ARCHIVE FOR THE ‘fleet’ CATEGORY

At this week's Housing 2019 event in Manchester, location and mobile technology experts, Localz, talked about the impact of the IConomy to the field service industry. In this article Localz explains how the field service industry can utilise mobile technology to deliver “uber” style housing repairs and deliver frictionless customer services in the fourth industrial revolution.

 

Consumers are sick and tired of impersonalised and inflexible services which do not fit into their routine. They want to be able to schedule an appointment that fits into their schedule and be able to track and adjust it in realtime. eBay, Deliveroo and Uber are all addressing the need for instant booking, tracking and assurance for its customers. These companies are putting the customer at the centre of its service, giving them control, reassurance and convenience and overall building trust. They are setting the benchmark for all industries and now customers are starting to demand the same experiences from every organisation they engage with. 

Applying the success from leading brands and incorporating customer and field service engineer pain points, Localz advises on the key steps to ensure frictionless customer experiences in today’s digital age. 

1. Be digitally available 

Providing convenience means being digitally enabled on various platforms, this includes customers being able to book an appointment via a laptop, tablet or smartphone and smartwatch. Alongside device enablement they also want to be able to book an appointment via different means including, email, telephone, on a brands app and in the future via voice recognition. It is vital that you stay on top of the latest technology and ensure you know how your customers want to interact with you. 

1. Confirm and reassure
Once an appointment is booked you need to continually remind and reassure your customers that you are coming. It is vital to provide customers with regular updates throughout the appointment life-cycle, from confirmation to receiving the appointment, to a reminder the day before and the morning of including real-time updates of an ETA. 

2. “On my way”
On the day of the appointment provide the customer with a real-time location tracker of the service provider so they can check the platform and are deterred from calling the contact centre. If there are going to be any changes to the appointment then the platform can be triggered to automatically provide push updates on the service providers ETA. 

British Gas has seen no-access, failed appointments fall by 20%  by using “On my way” notifications. Customers are more informed and therefore aren’t forgetting appointments or rescheduling if needed to. 

3. “Find my engineer”
The ‘Find my Engineer’ solution provides the ultimate transparency by giving customers access to real-time location tracking when the operative is en route. Accurate ETAs are provided, which take live traffic conditions into account. Localz own research shows that 65% of consumers say that viewing their service provider’s ETA is the most important feature on a service provider’s mobile app. This is particularly important in the housing sector as the length of appointments can vary greatly. By providing real-time updates enables customers to track the engineer and get on with their day so they are not stuck within the confines of their own home for hours. 

By enabling for two-way communications between service engineers and the customer will help to streamline appointments. Two-way communications make it easy for customers to tell you and your operatives important information without having to join a call centre queue. Provide contact centre staff with the same transparency and real-time tracking, so they can give a consistent and reliable message if a customer still decides to call.

OVO Energy’s engineers have cited that using two-way communication has an increase in customer satisfaction. By enabling engineers and customers to directly speak to one another it removes the middle man, which can be a frustrating experience for both parties. 

5. “Rate Your Service”
One of the key ingredients to successful communication and one that is often forgotten is the power of listening. Asking consumers to “rate” and feedback on the service will lead to consumers feeling important, cared for and if you respond accordingly listened to. 

This is something that Uber has done very well. By allowing consumers to rate their driver it not only leads to customers feeling heard but it enables the organisation to increase the safety of the solution.Both outcomes of providing the score is both of importance to the consumer and the company alike. In environments where interactions are frequent and where 'promises' can be fulfilled reliably and repeatedly trust can be established. 

 

To find out more about Localz’s solutions click here.

 

Speedy Asset Services, the provider of tools, plant and specialist equipment, is adopting video telematics technology as standard on all new vehicles as part of the company’s commitment to road safety and fleet risk reduction. 

