If your small business relies on vehicles to deliver products or services to customers, you need to do everything you can to ensure those vehicles are running efficiently. Vehicle tracking systems can improve the overall productivity of your business. Here are four specific areas where small businesses can benefit from the addition of fleet tracking systems:
1. Lower Costs
The No. 1 benefit businesses realize when they install GPS fleet tracking, and learn how to use it well, is cost savings. You will save money first by limiting wasted fuel. Better routing drivers and minimizing excessive idling time adds to improved fuel usage across your fleet. In fact, Work Truck Magazine indicates that telematics systems can reduce overall fuel consumption by as much as 15 percent.
Fleet tracking systems can also lower costs by improving maintenance. You can set up maintenance alerts to track your maintenance and ensure that it is done on time, while also planning maintenance around times when you do not need the vehicle. Keeping up with maintenance can also lower costs by preventing unnecessary down time and extending the life of your vehicles.
Finally, fleet tracking can save money by reducing insurance costs. Business Fleet indicates savings of as much as 15 percent with the addition of fleet tracking. Insurance providers recognize that vehicles with fleet tracking systems are easier to track if stolen, and thus offer a reduced rate for fleets using these systems.
2. Improve Fleet Safety
In addition to making your fleet run more efficiently, a fleet tracking system can improve fleet and driver safety. A fleet tracking system, specifically one that monitors vehicles in real time, will give instant alerts when drivers are engaging in reckless behavior, and you can address those problems quickly.
For example, with real-time fleet tracking, you may receive an alert that your driver was exceeding the recommended speed limit. You can then shoot a text or make a phone call asking the diver to slow down, or address the behavior the moment the driver returns to the office. The faster you can address this and similar safety risks, the more likely you will be to be able to affect real change and see your fleet’s safety improve.
3. Improve Customer Service
When running a small business, your reputation with your customers is an influential advertising tool. Improving your customer service will almost always advance your bottom line, and telematics systems can help with this.
Telematics systems offer several ways to improve customer service. One is through better estimations of your time of arrival, according to Digitalist Magazine. You can give your customers almost exact estimates of driver arrival times with GPS tracking data. This, in turn, limits their wait time.
Better routing also enhances customer service by allowing you to respond more quickly when someone calls for service. You may also be able to respond to last-minute requests, because you can look at the system to see if there are drivers nearby who can help.
4. Improve Overall Efficiency
Above all, installing a vehicle tracking system will improve your efficiency. You will be able to route drivers on the fastest route, limit wasted fuel, schedule maintenance more effectively for vehicles, and improve response times for customers. All of this means a more streamlined business with increased cost savings and improved customer response times.
You may also find that your fleet tracking can help you be more accurate when managing business finances. Your log data from a GPS-enabled fleet tracking system gives you the ability to create profit and loss analyses and better prepare your budget for related fleet costs.
Whether you are looking for ways to improve your planning or want to reach customers faster, don’t neglect fleet tracking. The ways in which you will benefit will quickly outweigh the costs of the system, and you will love having a well-organized, resourceful business.
Robert J. Hall is president of Track Your Truck, a leader in GPS vehicle tracking systems and software various types of vehicles such as tow trucks, boats, etc.
Thanks for sharing the benefits of vehicle tracking to make a small business successful. It is surely improve the customer service effectively and can save money by reducing insurance costs.
You make some excellent points here! Tracking vehicles really can help your business run more smoothly. Efficiency and customer satisfaction are two very important factors you want to prioritize, so taking measures like this are important. Nice advice! Thanks for sharing!
Nice read! Fleet Tracking or vehicle tracking is extremely important for any business. More than just locating the vehicle, it ensures safety, makes financial savings in logistics.
Vehicle tracking devices helps us many way. We can reduce fuel cost, improve driver behavior, increase security and safety and can have better customer service.
Vehicle tracking devices is a good way to monitor if your logistics is right on track. It’s an important measure and it gives you assurance that your providing quality service to your clients. Pretty good read. Thanks for this!
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Tracking vehicles can help our business run more smoothly. Efficiency and customer satisfaction are two different circumstances, so taking measures like this are important.
Thanks for the information on fleet tracking technology. The company I work for wants to keep better tabs on our fleet of cars, so we are looking for the right tech to handle it. I like that you mentioned that a good GPS system will save money because it will allow for better routing and less fuel to be used. That is a great reason to invest in one, I will pass this on!
Thank you for great post.
GPS tracking has resulted in more productive and efficient employees for many companies.