Vehicle tracking has proven itself to be a very effective tool for business owners to reduce costs, maximize efficiencies, increase productivity and streamline their operations.
It can, however, it becomes a double-edged sword, as employees usually hate the idea of vehicle tracking because they then become accountable for the work efforts, arguing there is a lack of trust and it’s “big brother”. So, how do you get your staff to get on-board with vehicle tracking? People, in general, only accept an idea when they see there is something in it for them, or that the idea is in alignment with their core values. So, present to your staff the benefits to them for having GPS vehicle tracking in place: Security
Management has a duty of care to ensure field staff working alone are safe. Vehicle tracking can automatically send alerts to management if the vehicle is still at a job site after working hours, so that someone knows to check with the field worker that they are okay.
No Record Keeping
With GPS vehicle tracking, field staff no longer have to maintain logbooks, as everything is automated by the tracking system.
Eliminate Fines & Demerit Points
GPS vehicle tracking can monitor speed, hard braking, hard acceleration and harsh cornering. Employees aware that their driving skills are being tracked usually drive in a safer manner to avoid reprimand on their driving habits, resulting in adherence to speed and road rules, thus avoiding traffic infringement fines and increasing the safety of drivers and other road users.
Reduced Workload
Knowing where all field staff are located allows better allocation of resources to emergency call outs from customers. This is best explained through an example:
- late afternoon an emergency callout request comes from a customer
- technician 1 is finishing up an existing job,
- technician 2 has 30 – 40 minutes left on his present job
Without the knowledge of proximities and travel distances, technician 1 gets assigned the emergency call out, since he will be the first available person, but:
- technician 1 has a 1 ½ hour drive to the emergency call out (in the opposite direction of his home).
- technician 2 is only 5 minutes’ drive away.
With GPS tracking, management has the ability to evaluate the distance of each technician to the emergency call out, and assign the technician who will be able to respond in a timely manner not only without causing the customer delay, but also avoiding a technician facing an exhaustive drive and stress.
Reduced Frustration
Nothing frustrates employees more than when they feel they are expected to provide results when having to work with faulty equipment – including the vehicles they drive. Properly maintained vehicles mean field staff experience less vehicle break-downs, less frustration and less days being office bound (or possibly off work not earning income) while the vehicle is being fixed.
Support
When a customer’s challenges the amount of time it has taken for services performed, having documented evidence of a field staff member’s time on site can in most cases correct the customer’s position, thus avoiding the staff member having to account for their time (which can result in the staff member feeling untrustworthy and undervalued).
GPS Vehicle Tracking provides clear, distinctive advantages for both business owners and their field staff. Once employees understand how vehicle tracking is going to make their job easier, less frustrating and supported, they become champions for the technology.