Enterprise fleet management can be a challenging job. With so many vehicles and employees to manage, it can take an immense amount of time, skill, and staffing that many companies simply don’t have. Luckily, fleet management services help make fleet managers’ jobs easier and keep fleets effective and efficient. Of course, picking the right enterprise fleet service is essential to ensuring the fleet runs smoothly. What features should fleet managers look for in an enterprise fleet service, and how do these features benefit businesses?
Data Integration
One of the benefits of having fleet management software is that all of the fleet’s data is in one place. Therefore, it’s vital to ensure that the software integrates with vehicles’ telematics systems, payment solutions, and customer databases. Good fleet management software will integrate with these features or include them within the software so that fleets can easily track and manage data from one source.
Mobile App
Fleet management is one of the most mobile professions in existence. Therefore, a mobile app is necessary for any business hoping to keep operations running smoothly in the modern world. Mobile apps can have a variety of features. For example, Azuga’s FleetMobile app helps manage tasks like:
- Dispatching
- Maintenance
- Logging trips
- Updating timecards
- Tracking safety and driver rewards
- Performing risk assessments
A mobile app should be full-featured so that drivers can keep fleet managers fully informed. The app should also update in real-time to keep that data up-to-date and applicable. If it does not update in real-time, the data becomes useless before it gets to the fleet manager.
Route Optimization
Route optimization is a necessity for any fleet. It is a technology that utilizes algorithms, GPS, and traffic data to create routes that reduce fuel costs and miles driven and increases the number of vehicles on the road. Route optimization software improves customer relations, increases shipment capacity, reduces liability, lowers insurance costs and maintenance costs, and creates a more efficient fleet. It is becoming a necessity in the fleet business. Fleet managers should ensure that any fleet management software that they select integrates with route optimization software.
Reports
Gathering data is an essential part of a fleet manager’s job. It is vital to making everyday decisions that affect the overall welfare of the fleet. Fleet management software can automatically pull data from telematics, sales, customer databases, and more. The software can then create comprehensive reports that provide fleet managers with information on any aspect of their fleet. The most common reports are those related to safety and efficiency, such as location, idling, start and stop times, speeding, landmarks, and safety behaviors. Having this data can help save the fleet money, keep everything running smoothly, and even keep drivers safe on the road.
Analytics
The need for data and analytics is part of the reason it is so crucial to track your fleet. Fleet management software can provide analytics on anything from financial insights to safety behaviors. For example, telematics systems track driver behaviors and vehicle status and provide analytics on maintenance, safety, and equipment, along with how to cut costs on fuel and insurance premiums. Meanwhile, the software can also gather insights from invoices and payments to create projections and reports on how the business is doing and where it can improve. Analytics is a handy tool in making decisions in all areas of fleet management, and fleet management software is a necessity in obtaining those analytics.
Alerts
No fleet manager can track what every member of the fleet is doing at all times. This detailed level of understanding is unreasonable for a manager of a small fleet, let alone an entire enterprise. Instead, fleet management software watches drivers and sends real-time alerts when fleet manager intervention may be needed. Managers can set alerts for safety behaviors like speeding or hard braking or money-wasting habits like idling. They can even set up landmarks and get an alert when the driver reaches them. There’s no need for a babysitter with fleet management software. Fleet managers can go about their day knowing they will receive any needed notifications.
Conclusion
Fleet management is only growing in complexity, but luckily new technologies are here to make the job easier. Fleet management software becomes more advanced as needs arise in the field, and managers will always have support if they pick the right software. Azuga offers state-of-the-art fleet management software to fleets of all sizes. They also provide route optimization and dash cam technology, so integration is a breeze. Reach out to the experts at Azuga today to get started managing your fleet with ease and efficiency.