The company has installed VisionTrack’s VT2000 connected forward-facing camera on a further 50 recently acquired vans, which will provide Speedy Asset Services with added visibility of any collisions, near misses and harsh driving events.

“We have taken the decision to make video telematics part of our fleet replacement programme, with all new vehicles to be fitted with VisionTrack’s industry-leading road safety technology,” explains Gareth Jones, Road Risk Manager at Speedy Asset Services ltd. “The connected vehicle cameras will help target further improvements as part of our award-winning fleet safety strategy that has already reduced road collisions by 37 per cent, while also enabling us to avoid unnecessary insurance costs.”

The latest roll-out follows the successful adoption of a connected multi-camera DVR system on a fleet of HGVs. The solution has provided all around visibility of the vehicle and shares all captured information with VisionTrack’s cloud-based IoT platform. This has enabled Speedy Asset Services to view HD video evidence of road incidents within second of them occurring, as well as gain a better understanding of driver behaviour to identify areas of risk.

Speedy Asset Services had previously used a competitor SD-card vehicle camera solution within its fleet operation, but the devices required video to be manually downloaded before it could be viewed. It often took up to three weeks to receive footage from drivers, while the solution was also prone regular equipment failure. In contrast, the video telematics system provides real-time alerts in the event of a collision and access to footage, so Speedy Asset Services can immediately check on the welfare of the driver and prove liability in less than 30 minutes.

“As one of the first fleets in the UK to achieve DVSA earned recognition we have demonstrated our commitment to keeping our people, customers and members of public safe by meeting all driver and vehicle standards. As part of this, we understood the need for an advanced and scalable video telematics system that safeguards drivers, prevents road collisions and mitigates fleet risk. We are working closely with VisionTrack – a technology leader that is driving innovation in connected technology and smart transportation – to take advantage of their unrivalled ambition, expertise, service and support,” concludes Jones.

Simon Marsh, Managing Director of VisionTrack commented: “We combine the most advanced and reliable technology with first-class service and support to provide solutions that deliver true value. With a growing number of fleet and transport operations seeking innovative ways of protecting vehicles, drivers and brand reputation, we are now partner of choice for connected vehicle cameras and video telematics.”

Location and mobile technology company, Localz, have been announced as the latest software partner for Castleton Technology Plc. benefiting housing associations within the tech firm's portfolio.

Housing Associations within the Castleton portfolio will gain insight to their operations and new service transparency to their customers through Localz location technology ‘Find My Engineer’, which tracks an engineer's journey to a job, viewed by the customer.

Ian Stewart, Commercial Sales Manager for Castleton commented: “With an industry average of 20% failed appointments and each failed appointment costing up to £100, it is business critical for Housing Authorities to reduce the time wasted and costs incurred associated with these failed appointments to improve services for social housing customers. Our partnership with Localz will help our customers achieve this objective”.

The ‘Find my Engineer’ solution provides the ultimate transparency by giving customers access to real-time location tracking when the operative is en route. Accurate ETAs are provided, which take live traffic conditions into account. Localz own research shows that 65% of consumers say that viewing their service provider’s ETA is the most important feature on a service provider’s mobile app.

Localz client portfolio includes the largest UK energy provider, British Gas, who achieved a 17% increase in the first-time access rate of their engineers through Localz platform.  

“Localz’s exciting new partnership with Castleton demonstrates their continued drive to innovate in the social housing sector. The integration of our “On my way” technology into their leading housing management solutions, provides not only increased productivity savings for their customers but a great customer experience for the tenants also," said Charles Bullock, Partnership Director, Localz.

Encore and Workforce Manager help to maximize mobile workforces’ potential.

Geotab have announced the availability of two new mobile workforce management solutions by Actsoft, Inc. on the Geotab Marketplace.

Helping business to streamline processes and gain greater visibility into drivers and assets, Encore and Workforce Manager by Actsoft, are the latest solutions to join the Marketplace’s growing portfolio of mobile apps, software Add-Ins and hardware Add-Ons that enable Geotab customers to better manage their fleets.

