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WHAT I’VE LEARNT - Q&A
Peter Millichap, director of marketing at Teletrac Navman, discusses what he’s learnt during his career in the fleet management industry.
Customers
Today we place our customers at the very centre of everything we do – we think about what they really need and we provide solutions to their problems.
We are conscious that we are working in a young industry, so customer service is in its relative infancy, but that’s really given us the opportunity to be market leaders in getting it right, which already shows in our customer satisfaction ratings. We are constantly striving to perfect it.
No matter what the size of your business, customers have to be at the heart of your business model, or you simply won’t succeed.
Telematics
Over the last decade, the telematics industry has grown rapidly, as fleet managers recognise the need for a core solution to their ongoing problems.
The number of commercial vehicles fitted with telematics is roughly in the 30-40% range and that figure is always rising – this is because technology has evolved so much, even in just the last 5 years, that it is playing a much bigger role in fleet management than it ever has done before.
People traditionally think of telematics as simply ‘track and trace’, but it is such a wider tool now; the software can help fleet operators meet regulatory compliance, it can offer Safety Analytics to monitor driver behaviour, and more.
Whilst we’re seeing an increase in fleet operators moving in the right direction by investing in telematics, there’s still a way to go before everyone is up to speed with telemetry, but telematics has definitely established itself as an essential fleet solution provider in recent years.
We predict the amount invested in it will continue to grow in coming years - it’s an exciting time for the industry!
It's a really exciting time for Teletrac Navman and the industry as a whole - we’re looking forward to introducing more great products to the market in the coming years.
Learning
Whether you’re looking at technology, customer service or marketing, you have to look towards the very best practitioners – not just in your space, in any space.
We can always learn from mature market leaders and use those existing models to understand what works – if we then apply them to our industry, we’ll be trail blazers and lead the way.
Constantly learning and evolving is so important in business. I’m always conscious about what I don’t know - like any good business, we are always thinking of how we can improve. We have to have foresight in this industry and learn as much as we can to get the right products.
When we really understand our customers and our market, through research for example, we can then relay that back into the business with executable actions. It’s taking what you learn and feeding that into the business that works; a new idea could turn into a product, a compelling message or great piece of content that our customers want.
Technology
I have over 12 years’ experience in the fleet-tracking industry and it’s been great to see how far the technology has evolved over time – and it’s always improving.
For example, Teletrac Navman launched its Director product in 2015 – a fleet management platform which puts all the data a fleet manager needs in one place. The platform is a fully comprehensive, integrated solution for businesses, which allows fleet managers to accurately track and manage their fleet in real time, on a second-by-second basis. It allows fleet managers to have a complete insight into their fleet’s activity which drives productivity, reduces operational costs and increases overall revenue.
The installation of integrated dash cams has also been a vital development in the industry - they are an incredibly useful addition to any form of transport, especially fleets of commercial vehicles, striving to protect drivers and promote safer driving; offering ease of use and peace-of-mind for drivers.
Work should be fun
I’ve always worked hard, but I’ve always enjoyed what I do in the process. It’s really important to enjoy your day-to-day work and have some fun with it, too. To have happy, satisfied customers you have to have happy, satisfied staff - we really believe in that at Teletrac Navman.
If you are passionate and love what you do, you’ll be successful at it!
About Teletrac Navman:
Teletrac Navman is a multinational telematics company leveraging 25 years of experience to help fleets boost revenue and lower operating costs. We equip businesses with advanced data tools for location tracking, fuel monitoring, reporting, safety and compliance, all via one powerful, user-friendly platform.
We're devoted to providing accurate and precise data secured by the strongest protection and controls. These tools and methods improve business’ bottom line and help them stay competitive. Teletrac Navman currently tracks nearly 500,000 vehicles owned by over 40,000 organisations on six continents, making us one of the world's largest fleet management providers.