The questions all businesses ponder especially small to medium ones.

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All businesses have had these questions come up:

“Do I or don’t I?” “Can I afford it?” “Can I afford not to?”

Think of the reasons you would “like to, need to and want to” have a tracking solution, and know where both your people and your assets are at any time.

Look at the benefits, and assess what you “need” against what you “want/wish” you could have (we all have a wish list).

There are multiple options – why buy a Ferrari when you only need a Commodore – paying for something you don’t need is expensive if you don’t use it!

Some of the issues and questions are:

  • Where are my guys now? Why are they there, and not….?
    • A customer called and needs to know how far away they are from the job, or a new customer needs an urgent quote. What do I say, do I chase the driver on mobile?
    • Look at their location/s using the GPS platform on PC or phone 24/7.
    • If you know and can see where they are now you can advise the customer
    • If I know and can see which driver is closest I could send them
  • Are my guys on the job site? If not, where are they?
    • Productivity
    • Safety
    • Security
  • How long have they been there?
    • Proof they were there if customer needs it
    • Peace of mind knowing they have been on the job site (sorry, it can’t tell you if they were working though!)
  • I have several drivers on several routes, can these routes be improved and do they overlap?
    • Don’t have the time to sit and physically review on a map? Using historical trip data you can visually see their trips and routes quickly and conveniently.
  • Are my mobile asset secure?
    • Assets/vehicles can be secured using Geofencing
    • Are my vehicles, plant and other equipment secure (24/7)?
    • If one of my mobile assets was stolen what impact will it have on operations?
    • Maybe tracking will help reduce my insurance costs? Talk to your insurer
    • If they are moved when they shouldn’t be, how will I know? Automated alerts (24/7)
  • Do you know when scheduled maintenance is due?
    • View the engine hours or mileage
    • Reports – Schedule and automatic report options
  • How are my vehicles being used after hours?
    • How often are my vehicles being on weekends, long weekends and holidays?
    • Are my people moonlighting after hours using my “tools”?
    • I would know this if I could see where the vehicles have been – Trip data & reports history
  • How do my drivers look after my vehicles? Driver Behaviour.
    • Speeding ticket we get in the mail, who was driving? I can’t remember what work was being done in that area a month ago.
    • Data history will provide the trips for that day – then I will know who was driving.
    • How can I reduce my fuel costs? Speeding drivers also means more fuel, alerts can let you know when they are!
    • How do they treat my vehicles? Harsh driving such as harsh breaking, steering and speeding have an impact on wear and tear. Know their behaviours.
  • Will having my vehicles fitted with GPS tracking devices have an impact on my drivers and will they accept being tracked?
    • Explaining the overall business benefits to you workers and the savings in admin, vehicle fuel and maintenance costs, together with improving of efficiencies, makes their jobs more secure.
    • Most businesses will immediately see an improvement and ROI – research has shown ROI is seen in as little as 6 weeks as.

In summary:

  • Improved efficiency, visibility and customer/client service – more competitive
  • Improved driver habits – saves on fuel and maintenance costs
  • Improved operations through better use and deployment of assets and people
  • Improved security against theft – operational benefits and potential insurance savings
  • Regular driver routes – visually see and amend and assess changes particularly where they overlap saving time, fuel, money and improving efficiency/utilisation
  • Having a GPS solution will save you money and gain many efficiencies
  • Choose the best solution for YOUR needs, not others – price/benefits
  • Look at the different options such as wired device (requires installation) or a plug-in device that is self-installed.

Is it time to investigate GPS tracking solutions and see how this can help improve your business?