A Q&A with Santa, and Fleet Manager Mrs Claus, of North Pole Inc
Selecting and implementing a vehicle tracking system sounds easy. But often businesses underestimate the research and planning that goes with acquiring new tools for an entire team, spending more time troubleshooting than reaping the benefits and seeing true ROI. To help you in your implementation, here are 5 tips for a successful implementation of a vehicle tracking solution:
Explain the need for a vehicle tracking system
Do your homework before you attempt to explain vehicle tracking to others in your business. You’ll want to define business goals, set expectations for the type of solution you’ll need, calculate costs, and understand how the vehicle tracking software will improve productivity and efficiency for everyone involved. Once you’ve gathered intel and defined a bigger picture to explain to your team, you’ll be ready to present to the rest of the business - this way you'll be able to introduce the topic before its implemented and you have enough information and understanding to answer any question.
Educate your employees
Before you get too excited about this new solution, educate your employees about the requirements and needs for a solution. Explain vehicle tracking, the technology behind it, and the many benefits it can offer each member of your team. Consider that some employees may be resistant to change and new technology. If you have data or demo available, use it to show how others have successfully optimised their fleet operation in a competitive market. No matter which approach you take in educating your team, ensure you do it to build confidence and support across the board.
Get employee buy-in
Adopting new technology can be a daunting task for some employees - whether it’s because they lack tech savviness or don’t want to bother with a new system. Show them it will help them too in their daily life and how it affects the long run. Highlight the features and benefits of vehicle tracking software, such as increased visibility and safety, the ability to automate office and in-vehicle tasks, improved efficiency and productivity, and much more. Being able to cut costs and track productivity and work patterns comes with rewards: discuss how this could mean recognition and reward programmes for the team or individuals, based on performance and the company’s overall stability.
Create an on-boarding and on-going training programs
As part of your introduction to why vehicle tracking software is the best solution for your team, have an on-boarding plan ready. Create a clear strategy to train your existing and new employees and drivers on how to use the software and apply best practices for an optimal user experience. Check out vehicle tracking providers that offer training and other professional services to support your team as it ramps up with a new vehicle tracking solution. While an induction/on-boarding programme is important for initial training on the solution and how it works, keeping a consistent and on-going training programme is just as important. This helps to ensure that your policies around technology are continued to be used and followed and that you can be adapted to best suit the business and everyone involved as you go and learn.
Expect to learn and adapt
The first phase of any vehicle tracking solution is implementation. Once the implementation is complete, the discovery phase kicks in. You and your team will learn what the features do, how to use the data, and use both to make operational fleet changes as needed. Drivers, too, will learn how to handle in-vehicle devices and use them on a daily basis. The more your team embraces the changes, the stronger the outcome and ROI will be for your team.