Encore, Actsoft’s flagship product, enables companies to maximize efficiency in daily operations, providing businesses with the dynamic tools necessary to effectively oversee and engage remote employees and assets when in the field. Offering a wide range of functionality, such as mobile timekeeping, wireless forms and GPS-based tracking, Encore helps to streamline current processes, allowing fleet managers to benefit from more accurate workforce data and minimize discrepancies. Workforce Manager is a nearly identical software, but is exclusive to AT&T customers.

“We’re very excited to embark on this new journey in collaboration with Geotab,” said Kevin Thigpen, Chief Operating Officer at Actsoft. “The Geotab Marketplace, with its vast hub of telematics innovations, is the perfect home for Actsoft and its increasing portfolio of GPS-enabled workforce management solutions.”

As an industry leader in mobile resource management, Actsoft has been providing solutions to help businesses achieve their maximum potential for over 20 years. It’s award-winning suite of software tools for improved worker and asset management, is utilized by thousands of customers around the globe to power data-driven decision making. Joining over 150 partner solutions on the Geotab Marketplace, Actsoft’s Encore and Workforce Manager solutions are available to the more than 40,000 Geotab customers who are leveraging telematics data to better manage their fleets.

“The Geotab Marketplace is designed to help businesses customize their telematics solution and utilize vehicle data to increase the overall efficiency of their fleets, ” added Joey Marlow, Executive Vice President, U.S. Operations at Geotab. “The perfect complement to our Marketplace, Actsoft and its solutions provide customers with an all-encompassing workforce management solution that further strengthens any fleet-based operation, helping businesses become more productive today and into the future.” 

Tachograph and compliance software firm unveils new integrated product. 

TruTrac's re-designed TruLicence system enables operators to validate, monitor and control key driving licence and CPC compliance information.

The software combines driver licence verification and validity checks with tachograph and general compliance data for complete control. The dashboard includes widgets and alerts to highlight licence issues and potential at-risk drivers with areas of concern.

The firm made the announcement at this year's Commercial Vehicle Show where they also launched CPT Licence Check; the same effective and TruLinks - an API suite which gives developer access to key data, while removing the need for manual intervention or data duplication.

Commenting on the newly introduced products, TruTac’s Commercial Director, Jemma James said: “This was a great show for us and we were delighted to see so many friends – old and new – come along to see for themselves the wide range of operational and commercial benefits our latest compliance control solutions have to offer. Launching our third product in partnership with the CPT has also made it a show to remember.”

Cost and performance analysis for fleet and mobility managers has become quicker and easier thanks to an innovative new reporting suite from outsourced fleet management specialist Fleet Operations.

MOVE Analytics provides companies with customisable dashboards, at-a-glance reports and trend analysis charts to help control costs, improve fleet and mobility decision-making and the business bottom line.

Users can access a wealth of business intelligence – generated either nationally or internationally – from high level summaries to detailed cost and performance breakdowns. Data can be reviewed at the touch of a button for any area of spend and operation, over any requested timeframe.

“MOVE Analytics saves companies time and money by offering smart, bespoke, reporting and immediate visibility into their operational performance,” said Fleet Operations Managing Director Richard Hipkiss.

“An intuitive software interface provides user-friendly insights into everything from lease acquisition, depreciation, fuel spend and carbon footprint to road tax, vehicle maintenance, utilisation and travel expenses. By doing so, it enables companies to make smarter, data-driven, decisions.”

Data can be consolidated and reported back, 24/7, from any business source of relevance to cost or performance, or from any part of the fleet supply chain.

This allows budgets and mobility allowances to be benchmarked against a variety of performance parameters while total cost of fleet ownership data can be benchmarked for either individual vehicles or an entire fleet.

