Posts

Here are 5 steps every successful business should take to improve the customer experience

1.  Make a Positive First Impression:  First impressions are lasting impressions. If your business makes a positive first impression on a customer, they are more likely to give repeat business and refer you to colleagues and friends.
2.  Provide Quick Response Times:  Customers don’t like to be kept waiting. It’s important that your employees arrive on schedule and complete jobs in a timely manner.
3. Carry Out Your Promise:  If you provide your customer with an ETA, make sure it’s accurate. Not only that, but make sure the job you said you would do, gets done. It’s better to under promise and over deliver.
4. Do it Right the First Time:  Carelessness and mistakes can really hurt your business. Make sure the job is done right the first time, so you can avoid
customer complaints and lost business.
5.  Listen to Your Customers:  Your customers want to feel appreciated. It’s important to engage with and listen to your customers. You can even
create a loyalty program where you provide customers with special offers
or discounts. This will show that you value your customers.
Boston Global Tracking helps businesses deliver better customer service through tele-matics.  For more information go to www.BostonGlobalTracking.com

 

 

GPS Tracking Can Help Lower Insurance Costs

There are many cost saving benefits to having a GPS fleet tracking solution. While you can save substantially by cutting down on wasted fuel and labor, you can also reduce the amount of money your company is spending on insurance premiums.

Many insurance companies recognize that when a company installs a GPS fleet tracking system, it means that they are serious about reducing risk. After implementing GPS fleet tracking software you are able to keep a close eye on driver behavior, locate stolen vehicles, and ensure that your trucks are safe by staying on top of regular maintenance.

 

Insurance Discount

Insurance companies are committed to good driving behavior and ensuring safety on the road. Implementing GPS fleet tracking will show them that you are committed as well. Most insurance carriers will recognize companies who apply a GPS fleet tracking solution to their fleet and will give them up to a 15%  insurance discount.

Simply install a GPS fleet tracking device with a sufficient number of your vehicles, and start saving on your premiums. You can find a range of potential discounts from insurance providers such as Liberty Mutual, Travelers, Zurich North America and The Hartford.

 

How GPS Fleet Tracking Helps

The application of a GPS fleet tracking system will result in a significant decrease of hazardous driving behaviors. GPS fleet tracking provides you with instantaneous alerts to your cell phone and email that will notify you when one of your drivers is speeding or driving erratically. This will help you to stay on top of unsafe driving habits and to cut down the number of accidents and citations your fleet encounters.

With real-time tracking, you no longer have to wonder where your vehicles are. If one of your vehicles becomes lost or is stolen, GPS  fleet tracking gives you immediate insight into your vehicles location. Retrieving your stolen vehicles quickly gives you a better probability to also recover expensive assets that you may have on-board the vehicle.

GPS fleet tracking will also help you to keep an eye on when your vehicles having upcoming or overdue maintenance requirements. These friendly reminders will tell you or your drivers when a vehicle is ready for an oil change or tire rotation, to help prevent any dangerous situations on the roadway.

Call Boston Global Tracking to get more information on how you can start tracking your fleet today.

Overcoming Resistance to New Policies and Technology.

Anytime managers or owners implement new policies there is bound to be resistance from some employees.  This is no more evident when a company implements GPS tracking and telematics to their fleet.  Learning how to implement vehicle monitoring systems in a positive way can help managers avoid pushback from drivers.

Known Benefits of Telematics Push Fleet Managers to Implement Systems

It’s the benefits of telematics and GPS technology that often pushes fleet managers to add systems in spite of resistance. Outside of the obvious benefit of GPS technology, one of the most important benefits is monitoring driver behavior. Not only does this improve fuel efficiency, but it also provides proof against false claims made against drivers involved in crashes.

Strategies to Reduce Resistance

Fleet managers are quick to see the benefits of telematics, but drivers don’t always respond positively to these systems. In one study published  , nearly 43 percent of fleet managers surveyed stated they had a “significant amount” of resistance when implementing telematics systems into their fleets, with another 35.7 percent reporting at least a “little” resistance. In other words, the majority of fleets surveyed had resistance of some sort.

So what can a fleet manager do to implement this valuable system without this resistance? While avoiding all resistance may not be possible, it can be limited with the right approach when implementing telematics, electronic tracking technology, or other vehicle monitoring systems.

Having a policy that clearly states the purpose and use of the system or technology as well as driver responsibility can help communicate the company’s expectations better. The company/agency should have each potential driver acknowledge that they have no expectation of privacy regarding the information gathered through the use of this technology.  The City of Napa circulates a policy to all their potential drivers to inform them of the purpose and use of the technology. The policy also addresses tampering with the hardware.

Using the system as a positive as well as a negative can also help. Using the system to reward drivers who had the least number of offenses, and posting the weekly driver report in a common area, helps create a positive peer pressure about driver safety and fuel efficiency. This created changes without much intervention from management.

Today’s drivers have a lot to keep track of, and any tool that helps them do so more safely is welcome once it is understood.  Once drivers realize that the systems are going to improve overall safety, while also potentially earning them rewards for positive behaviors, they are often more willing to embrace telematics.

In the end, the approach needs to be one of coaching, not reprimanding. While there is often some driver turnover when implementing a system, the end result, which is more efficient and attentive drivers, creates a positive environment for all members of the fleet.

 

Robert Drucker, Owner of Boston Global Tracking, often writes about issues facing owners and managers with fleets of vehicles.  His expertise is highly regarded in the industry and provides his insight and knowledge to help business owners better manage their fleet.

 

Distracted Driving, Liability and What You Can Do About it.

Distracted driving has become one of the biggest issues in terms of liability for any business with a fleet on the road.  Businesses with 1 driver to thousands all need to understand the potential liabilities that distracted driving can  have on their business.

As evidence from a recent lawsuit against Coca Cola, even having a policy in place may not protect you. There is no magic wand that can prevent drivers from being distracted but there are many things you can do to protect yourself.

  1. Have a safe driving policy in effect which clearly states what distracted driving is and what is not allowed.
  2. Review this policy with all employees on a monthly basis.  Many insurance companies can assist you with material or help in setting this up.  In order to protect yourself you must show consistent updates and contacts with all employees: meetings, flyers, emails etc…
  3. Pay for hands free Bluetooth devices for all employees, if cell use is allowed.
  4. There are also devices that can block cell use while driving, but these can be expensive and may not work with personal phones.
  5. Keep contact with drivers to a minimum  by using a GPS tracking system.  This type of system can also identify speeding drivers as well as keeping office to driver contact to a minimum.
  6. Review phone records to see which drivers may be excessively texting or speaking on the phone.  Many cell carriers can provide this information if requested.

The benefits of all of this is employee protection, cost reduction, and liability insulation, all leading to reduced costs. We must all remember that Return on Investment is really the objective for any business, and our perspective demands that an effective distracted driving solution yields 500% or better ROI in the most conservative of scenarios.

Fleet Solutions Magazine. has  a great article on this subject.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NAFS0512/index.php?startid=20&goback=.gde_2542318_member_163229932