Everyone tends to slack off at work when they’re not supervised.
This is an especially big issue for courier companies, food delivery services, and all other businesses that send employees out to meet with customers.
Vehicle tracking is the solution to this problem. You can improve GPS tracking with telematics. It helps you see where your drivers are and how fast they’re going in real-time. Whenever you want, you can check in on a driver and confirm that they’re sticking to their route and staying on schedule.
In fact, telematics goes far beyond simple GPS tracking. Telematics is the “big brother” of GPS tracking. For businesses, it’s the difference between just having a tracker going and being able to harvest and use the data offered by that tracker in a meaningful way in the business. In other words, your GPS receiver collects the information, while a telematics solution helps you use the data in your business. So, it helps you exploit the power of GPS tracking.
Telematics will make your fleet more productive. A study conducted by the Aberdeen Group found that GPS tracking increases on-time arrival rates by 46% and decreases operating costs by 13.2%.
Overall, GPS tracking makes it easy for your drivers to show up on time consistently. That gives you an advantage over the competition. Customers will have another reason to choose your business over all their other options.
But not all GPS tracking software is the same. There are dozens of different programs to choose from. How are you supposed to know which program is the right one for your business?
Don’t worry, we’ll help. The following tips will show you what to look for when it comes to telematics software.
The Optimization Combination
Tracking your drivers isn’t enough. To really improve productivity, every route you give your drivers must be the most efficient route possible.
A routing program allows you to do exactly that. Such software guarantees that all your routes are 100% accurate and optimized. It gives your drivers everything they need to show up on time, every time.
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Keep Your Customers In The Loop
In addition to GPS tracking and route optimization, your route planner should have a geofencing feature.
Geofencing involves drawing custom borders over a real-world map. Certain actions (that you choose, of course) are triggered when your driver crosses through one of the borders.
For example, you can draw geofences around the locations of your customers, and then set it up so that a text message is automatically sent to the customer when your driver is about to arrive. They’ll appreciate the notice.
What Else Should Your Telematics Vendor Provide?
Other features your vendor should provide include:
- Analytics: GPS tracking collects detailed information that you can use to make more informed business decisions.
- Access Restriction: To keep things simple and secure, you may want to have it so that your dispatchers can create routes, while drivers can only view them.
- Onboarding: GPS tracking software won’t do you any good if your drivers can’t figure out how to use it. The vendor you choose should take the time to show your employees exactly how their product works.
- Free Trial: How will you know if software is easy to use before you buy it? That’s what makes the free trial so important. If a telematics vendor isn’t confident enough in their product to let you try it out for free, that’s a huge red flag.
Also, here are some things you should avoid:
- Hidden Fees: Some route optimization software providers will entice you with a low upfront cost, only to hit you with a barrage of hidden fees once you’ve committed to a contract. Make sure you know what you’re paying for before you sign on the dotted line.
- Lengthy Contracts: Even if your free trial goes well, you might find that you’re not satisfied a month or two down the line. Don’t get yourself stuck in a multi-year contract. Month-to-month is a better option.
So, do you have any questions about choosing a telematics vendor? Let us know in the comments section below.
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