Fleet management is one of the fastest-growing areas in the automotive industry, with vehicle tracking and optimization becoming a big part of that growth. You probably know that your fleet has the potential to be a high-profit, high-revenue generator for your business. But if your vehicles are not being utilized efficiently, or if they aren't where they're supposed to be when they should be there, it can be difficult for drivers to get the job done and for customers to receive their goods and services in a timely manner.
Here are three quick-fix solutions for fixing fleet performance.
Fix No. 1: The Right Insights
The first step in fixing fleet performance is to ensure that you have the right data.
This is crucial to any kind of performance improvement effort—whether you're looking to improve your fuel economy or boost your sales numbers. You have to know what you're starting with, and where you want to go. You can't just guess, because if you guess wrong and then make changes based on that guess, they might not be the right changes. And then what do you have? A lot of wasted time and effort!
The good news is that today's technology makes it easier than ever before to get the right data—and quickly! You don't have to wait for someone else in Service (or whoever!) to give it to you—you can get it yourself in just minutes using an app like Quickride! Quickride has an Insights Dashboard that helps make data-driven decisions that benefit your company. With Insights Dashboard, you can access a variety of metrics and KPIs for any employee or vehicle—information that is critical for making informed decisions about how to improve your fleet operations.
And once you've got it? Then you can start making changes based on what matters most for your business and its bottom line.
- The most critical information for fleet performance is vehicle location. You need to know where each vehicle is at all times so that you can keep your drivers on schedule, dispatch them efficiently, and even prevent accidents from occurring.
- Having access to real-time data about your vehicles' performance allows you to make better decisions about maintenance and repairs—and those decisions can save you tons of money.
- A software that offers complete visibility into your entire fleet's operation, including driver behavior and vehicle performance metrics, so that you can use that information to improve efficiency and safety across the board.
Interested to know more about what Quickride can offer, schedule a DEMO today.
Fix No. 2: The Right View
The second step in fixing fleet performance is gaining a high-level view into how your current fleet is performing.
Once you think about how to fix fleet performance, you might be tempted to just jump right in and get started on making changes. However, it's important that you don't just make any changes—you need to make the right ones. And the only way to know what those are is by having access to the right information.
That's where fleet management software comes in! Fleet management software provides you with a real-time view of your fleet's performance and status, and allows you to easily identify opportunities for improvement in order for you to make informed decisions about what to do next.
Here are tools that can give you the right insight:
- Fleet tracking software provides insights into your vehicle's usage and fuel consumption (telemetry). It also allows you to see how much money each vehicle is making for your business, so you can make more informed decisions about what vehicles to keep and what vehicles to sell.
- Fleet optimization software allows you to optimize your fleet by identifying which vehicles are most profitable and which vehicles are underperforming. This will help improve overall profit margins and allow you to focus on where the money is coming from in your business.
- Vehicle tracking software helps you monitor driver behavior and identify issues before they become problematic, such as speeding or excessive idling. This will help keep your drivers safe while improving efficiency within your company.
Fix No. 3: The Right Actions
Taking action is a critical part of any successful company, but when it comes to fixing fleet performance, taking the right actions is even more important.
If you want to be sure your fleet management program is working, you need to know the right actions to take at every stage of the process. You can't just start doing things without knowing why they're important—and this is especially true when it comes to fixing fleet performance.
When you know what actions are going to help your business grow, you can make better decisions about how you spend your time and resources. In other words, if you know what needs to be done and why it's important, then you have a better chance of success.
If your fleet is performing poorly, there are three things you need to do:
- First, you need to figure out what's wrong. This means looking at your data and identifying the root causes of poor performance. You can use our fleet management software or vehicle tracking software to do this.
- Second, you need to implement a plan that will fix those problems. That may mean changing drivers or vehicles, implementing new policies or procedures, or making other changes that will help your drivers perform better on the road.
- Third, once you've implemented your plan, make sure it works by monitoring its progress and making any necessary adjustments along the way!
The wrong actions are the most common reason for poor fleet performance. When you're trying to fix your fleet's performance, you need to focus on what matters most and avoid taking on too much at once.
When it comes to improving your fleet's performance, don't try to do everything at once. Instead of focusing on all of your problems at once, focus on one area that you know will make a difference in your day-to-day operations—this could be anything from improving your fuel economy by 1% or increasing driver safety training by 5%. Then work backward from there and figure out how you can get there!
Dealerships need to invest in fleet performance platforms that drive profitability through technology.
There’s no doubt about it—improving your fleet performance can be one of the hardest tasks for any dealership. But, with all the benefits that come from improving your fleet’s performance, it’s absolutely worth it.
With the right technology, you can make sure that your drivers are getting where they need to go and keeping their vehicles in optimal condition. You can also increase efficiency and cut costs by minimizing downtime for your vehicles, reducing fuel consumption and even improving safety through more accurate reporting on maintenance needs.
Your fleet is your business. And when your business is in trouble, it's time to bring out the big guns.
We're talking about Quickride, the industry-leading web-based fleet management solution that helps you solve problems with your fleet—and it can help you fix your vehicle performance issues too!
So, what are you waiting for? Contact us right now!