Running a field service business comes with a lot of benefits and its fair share of challenges. One of the main problems faced by such companies is the management of their motor vehicles and other moving machines. Ensuring that every van or truck is fueled and well serviced before resuming weekly duties can be an enormous challenge.
If you’re in this industry, however, it’s important to note that fleet management is an essential part of field service business growth. It gives you the resources you need to scale your company and serve more clients within the shortest time possible. Whether you’re using software or have a dedicated team of employees to monitor your fleet, such strategies can also protect your business against unseen costs. (1)
This article aims to discuss some benefits of integrating a fleet management system into your field service business. Read on to learn more!
Manage maintenance and fuel costs
As the number of vehicles increases, the costs of maintaining and fueling them rises too. Having separate daily expense reports from different drivers will make it difficult for you to monitor the total spend resulting from the vehicles and plan ahead. With such raw data, you’re also likely to make mistakes in your manual calculations, and this can have repercussions on your business.
With a fleet management system, however, you will be able to compile reports from all drivers and have them in one file. This way, you can easily access the total expenses, monitor the daily or weekly spending, and make the necessary adjustments to plan ahead financially.
Periodic reports from drivers can help in the management process, but they only capture a static view. Fleet management systems can show real-time changes, making it easier to implement any adjustments to ensure that targets are met.
Improve customer retention rate
The success of most businesses isn’t only dependent on the acquisition of new clients but also its ability to retain existing customers. The higher your company’s customer retention rate, the higher its chances of success. So, how does a fleet management system help this?
Take, for example, a company working within the construction industry. Such businesses use scheduling software applications, like the one from Jobber, to make sure that their operations are in sync with their customer’s needs and expectations. Integrating a fleet management system to such business processes will ensure that all the technicians can arrive on time to their scheduled appointments, with the right tools and resources needed to carry out the job. Customers are served on time, as diarized, and the incidents of missed or cancelled appointments is greatly reduced. (3)
In the long run, you’ll be able to increase customer satisfaction since the services will be delivered to them within the expected timeframe, and any unprecedented delays can be communicated beforehand. By doing so, you’ll stand the best chances of being able to retain your valued customers.
Ensures safe and reliable vehicles
Imagine the unenviable situation where you get a call from one of your customers who needs you to perform a site visit at short notice. You then realize that your mode of transport has an issue and cannot get you there. Not only will you lose out on the job, but your customer is also likely contact one of your competitors to help them instead.
Such scenarios are common with start-up businesses and contribute to the reasons that many of them fail to survive past their first 5 years. By planning ahead and having a fleet maintenance management system in place will ensure that you’re aware of all your vehicles’ whereabouts and their conditions. So, in case one breaks down, you can schedule repairs and maintenance to get the issue resolved and organize a replacement vehicle in the meantime. (2)
Apart from increasing reliability, fleet management also ensures the safety of the people using the vehicles. A poorly maintained car or van will endanger your employees’ safety on the road. Important maintenance alerts can be scheduled using the management system to avoid impacting customers and affecting their levels of experience with your company.
Conclusion
Statistics show that the number of fleet management systems is expected to increase by a significant margin in the coming years. This means there are many companies out there that have already seen the importance of this technology and are starting to embrace it.
If you have a fleet and are looking to handle them in-house, this is the best time to opt for professional fleet management. With this system, you can manage the cost of many things, such as fuel and maintenance. You’ll also improve the reliability and safety of your vehicles, helping you avoid any unnecessary internal and external frustrations.
References