Smart modelling algorithms, incorporating accurate assessments of the complete lifecycles of company vehicles, generates accurate cost forecasting calculations, enabling fleet and finance teams to make considerable time-cost savings.

Furthermore, inbuilt API functionality means business intelligence can be seamlessly integrated from any other back office software, such as accounting or CRM systems.

MOVE Analytics offers the highest standards of data security, with Fleet Operations holding both ISO9001:2015 and ISO27001:2013 accreditations for quality and information security management systems.

The number of insurance telematics policies in force on the European market reached 10.3 million in Q4-2018.

Programme uses a multi-stage approach to enable vehicle manufacturers to connect with the TomTom Telematics Service Platform. 

After joining OEM.connect, manufacturers’ vehicles with line fitted connectivity will roll off the production line WEBFLEET and NEXTFLEET ready. The owners of these vehicles can then access the standard TomTom Telematics’ applications, which help boost the efficiency, productivity and safety of their fleet operations.

If a fleet is made up of cars, light commercial vehicles or trucks from different manufacturers, the data from each vehicle will be presented to the user in the same standardised way on the same interface. This makes comparison and analysis simple.Car manufacturers get the full advantage of TomTom Telematics’ experience in the connected car space and wide geographical scope.

“With more than 20 years’ experience in telematics and fleet management,” said Thomas Becher, VP Business Development, TomTom Telematics. “We have demonstrated through our work with leading car makers like Groupe PSA and Renault and the use of BMW CarData, that our expertise is the key to unlocking the considerable financial and end-user value of vehicle connectivity.”

Benoît Joly, Head of Services Business, Renault, added: “Because business users' requirements differ widely depending on their trade, because there are so many different industries and country-specific needs, Renault partners with TomTom Telematics as one of the best-known telematics service providers to meet each company's requirements. As part of the Renault EASY CONNECT for Fleet ecosystem of connected services, business users can simplify fleet management and reduce costs, with secure and affordable connectivity.”

The confidentiality, integrity and availability of connected car data processed on the TomTom Telematics Services Platform has been certified to ISO/IEC 27001 standards.

A new, independent survey of the highways industry has revealed that two-thirds of tech-enabled businesses reported a reduction in accidents or no accidents at all in the last 12 months – 50 per cent more than industry standard. 

The report highlights the influence that technology can have on the preventability of accidents, with over two-thirds (67 per cent) of businesses using paper-based processes reporting preventable accidents, compared to only 53 per cent of businesses using digital technology – a reduction of 26 per cent.

 

It also found that not a single business that uses software to enforce process, track job progress and analyse job performance reported an increase in accidents in the past year, compared to 11 per cent of other businesses.

 

Better safety training for workers, more detailed vehicle inspections and improved road quality were listed as the top measures to prevent accidents in future.

 

Graham Whistance, Managing Director of MyMobileWorkers, commissioners of the report, explained:

 

“With 39 million vehicles on the road in Great Britain, our network is being put under more strain than ever before, as are the businesses and workers that make up the sector. However, while maintaining our highways infrastructure is crucial, workforce safety must always be front of mind.

 

“There is no doubt a role for government legislation and regulation here, but what our research tells us that investment in digital technologies is giving businesses an opportunity to take extra control. By making the switch from paper-based to digital, highways companies are improving the safety of some 300,000 workers on the roads today, while also improving compliance, job performance and productivity.”

 

The new research also reveals that using digital software improves business results and productivity. Businesses in the highways sector that track the progress of their jobs using digital technology complete jobs in an average of 4.4 hours while vastly improving quality of work, over 50 per cent faster than those that use paper-based approaches.  

 

What’s more, over a fifth (21 per cent) of those using digital technology to track job progress are able to provide customer updates in real-time, almost double the number of those that don’t (11 per cent).

 

Herts Traffic Management has seen a 40 per cent increase in business efficiencies since switching from paper-based to digital. Richard Soanes, Managing Director, said: “The insights from the Driving Change report are telling. There is a big gap in the highways sector for more efficient and safer ways of working, so having this data to raise awareness and provide a clear solution is invaluable.

