5 Tips to Help Choose the Right GPS Fleet System

GPS tracking devices have come a long way in a relatively short period of time. They are no longer simply used to ‘track’ your vehicles but are now known more as a fleet management system for your entire fleet. The capabilities available today can help decrease fuel consumption, increase the productivity and safety of your drivers, help manage maintenance, and the list goes on. Before installing a GPS fleet system in your fleet, it is important you find the right fit for your business.

These simple tips will help you choose the right GPS solution to fit your needs:

• Determine Your Unique Business Needs
  It is important to include the managers of all departments in the decision making process. Or, if you’re a small to mid-size business owner and you are the manager of multiple departments keep in mind all elements of your business you regularly deal with, when making the decision. GPS fleet systems can help in many areas outside of the fleet department. Does your business require help remembering vehicle maintenance or reading engine fault codes? Is payroll and/or paper time cards too time consuming and often inaccurate? You will better understand what to look for in a solution by considering all departments of your business.

• Features That Meet Your Needs
  Once you have determined all of your company’s needs and the benefits you expect from the system you can use that information to narrow down your options. For example: Do you struggle with high insurance costs due to the unsafe driving habits of your drivers? If so, you’ll want to look for a solution with real-time in vehicle driver feedback to correct poor behaviour and potentially bring down your insurance costs. You’ll also want access to safety reports within the GPS fleet system. Do you miss a lot of vehicle maintenance? This can cause more expensive repairs in the long run, look for a system that includes built in maintenance reminders with the ability to pull engine data straight from the vehicle.

• Choosing the Right Provider
  One of the hardest yet most important elements when adopting a GPS fleet system, is to make sure your provider will be there with customer support and account assistance whenever you need it. If you purchase a solution and never hear from your provider again, there is no way you can use the system to its full potential. You need training on how to use the software and how to properly utilize the reports to get the highest ROI, and tips for how to use the system to its full capabilities in a way that will benefit your business. GoFleet stands out in this area; by taking a partnership approach we get to know our customers needs and work with them to save them as much money as possible using the features of our system. We also offer weekly training sessions 3 times a week and one-on-one training if needed.

• Learning to Properly Utilize the System
  Installing a GPS fleet system can have a ton of benefits for your fleet, but those benefits don’t just happen overnight by plugging in the devices. It is crucial you learn to use the software effectively. This ties in to choosing the right provider; without choosing a provider who will train you properly on how to use the software, you won’t learn its full potential. Being well versed in the software translates into getting insight into your fleet and allows you to save money and really improve on your pain areas. If you simply install the units and never even look at the software, you will not achieve the savings and productivity increase you are looking for.

• Implementing the GPS Fleet System
  What many business owners often overlook is the importance of gaining a strong buy-in from employees. Fleet management systems can help increase the productivity of your employees by simply telling them you’re installing the devices. By sharing the benefits of the solution, investing in your employees and enhancing their knowledge about the solution, implementation should go smoothly. If any of your employees have a big issue with the installation of GPS devices, think to yourself: what are they hiding? Employees with nothing to hide should embrace the system with open arms.

Do your research. Don’t just sign up for the cheapest system or the first system you come across. If it’s the cheapest system, it’s probably lacking a large portion of the features you can use to optimize your business.

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