As more and more companies are procuring fleets to run their business, it has become a top concern amongst them to achieve better fleet management to improve their performance.
Before taking a look at fleet management systems it is important understand the various purposes for which fleets are used and what contributes to their increasing popularity.
Why are fleets used?
Fleets of vehicle are employed across various industries and across all sizes of businesses. What they differ in is of course the size of the fleet which must be in accordance to the size of the business and the purpose to which this fleet is used.
If the company in involved in production of certain goods, the fleet is used to procure the raw materials that are required for the production process from the various sources or the ware houses that are used to store the raw materials. Following this, the vehicle is also used in supplying the finished products to the places from where they are delivered or sent for further production.
If the organization employs a large number of people, the fleet may also be used in picking up and dropping the workers. This ensures that workers reach the office on time. This helps in increasing the productivity of the workers.
In case of service providers, the vehicles are used to ensure that services reach the client on time. By having a vehicle fleet, the workers do not have to worry about loading the tools again and again as they may have all their requisite items in one place.
Fleets are thus very useful for every kind of business be it your local retailer who is involved in delivering groceries from door to door, your food delivery service, your pest control service, or even your car that was delivered to the showroom via a fleet.
The importance of fleet management?
One may wonder that if all things related to fleets have so many benefits why is fleet management at all needed.
Well, while it is one thing to procure a fleet, to earn proper profit out of it is another. This is where the importance of fleet management comes into play. In the absence of proper fleet management none of these benefits can be properly availed by the company.
Rather it can lead to such embarrassing situations where your vehicle may just break down between services and you may not be able to reach your clients in proper time. In absence of proper management it is also observed that the fleet may consume more resources than the funds generated by them. Under such conditions they rather cut down the efficiency of the system rather than increasing it. Further the value of your vehicle fleet as an asset of your company also diminishes over time if there is an absence of the fleet management system.
Manager or a Vehicle Maintenance Software
The traditional method to overcome the problems associated with fleet management is to employ a fleet manager. These managers are to oversee the functioning of the fleet while ensuring that all the vehicles are in running condition.
Sometimes companies employ a fleet manager or overburden a worker who already has other duties with the work of fleet management. Whatever may be the case, as the size of the fleet increases with time and the problem associated with it also increases it becomes beyond any man to manually take care of the conditions of all the cars. Even if they do so, it increases the chances of errors and this again reflects upon the performance of the fleet.
Again employing too many people only for the task of fleet management may not be a good idea as well. If you employ too many people you have to pay them salary which may even exceed the income that is generated by your fleet.
It is to tackle such problems that inventions such as the Vehicle Maintenance Software by Chevin has come into place. With the software which is just a onetime investments, the profits increase several folds while the amount of capital that you invest on them is almost negligible. Further as the entire system is mechanised there are zero chances of any error. But as the popularity of such softwares have increased in the market, the number of companies involved in manufacturing such soft wares has also increased and as such it gets very difficult to make choices as to which software must be availed by you for your company.
Who are the best?
Here are some tips that will help you in choosing the best vehicle maintenance software:
- It must keep you updated regarding every kind of maintenance need of your vehicle so that all your vehicles are always in top form.
- It must keep you posted regarding the fuel consumption of the vehicles so that none of the vehicles consume more fuel than necessary. Even a slight increase in fuel consumption by any of the vehicles must be immediately reported so that you can take action immediately.
- It must have a gps enabled system so that you may supervise every movement of your vehicles and track them when necessary. They must also assist your drivers in finding the shortest route between two places.
- It must have an effective plan to replace old vehicles with new ones so as to avoid inefficiency that comes when the car is run beyond a certain point
- It must identify the behaviour of your driver to see if they are involved in risky activities and keep you informed so that your assets are safe
- It should help in maintaining a data base to help you in providing the best customer service and enable you in developing a loyal customer base.
A good way to identify a vehicle maintenance software is through client reviews and testimonies that are there in their website. Now with all these tips, make the best choices and choose a software today!