We can tout the benefits of fleet management software all day long, but without quantifiable data to back it up, those benefits can often mean little to decision makers. That’s why we’re breaking down fleet management software benefits by the numbers.
What’s the Value?
Cloud-based fleet management software (FMS) is a robust and comprehensive tool that can help fleets improve daily processes by streamlining workflows through task automation. It reduces communication issues by allowing users to connect with whom they need to — in real time — about any mechanical or operational issue, so you can correct such issues before they grow into costly and/or productivity-hampering problems.
Fleets using FMS have seen these benefits by the numbers, from increasing inspection compliance and on-time maintenance to reducing unnecessary wasted time spent on non-productive tasks.
Inspections Make a Difference
Inspections are a staple of fleet that won’t be going away anytime soon, and for good reason. Properly filled inspection forms — and properly inspected vehicles — save fleets loads of money on repairs by catching issues early. But that doesn’t mean inspections don’t have inherent problems that fleet managers have to contend with; pencil-whipping is a common concern in the industry and many drivers, operators and technicians feel the forms are overly lengthy and often repetitive, causing a decrease in productivity. By simplifying inspections to cut redundancies and offering the use of a mobile app for inspection via FMS, drivers and operators can quickly, efficiently and correctly inspect vehicles.
Results
After implementing their current FMS, the following companies have:
- AAA Oregon/Idaho: Decreased its inspection failure rate to less than 0.25 percent, giving its fleet a near-optimal operating performance metric
- Stanley Steemer: Cut down time spent on inspections from roughly an hour to 10 minutes, a reduction of more than 83 percent, while customizing inspection forms based on compliance, vehicle and equipment requirements
- Zerorez Atlanta: Reduced time spent on inspections by 65 percent, now spending only 3.5 minutes per vehicle inspection vs. 10, leading to a $3,500 reduction in hourly maintenance costs and improving route fulfillment to 99 percent
A Maintenance Process that Works
Maintenance is a huge resource consumer for fleets, whether it’s outsourced or performed in house. Properly filled out inspections, real-time communication and automated workflows ease a lot of the maintenance burdens around scheduling service, procuring parts, planning for downtime, expediting service and so on. FMS also helps you build and customize appropriate preventative maintenance (PM) schedules for your assets based on OEM recommendations, service histories and inspections.
Results
After implementing their current FMS, the following companies have:
- AAA Oregon/Idaho: Achieved 96 percent on-time maintenance compliance
- Boyle Transportation: Saved around 30 minutes per day on maintenance
- Kayak Public Transit: Achieved 90 percent on-time maintenance compliance
- ProQual Landscaping: Created proactive maintenance plans that saved the company 33 percent in repair costs in the first half of 2019 compared to 2018
- SmartWatt: Decreased maintenance costs by 48 percent and reduced time spent on vehicle maintenance by half
Produce the Data
Making fleets efficient is the thing that FMS is meant to do, and that really shows when you look at the time you can save by implementing a software that’s right for your fleet. Whether you just use FMS for inspections and record keeping or you integrate it with other business solutions, FMS should always be making the daily grind easier. So, aside from the purely maintenance perspective, what exactly does increased fleet efficiency look like?
Results
After implementing their current FMS, the following companies have:
- City of Cambridge: Gained the ability to access vehicle downtime, ROI and total fleet cost data
- Asplundh Australia: Achieved nearly 100 percent compliance across the board, reduced safety/inspection form clutter, decreased time to find general foreman audits by hundreds of hours per month, increased asset ROI through utilization data
- Newkirk Electric: Gained the ability to run reports in one-tenth of the time compared to its previous software
Best Fleet Management Software
The best FMS for your fleet is going to largely depend on… well, your fleet. While there are many good reasons to shop for FMS based on the features and functionality you need before looking at cost, we understand that cost is still a major factor for decision makers. Before basing any decisions on either features, functionality or cost alone, however, consider all three together before making a cost analysis. This way, if you find FMS that works the way you want it to and is easy for your team to use but slightly cost prohibitive, you can present ROI data to show that a little more cost upfront can produce significant backend savings.
Interested in seeing if Fleetio is the right FMS for your fleet? Start your free trial or request a demo today!