 

“Having switched from paper-based to digital ways of working, I have seen the significant business benefits first hand. Compliance and safety performance feel robust and we have seen a 40 per cent increase in business efficiencies through gathering data, accumulated in the office and out in the field.”

 

When it came to compliance, the majority (98 per cent) of those surveyed said they are fully compliant however, some standout challenges still remain. Most notably safeguarding all equipment, which was reported by 45 per cent of businesses. Ensuring all safety procedures are followed and staying up-to-date with new laws, regulation and policies were also cited as leading barriers to compliance in the sector.

 

“While most companies surveyed state they are fully compliant, this report tells us there is still a long list of issues to address,” Graham added. “Compliance is much more than simply filling out a tick-box form, it’s about making sure all areas of the business, from equipment, to employees and ways of working are all as robust as possible.”

Transaction will provide government and private fleets a broadened selection of services for maximizing productivity, efficiency and safety, firm says.

Geotab has announced that it has signed an arrangement agreement whereby it plans to acquire BSM Technologies.

BSM provides telematics and asset management solutions to more than 165,000 vehicles across government and private fleets in Canada and the United States. The completion of this transaction would add to the over 1.5 million fleet telematics subscribers utilizing Geotab globally.

Over the past 20 years, BSM has developed extensive experience and customer relationships in the government sector, enabling municipalities and States/Provinces to optimize and manage their winter road maintenance fleets.

”BSM had previously standardized on using the Geotab platform as their base and then created a competitive advantage by building new products on top of our technology,” said Neil Cawse, Geotab CEO. “An example of this is winter ops - support for data and the management of snow plows and spreaders. This technology is key for our resellers to be able to win government business.”

By adopting the Geotab platform, BSM’s customers in government as well as other verticals including construction, service and rail, will not only benefit from Geotab’s leading engineering expertise and award-winning focus on security, scalability and reliability but will also gain access to solutions for enhanced visibility into vehicle performance, driver habits, accident detection and more.

Geotab’s leadership is reflected in major account wins including the awarding of the world’s largest single-source telematics contract in history by GSA Fleet, a division of the GSA (General Services Administration), to equip its 217,000 U.S. government vehicles with Geotab technology.

Placing security at the forefront of its innovations, Geotab announced earlier this year that the cryptographic module in the company’s GO vehicle tracking device received FIPS 140-2 validation by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Geotab is the first and only telematics company to achieve this standard.

“BSM’s activity in the government space coupled with Geotab’s proven success and commitment to security and scalability will work in tandem to dramatically accelerate Geotab’s presence across North America including in the electric vehicle space, which is an increasingly important emerging market,” added Cawse. "We are excited about what BSM will do to strengthen our ecosystem and believe that the resultant platform enhancements will benefit our customers around the globe."

Geotab has a long-standing history of providing customers with access to an open-platform solution that enables fleets to customize and scale their telematics implementation to meet their business needs. This approach has allowed the company to closely align with strategic partners that provide customizable solutions to help improve productivity, fuel efficiency, driver safety and more.

Through this transaction, BSM customers will also benefit from Geotab’s partner ecosystem. BSM will contribute some of its product and services development in asset tracking, winter ops, third-party integration and off-road equipment tracking to the Geotab Marketplace, Geotab’s extensive online solutions center for managing mobile assets and workers.

“Following the announcement of our expanded partnership with Geotab in late 2018, it became clear that BSM’s growing analytics and optimization capabilities combined with Geotab’s best in class telematics solution results in an enhanced product offering to fleet management customers. As part of the Geotab team we will be able to offer these capabilities across all of Geotab’s partner network,” said Louis De Jong, President and CEO of BSM. “The combination of BSM and Geotab is a great outcome for all of BSM’s stakeholders.”