2018

Fleet Management
Buyer ’s Guide
Find the For businesses that rely on a
fleet of drivers and vehicles

right
to service customers,
complete jobs and bring
in revenue, tracking your

solution
assets is a top priority.

for you
Knowing how well your drivers and
technicians are performing when they’re
behind the wheel of a company vehicle
and on a job site is critical information .

Most businesses—no matter the size or

industry—rely on some form of technology to
help them evaluate their work performance
and identify where improvement is needed.

The same goes for GPS fleet tracking,

which can help you easily track and
access driver behavior, vehicle location,
speed, distance traveled, routes taken
and any fleet-related costs.

This guide will help equip you with the

information you need to get started in
finding the right solution for you, including
what to look for in a vendor and how to lead
a successful implementation to help set
your business on the road to success.
Measure
cost savings
& revenue
growth
You can’t afford not to have it.
Small, everyday activities can have
long-reaching effects on your business that
are more impactful than you might think.
Tardiness, poor routing, even inaccuracies in
payroll can impact overall operations, custom-
er service and your bottom line.

Knowing exactly where your drivers

and vehicles are and what’s happening
while they’re on the road is absolutely price-
less information.
Most businesses’ first priority is to make mon-
ey. Visibility into how your fleet is impacting
revenue helps you make more money without
hiring more drivers or purchasing additional
vehicles or equipment.
Meet Larry, a business owner who manages
15 vehicles, 20 drivers and 10 office employees.
When his vehicles leave the shop each day, he trusts that his drivers get to
their scheduled jobs quickly, safely and in a well-maintained vehicle but he
has no real way of knowing. Here are a few common scenarios Larry might
experience with his fleet:

Scenario #1: Larry receives a call from a customer saying the technician
never showed up for their scheduled service appointment. He
tries to call the driver but there’s
no answer.
When managing a
fleet, almost every
activity contributes
Scenario #2: One of Larry’s dispatchers receives a call from a to an expense or
driver who’s stuck in a traffic jam and is running three hours revenue generator.
behind. The dispatcher pulls out the scheduled job list for the
day and begins calling affected customers. GPS fleet tracking
gives you insight into how
key areas are impacted:
Scenario #3: The local garage calls and tells Larry that the vehicle
in for repair will have to stay a bit longer than expected Productivity
Easily spot inefficient
because the damage is more extensive (and expensive) routes and know when
than they anticipated. Larry counted on that vehicle drivers make unnecessary
being back in service today because another vehicle stops so you can fit in more
jobs on your schedule.
got into an accident and needs work done.
Safety
Scenario #4: During an afternoon staff meeting, the Accounts Payable Keep an eye on unsafe
driving behavior such as
team mentions that payroll is taking an average of four hours
speeding and harsh driving
to complete each week, and two of their team members are and provide near-real-
going on vacation next week. time coaching to avoid
accidents and costly fines.

Scenario #5: Larry runs into an old friend at lunch who happens to Fuel
be a police officer. He mentions to Larry that he’s pulled over Learn how to improve
factors that affect
two of his drivers this week for speeding while they were in
usage and costs such
company vans. as idling and speeding
to increase efficiency
and decrease spend.

Maintenance
Monitor vehicles for regular
Though you may not experience all of these situations, especially not in a maintenance needs to
avoid unplanned repairs
single day or week, they demonstrate the level of chaos and confusion that and lost productivity.
can occur as well as the domino effect on the overall business when GPS
fleet tracking isn’t used.  ayroll
P
Have confidence you’re
billing customers
Using the right technology can help you gain insight into fleet activity accurately using metrics
to help your drivers operate safely, take the right routes to job sites and such as on-site arrival
time and job duration.
arrive to customers on time. You'll also know when a vehicle is due for
service and keep your assets connected to the back office.
Discover
your
options
A GPS fleet tracking solution
can help you monitor your fleet.
No matter how many drivers and vehicles
you manage, a GPS fleet tracking solution
can provide actionable insights that help you
make impactful business decisions.
 Visibility into your mobile
workforce means you can:
• Coach drivers the moment a harsh
driving or speeding event occurs
• Plan ahead for vehicle maintenance
• Bill customers for exact time worked
based on arrival and departure times
• Monitor fuel costs

Deciding which solution is the best fit for

your business can be tough.
What qualities should I look for in a vendor?
The best way to start is by identifying your It’s important to work with a vendor that
specific business needs and goals. Here are a few
understands your unique challenges and goals—
questions to ask yourself to as you get started:
they should be a true partner. Your encounters with
various vendors and their support staff will give you
a good sense of whether you “click” and that you’re
more than just a sale. Make a list of your ideal
What concerns can GPS fleet tracking help vendor’s qualities and use it to narrow down
me address? your choices.
Decide on a few specific goals you want to achieve
with your GPS fleet tracking solution, like improving What is my budget?
driver safety or reducing fuel costs. Sharing these with Knowing how much you can spend on a monthly
potential vendors will help them demonstrate how their and annual basis is also important when choosing
solution will help you achieve those goals, helping you the right vendor and solution. Though it’s important
see exactly how the solution will work not to compromise quality for cost, it’s also
for you. important not to overextend your budget to the
point where you feel uncomfortable with the overall
Which features are most important to my spend. Choosing a solution based on the cost
business and staff? alone may leave you with features you won’t use,
Determine what features you think you and your staff or, even worse, is missing features you need.
will interact with most. A strong mapping feature
is often the #1 feature used in a GPS fleet tracking What is my timeline?
solution but there is also reports, dashboards, Implementing a GPS fleet tracking solution can
benchmarking, trending and alert functionality that take time. If you have a date or timeframe in mind
can help you manage your fleet. Also, prioritize your that you’d like the solution to go live, communicate
list of “must haves,” like a simple user interface, easily that during the demo process to make sure the
scheduled and exported reports, simple management vendor can accommodate you. A vendor should
of driver data, and easy setup of roles and permissions. be able to work around your needs and schedule.
Prepare
for the
demo
The live demonstration
is a crucial part of the
selection process.
Get an in-depth, actual look into how the
solution can help your business.
Before attending a demo, prepare Service Contract, Warranty & Cost
a list of questions you want to ask •W
 hat is the monthly cost per vehicle?
the sales representative. •W
 hat is the length of your service contract?
•W
 hat is the length of your warranty on
Be sure to focus your questions on the hardware devices?
areas of your business you would like to •A
 re there additional fees for upgrades or feature
see improvements in by using a GPS fleet improvements?
tracking solution.
Customer Service
Here are some questions we suggest to help • Is customer service outsourced or kept
you get the most out of your demo experience: in-house?
•W  hat will the overall customer service experience
be like?
•W  hat is the operational uptime of the solution?
• If the solution goes down, what are your
procedures to communicate outages and time
back online?
•W  hat is your customer renewal rate?

