provide real time information can make a big difference.
Analyse True Cost of Service
It can be hard to know the true cost for the services you provide. This includes not just parts and labour but also indirect expenses such as the cost of running the vehicle. When you have a good grasp of your fleet management system, this can inform all manner of decisions, not least how much you should charge for a call-out or job.
A good fleet management system can offer you more than just the capability to spy on your employees or keep an eye on fuel costs; it can help you to lower costs, improve service and set realistic targets and even prices.
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