This article by Paul Oliver, Director & Principal Consultant of Fleet Advisory was first published in the December 2020 issue of AFMA’s Fleet Drive Magazine. Paul provides independent expert advice and consulting services relating to fleet and mobility solutions.
In working with organisations to review their fleet operations, it is surprising how many continue to rely on antiquated systems to manage their fleet.
Excel spreadsheets, Outlook calendars, paperbased logs and clipboards in pool cars are far more prevalent than I ever envisaged after many years in fleet management. The result is often a poorly run fleet that exhibits high running costs, poor vehicle utilisation, minimal risk management, questionable compliance adherence and inaccurate data with which to base important decisions. From a cost perspective in particular, savings opportunities resulting through improved FBT management, vehicle maintenance management and increased vehicle utilisation consistently stand out.
As dedicated Fleet Managers are increasingly rare, getting the fleet operating efficiently and effectively requires a fleet management system to be put in place. This enables general office staff to better manage fleet outcomes with minimal administration and without specialist knowledge.
Technology enabled solutions
Fortunately, these days there are a number of options available. Yet, many organisations seem to ‘shy away’ when Telematics is mentioned, believing they only provide vehicle tracking capability.
Of course, there are several quality Telematics based products that provide a fundamental Fleet Management system that helps address many key cost drivers, risk management and compliance issues.
Intelematics CONNECT
After seeing an article in the October FleetDrive relating to Intelematics CONNECT, I decided to review this solution for one of these customer scenarios.
Intelematics was an appealing choice, knowing they are an Australian company (part of the RACV), giving me a level of confidence in obtaining local support and understanding. The fact they have just announced a partnership with Toyota Motor Corporation Australia (TMCA) to deliver Toyota’s Connected-Car program spoke volumes for their credibility.
CONNECT also attracted my interest as it is advertised as a ‘modular’ solution, which seemed highly beneficial to organisations that want to pick and choose the features they require (and are prepared to pay for), without signing up for the ‘whole box and dice’.
Visually, CONNECT has a modern look and is intuitive to use. The modules available include:
- Vehicle Tracking & Historical Trips – mandatory
- FBT Reporting
- Vehicle Health & Safety Reporting – facilitating predictive maintenance
- Driver Behavioural Analysis & Reporting
- Vehicle Optimisation Analysis & Reporting
- Pool Car Management
Their proprietary vehicle battery failure prediction tool (FailSAFE) can be added as a low-cost option. FailSAFE uses machine learning to alert drivers to a battery fault before it fails.
The Mobile App is well laid out and provides drivers with a range of core features. In talking with Paul Sinclair from Intelematics, it was obvious they place a strong emphasis on Voice of the Customer (VOC) in their design and development to ensure customers achieve their desired outcomes. This includes building features to meet bespoke customer requirements.
“Every business has unique needs. You must find a system that caters to your individual business needs and sits within your budget. Most fleet management solutions in the market today offer a range of services, and you get access to a host of features. The best fleet management system is one that can cater to your individual business needs, provide you with insights which will help you increase fleet utilisation, streamline processes, avoid vehicle downtimes, reduce administrative paperwork, and improve your overall profit”, says Sinclair.
The ability for customers to get accurate data to manage their fleet has never been greater. Importantly, the cost of the enabling technology has continued to decrease while the overall level of features and capability has improved considerably.
The Intelematics approach of providing a scaleable solution tips the Return on Investment (ROI) proposition in favour for customers looking to realise the benefits that adopting the solution delivers.
Related posts:
Toyota Motor Corporation Australia to deliver connected vehicles with support from Australian technology company, Intelematics
Fleet management strategy – Your guide to reducing costs, optimising productivity and increasing the safety of your drivers and vehicles
Fleet management systems – An overview and how to determine if your business needs one
Intelematics, announces a joint venture with Voyomotive, to bring predictive battery analytics to the North American market