Training
• Is there an additional cost for training?
• Do you offer training in various formats
(i.e., web-based, in-person, video tutorials, etc.)?
•D  o you offer ongoing training?
•W  ill you train new hires on how to use
the solution?

Ease of Use
•H  ow easy is the solution to use?
• Is data easy to interpret and understand?
•H  ow convenient is the solution setup for
an administrator?
•D  o you offer a mobile app?

Installation
•H
 ow long does installation usually take?
•H
 ow long will my vehicles be off the road?
•C
 an installation take place at a time and location
convenient for me?
•D
 o you use a certified network of
hardware installers?

References
•H
 ow many customers do you service in
my industry?
•C
 an you provide references that I can contact
regarding their experience with your solution?
Make your
choice
After you’ve participated in a
few demos and Q&A sessions
with potential vendors, it’s
time to make your choice.
We know this isn’t a choice that’s made easily or quickly.
There are likely several factors that play a large part in
your decision.
Because there’s a lot of feedback to Ease of use
gather and listen to, now is a great time to  Accessible via computer or mobile device
makeNow
a pros
is & cons list
a great fortoeach
time makevendor
a pros and A  ccess to fleet-related data in just
you’vecons
met.list
We've listed
for each a few things
vendor you’veto
met to a few clicks
consider when
weigh making
all the your decision:
feedback you've received. V  iews are customizable by user based on their
roles and permissions
We’ve listed a few things to consider A  dministrators can easily update information
when making your decision. stored in the solution
E  asily customized benchmarks and alert
thresholds based on your fleet’s needs

Reports & dashboards

 Easily
 customizable so users see only the view
they need to see
A bility to schedule and export reports and
dashboards to solution users and non-users
S ummarized data shown in a way that provides
actionable results

Installation
C  an schedule at a convenient time and location
based on your fleet’s availability
F  lexibility around multiple installs if some vehicles
are unavailable
U  se of certified installers who are trained in GPS
fleet tracking installation processes

Training
O ffered in several formats (i.e., online, in person,
video tutorial, etc.)
E asy access to help center or digital resources
for ongoing educational purposes
C over areas of the solution that you and your
team will use most

Customer service
O  ffers metrics such as average time
to respond to emails, calls or online
chat sessions
 Customer service staff should demonstrate in-
depth knowledge of the product and
assist in troubleshooting any issues you
may experience

Ask your employees for their feedback, too. Because they will be using the
solution most, their input is extremely valuable.
Plan for
implementation
Implementing a GPS
fleet tracking solution
takes time—especially
if you want to do it right.
The most important part of planning your
implementing is getting your staff on board
and involved in the process.
 Clear and open
communication
can help take
your employees
from skeptical
to excited.

Keep these tips in mind as you and your

Take the time to
reassure employees staff prepare for implementation:
that fleet tracking is
not meant to be “Big
Brother” and explain Determine areas where you’d like to see improvements in
the benefits that both your fleet (e.g., safety, productivity, customer service, payroll,
they and the business
will experience. billing, etc.).

 nderstand why certain areas of the business haven’t been

U
performing as well as they should and how fleet operations
could help.

Set any fleet-related benchmarks against which you want to

measure performance.

Use any preexisting company policies around fleet

operations as a starting point.

If you don’t have any fleet-related policies, create new

policies that reflect your company's values and goals
using the metrics and data provided by your GPS fleet
tracking solution.

Create a communication plan and timeline to roll the solution

out to your team.
Final thoughts
Once you implement a GPS fleet
tracking solution, you’ll be eager to see
results as quickly as possible.

Some results may come quickly—think safety, fuel spend

and payroll—but others will take a bit longer to see
and feel. Having patience is key. Set your benchmarks,
communicate your goals and put plans and policies in place
to help make your telematics solution more effective.

Keep this list handy to help you measure your

progress in improving your fleet’s performance:

  # of vehicles
  # of drivers/technicians
  Average hourly and overtime rate
  Average # of stops made per day, per driver/technician
  Current pain points and areas of improvement
 Budget

Our goal was to provide you with lists and tips to help
you get on your way to choosing the right vendor,
which can make a big difference in how much your
business benefits from a GPS fleet tracking solution.

Don’t hesitate to call us at 866.844.2235

or visit us at verizonconnect.com

We’re always happy to help.

©2018 Verizon Connect Inc. All rights reserved. 17004-US-0318