GPS Trackers: Closing a Gap in Trades and Services | Fleet-Eye

 The evolution of telematics and GPS Tracker is changing the way the trades and services industry operates - and the benefits are too numerous to ignore in order to avoid being swallowed up by the competition. We'll look at how our IoT-powered tracking solutions help trades professionals streamline their productivity, lower their costs, and keep those 5-star ratings coming as part of a blog series that showcases real-life clients using FLEET-EYE products in unexpected ways.

Raise your hand, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, landscapers, and other tradespeople of the world, if any of the following sound familiar:

• "All of this administration and paperwork cost me far too many billable hours."

• "Sometimes I feel like I spend more time driving than working."

• "I can't afford for a van to break down, let alone for any equipment to be lost."

• "If any of my employees make a bad impression, it hurts my reputation."

• "If I don't respond to customers quickly enough, they'll go elsewhere."

Isn't it nearly all of the above?

And if you've been in the trades long enough, you'll know that these are just a few of the annoyances that come with the territory. Right?

Not quite right, at least not anymore. Many professionals in your field have put these annoyances in the past, thanks to advancements in GPS Tracker technology.

What Is the Role of GPS Trackers?

Everything. Consider quick quoting and billing, real-time scheduling, better-maintained vehicles and equipment, fuel savings, and automated mileage logging. Or how about quicker turnarounds and more time on your hands to take on more customers - or just relax?

GPS Tracker, you see, are no longer just for looking at dots on a map. They are part of a digital ecosystem powered by telematics and IoT that connects your vehicles, Asset Tracking, and remote workers in real-time - translating data into actionable insights for you to view on a single screen, wherever you are. Consider being able to:

• Track employee and job status, as well as view progress updates, on your smartphone or PC.

• Assign the closest available staff, provide accurate ETAs to customers, and bill automatically.

• Find and recover your tools and equipment as soon as possible if they are lost, stolen, or left behind.

• With proactive maintenance scheduling, you can avoid unnecessary costs or downtime.

• Use usage, performance, or productivity reports to help you make business decisions.

Could you please provide some real-life examples?

Sure thing! Contrary to popular belief, telematics solutions can be both affordable and incredibly diverse. FLEET-EYE serves a wide range of trades professionals, and the following are just a few of the real-world scenarios we've worked on:

1. This Roll-Off Container Service.

Roll-off bins can and do become misplaced, as they are frequently dispersed across various construction sites. Manually Asset Tracker their whereabouts is time-consuming, but our client was also losing money due to missed or incorrect invoicing.

With the GPS Tracker, all of that changed. All bins equipped with the device and linked to the FLEET-EYE app can be viewed on a map, complete with location history and usage statistics. When a bin leaves a client site, digital fences (or Geofences) send a report. How many bins are being rented today? How long has the client had this one? Is that one due to be billed? What is the location of the nearest available bin for dispatch? The solutions are displayed on the screen.

2. This Commercial Cleaning Company

Increasing employee safety and protecting their brand image are just two of the many benefits that this company obtained by implementing telematics. No doubt, these were much-needed victories: the client had been receiving a slew of complaints about employees speeding or driving recklessly in company-branded vehicles. That is a definite no-no for any company that relies on word-of-mouth referrals.

As a result, driver training was critical. Company drivers can now correct unsafe driving habits thanks to a fleet tracking system. Furthermore, using driver scorecards, managers can determine which drivers require additional training based on specific driving metrics like speeding, idling, or aggressive behaviour, and which should be rewarded for exemplary driving.

3. This Disaster Restoration Company.

To mitigate water damage, restoration professionals leave costly drying equipment, such as dehumidifiers or drier fans, running at customers' locations - sometimes for days on end. If you think this spells trouble, you're correct: customers frequently unplug these machines due to noise or concern about the utility bill. Some customers even take them outside, where they can be stolen! This required our client to make multiple trips to the sites in order to keep Asset Tracker of their equipment and monitor progress.

So they decided to kill two birds with one stone by implementing GPS Asset Tracking. When disconnected from power or moved from the specified location, the devices hidden inside the machines sound an alarm. As a result, our client saves a significant amount of time and fuel simply by avoiding all of those unnecessary trips. They can Asset Tracker down lost or stolen equipment in minutes if necessary. They also now have access to useful run-time statistics for billing and maintenance.

Why should any of that be important to me?

Because you know you're good at what you do and you deserve to be noticed. And this entails arming your company with the best tools available in order to overcome challenges and seize opportunities as they arise. In other words, because embracing telematics today can boost your professional standing for years to come - through a slew of immediate advantages such as:

Increased Savings

There are obvious savings from things like taking shorter routes to save fuel, as well as money saved by keeping all of your equipment safe. Or from proactively scheduling maintenance to avoid costly repairs.

But did you know that monitoring driver behaviour can also help you save money?

That is correct. Fleet management software has more cost-cutting benefits than you might expect, from breaking fuel-wasting habits like idling or harsh braking to avoiding traffic tickets and negotiating lower insurance premiums.

Paperwork reduction

You don't get paid to do paperwork, and it's not like you're already overworked. So why waste time on menial administrative tasks when you could be doing more billable work?

FLEET- EYE's Asset Tracking you in digitising everyday administrative processes such as invoicing, quoting, driver receipts, and job Asset Tracker so that you can get them out of the way quickly. The best part is that it keeps everything safe in one place. So no more rummaging through massive piles of paper.

improved service

Your best advocates are happy customers. However, they are a difficult group to please these days.

If you've ever seen how a few negative reviews can devastate a company, you understand the importance of providing an excellent customer experience. Fleet management software provides you with the tools you need to reduce response times, communicate schedule changes, quickly generate quotes, and train your employees to inspire trust and loyalty in your company.

More Enterprise

What do you get when you add all of the above? More money to invest in your company's growth, plus more time to win more business, plus more customers willing to do business with you!  With the trades industry growing at a faster rate, now is an excellent time to invest in fleet management technology.