Although in Latin America the penetration rate of fleet management systems is still low, more and more companies have been adapting and taking external services to control their vehicle fleets.
Truck and vehicle fleets need a series of tools that allow monitoring the performance and safety of the units that compose it, with services and technologies that are increasingly easily accessible.
The applications that offer these new technologies of services “in the cloud” (SaaS), allow to have clarity of the location of the vehicles, thanks to the global positioning technology (GPS), the routes travelled by these, route planning, monitoring online and in real time, visibility and permanent feedback, both with the company and with the carrier.
However, not all companies have considered the alternative of updating and having these digital fleet control services, which allows for greater and faster control of the road processes of each of the vehicles.
Today there are systems that help streamline processes, allowing control and administration to be carried out in a better way, closely linked to the improvement of management as a whole.
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Tracking with Excel spreadsheets: a traditional method
The control of vehicle fleets with Excel spreadsheets is a method that is still being used by various companies in the logistics sector.
This system allows manual control of repairs, expenses, maintenance of vehicles and monitoring of logistics processes, through spreadsheets.
Companies usually must create a department exclusively responsible for the fleet of vehicles and all activities related to it, in addition to hiring an assistant who is responsible for conducting administrative activities and monitoring of vehicles.
The Excel spreadsheets store the control of the internal customers of each company, where the assistant in charge is responsible for constantly monitoring each process, sometimes making phone calls to the carriers, in order to keep the fleet states up to date and ensure logistic process according to the needs of each company.
It is also recommended to keep a report of the units that are operational, the state and user to which it was assigned, in order to optimise the process and relieve the burden of the fleet control officer.
Working with these tracking logs does not entail additional costs for companies, since the forms can be downloaded for free on any computer with Windows operating system. What benefits does working with SaaS technology bring to my company?
Based on the previous point, we can conclude that the administration and control of fleets is something that requires spending a lot of time and is very laborious, but currently it does not have to be that way. It only depends on companies with traditional work methodologies dare to take the first step.
The software and tools available in the market for vehicle fleet control are extremely easy to use. In spite of the great technological load applied in them, the tools are intuitive and do not require many instructions, except in those destined for more advanced tasks.
With these sophisticated fleet control systems “in the cloud” to monitor the location and performance of vehicles, it is possible to control the costs of each route while generating gains in the productivity of operations, which is finally reflected in the Company sales.
Field communication and transparency in your logistics operations
Obtaining a strategic advantage from the relationship with loyal customers requires a real differentiation in the experience you offer. In many cases, this includes not only having great products at competitive prices, but also depending on the quality of your deliveries, a personalised service and a very high level of responses and collaboration.
For last-mile delivery services, these tools take control of both internal and external customers of the companies, notifying in real time about the shipment status of the shipments, and granting visibility at any time that is necessary.
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In addition, the integrated technology, allows to act on time and solve problems anticipating the actions of the end customer, due to the immediacy of the delivery of information.
For example, if at the time of delivery and check the status of the product at the destination, it happens that it is damaged, the carrier will send a notification to the system, immediately informing the after-sales service or customer service about the situation.
In this way, it will be the company that contacts the final customer, and not the customer with the company, anticipating the call of a disgusted consumer and offering solutions in a timely manner, in order to maintain the bond of trust with the brand.
Security for both parties
Companies that outsource their supply chain as a strategy can achieve up to 70% better results.
Another advantage of using these systems is that, since it is an automatic program, it offers greater security for both carriers and the same customers – unlike what happens with the use of manual forms – there is no need to depend of a person making calls to drivers on the road, which could even lead to accidents.
Another relevant factor when applying online tracking systems, is that carriers, knowing that they are being monitored in each process, will have to behave in the most appropriate way, driving more safely and complying with delivery schedules, improving productivity and giving satisfaction to the end customer.
As the number of consumers familiar with the technology increases, companies that work with the last mile will be able to keep pace with offering products and services that meet the new lifestyles and needs of their customers. In many cases this also means having a web or phone application that allows consumers to see the status of their deliveries, information about their account, instant communication with their provider, among other features.
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