Fleet Management
FLEET MANAGEMENT: COMPANY BENEFITS
Employees will, obviously, be interested in the direct benefits “Fleet Management” will provide them, but they often will be just as interested in the overall benefits it provides their company. After all, success of the business usually translates into increased personal success as well.
Eliminates billing disputes, reduces fuel expenses, reduces speeding, reduces excessive idling, reduces insurance costs, increase productivitys, increases operation efficiencies, increases customer satisfaction, and better routing are just some benefits “Fleet Management” Systems will provide for your company.
INTRODUCING FLEET MANAGEMENT TO YOUR EMPLOYEES
In working with companies who have installed “FLEET MANAGEMENT” systems and are now reaping the rewards, we have developed this guide to help you introduce the system to your employees and answer their questions up front. By communicating with employees directly and outlining how they will benefit as well as the company, you can make the transition much smoother. In short, be honest and forthright from the beginning and you will gain employee trust. Experience has shown that “good” employees have no problem with accountability, and in fact welcome it as it sets them apart from less productive coworkers. The employee that resists fleet monitoring is more than likely an employee that can use improvement. Some employees might also have a tendency to distrust, or at least be skeptical of change. Their resistance is rooted in unrealistic attitudes towards change. Change is a continuous part of every successful business. A good relationship with your drivers will help your fleet run more smoothly and efficiently. The more you can get your drivers to embrace the change instead of resisting it, the better off you’ll be.
Points for Introducing “Fleet Management” to your Employees
It’s no secret why you purchased “Fleet Management” to reduce costs and increase productivity, improve driver efficiency, improve route management, increase time savings and have the ability to account for your fleet’s progress but how do you communicate those things to your employees? How do you get them to see that your new system will also benefit them?
Here is a sample dialog that you may want to use;
“Hello every one!
The reason we are getting together today is to tell you about some new technology that we will be implementing that will allow us to become more efficient and reduce some of our costs.
In keeping with the times we are now going to be installing a Fleet Management system on our vehicles which will allows us to dispatch, locate and route our vehicles more efficiently as well as reduce our insurance costs.
You know those annoying “where are you now phone calls especially when you’re in the middle of something” This system lets us route the closest vehicle to the next sales/service/delivery call.
This system lets us print out a route for you so you can get to the different locations the easiest way.
The system lets us keep an accurate record of how long we spent at the customers location so we eliminate billing disputes and having to bother you with …”You remember the customer that you were at 4 weeks ago and did (…) well he is saying that you were there only 2 hours…But I know you were there for 4 hours do you know where your time sheets are?” This system will allow us to bill our customers accurately and efficiently.
Due to the high incidence of theft, this system will allows us to locate a stolen vehicle immediately. This will reduce our insurance costs.”
FLEET MANAGEMENT: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Having helped many companies implement “Fleet Management” systems, we know their will likely be some tough questions you will have to face. A list of the most frequently asked questions is below. While many of the answers will be based on your individual company’s policies, we’ve given some guidelines for communication.
Q. Don’t you trust us to do our jobs?
A. Absolutely, we trust you. Driving a vehicle and selling, servicing, and delivering our products are huge responsibilities and that’s why you are part of our team. We’re installing this system to help us better manage the entire fleet, not just a single truck. It will give us an overall picture of how the fleet is operating and will point out areas that we could improve on as a company. We see it as a very positive change and we think you will too.
Q. Is this legal?
A. Yes. The system is simply tracking the vehicle’s progress throughout the day and providing the same information that we would get if we were to ride around with you to write detailed route reports with delivery times and mileage.
Q. What exactly will the system monitor?
A. The system will track when the vehicle starts in the morning, where and when it stops, how long it stays at each location, the speed it’s traveling between points, how long it idles during the day, total number of miles driven, and when the equipment is turned on and off (or lift gate or other custom events).
Q. What if the system catches us speeding?
A. The usual, firing squad. (A little humor is always a good thing)
Q. What happens if we need to make personal stops?
A. (Refer to company policy)
FLEET MANAGETMENT: EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
The strongest method for easing the introduction of “Fleet Management Systems” is to outline for employees the many direct benefits the system provides them. Following are some of the employee benefits that have already been reported by Universal Tracking Technologies customers:
• Higher Customer Retention for service drivers that work on commission, retaining current customers is of high importance. In several cases, the detailed reports “Fleet Management” provides on service stops has led to higher customer retention numbers. Simply put, customers like to see proof that service was completed on time, and by providing that proof, you keep your customers and your commissions.
• Protection against False Claims “Fleet Management” provides irrefutable data showing when and where each vehicle has traveled, providing protection against false accident claims and reports of late arrivals at scheduled stops. Service Time Tracking “Fleet Management” provides electronic verification of service time, providing drivers with back up in case of customer challenges.
• Hands-free Mileage Log “Fleet Management” provides an accurate, hands-free mileage log, saving valuable time.
• Vehicle “Take Home” Policies because evening and weekend use can be monitored, some companies are now able to allow employees to use fleet vehicles after-hours. This saves many employees and companies’ valuable time and fuel.
• Increased Company Profits Increased savings and company profits translate into better profitability, better maintenance programs to minimize on-the-road problems, replacement of aging equipment, etc.
• New Incentives because “Fleet Management” allows you to measure performance very efficiently, you can create new incentives based solely on productivity. It is amazing to see the changes in performance once drivers take the competitive spirit to heart. Before you know it, they will help you find new ways to bring in revenue.
• Increased Driver Safety financial gain isn’t the most important benefit for drivers. The incidence and severity of crashes and driver fatalities increase exponentially with speed. Because maximum speed is now automatically recorded, driver safety can be easily monitored.
• Improved Employee Morale because with “Fleet Management” driver accountability isn’t an issue any longer, you don’t run the risk of getting caught up in “Gotcha” Management. On the contrary, you now have a tool to catch your drivers doing something good so you can enhance their performance and self esteem. Good drivers are usually reluctant to report their inefficient counterparts. In many cases, good employees wind up carrying the burden of the slackers. This has an adverse impact on morale. You now have the tool to deal with unproductive drivers.