Effectively managing a fleet is an art that takes skill. If your dealership’s shuttle service always seems short staffed, running late, and overwhelmed, then it’s time for a change. Implementing changes to improve schedule management leads to reduced operational costs and improved customer satisfaction. These tips will show you how to manage your customer shuttle schedule better.
Track Fleet and Driver Schedules
In order to improve your shuttle schedule, you need to know how many vehicles and drivers you have available. That way, you can accurately schedule customer services. Knowing in advance how many drivers you have working on a particular day allows you to schedule routes and distribute shuttle needs among your team. If you find that shuttle demand is higher than what your scheduled drivers can handle, you can add an additional driver. From there, you can schedule additional drop offs or pickups that fit your free windows and area of service, preventing backlogs, delays, and frustrated customers.
Stick to a Radius
Determine the radius from the dealership that you'd like to run the shuttle inside of. You can use tools from your OEM or customer maps from your DMS/CRM to determine where your customers live and work. This will ensure that you will always have a shuttle available where your customers actually are and your drivers will have an area that they are familiar with. Having a specified radius will make it easier to optimize routes and reduce miles traveled by each driver.
Forecast Services
Use the manufacturer’s recommended servicing schedule, your dealership’s forecast, and market data to predict when and how many rides you will need on a monthly, weekly, and daily basis. It is important to look at this holistically and frequently as service activity can unexpectedly decrease. With service center load and individual service time estimates, you can effectively estimate vehicle pickup and return times upon service completion. This allows you to coordinate your drivers’ schedules to work in tandem with the service center.
Use Shuttle Scheduling Software
The traditional method of managing a shuttle schedule is manually with a spreadsheet, paper, and pen. This is time consuming, creates waste, and limits collaboration. Using scheduling software ensures no shuttle need gets forgotten while also optimizing shuttle schedules. In addition, a digital platform can easily be shared intra and inter departmentally. This allows for better communication and collaboration between departments. You are also likely missing out on manufacturer incentives if you are tracking rides for warranty customers manually.
Utilize Algorithms for Optimization
Don’t waste time trying to manually optimize routes. Using technology that automatically updates driver routes reduces the time employees spend managing drivers as well as time on the road, fuel used, and wear and tear on the vehicle. A shuttle scheduling and tracking service like Quickride lets you track the exact location of your vehicles at any time. Not only is this useful for driver management, but it also lets you add stops to a driver’s route while they are out, reducing the wasted time of them returning to the dealership before starting a new route.
Shuttle Scheduling Made Better
If your dealership doesn’t currently have a shuttle program or you are spending too much time on bookings, the first step is to implement shuttle management software. You can then program estimated service times, driver schedules, and scheduled shuttle service times.
Start your free trial today and let Quickride show you an easier way of managing your shuttle schedule.