by Thomas Sayle
November 10, 2009
I have written several posts on GPS in my tenure as Managing Partner of OneBridge Communications. But, I
thought that today would be a good day to discuss some of the great "hidden" features that GPS vehicle
tracking offers.
I talk to several companies on a weekly basis that are all looking to monitor employee hours and use of
company vehicles. They have problems that range from time clock theft, all the way to not really knowing
where their equipment is.
Off topic for a minute.......
I was sitting in a meeting with a large landscape contractor last week, and the discussion was GPS asset
tracking. The owner of the company could not figure out how GPS would benefit his company. So, I simply
asked him how many pieces of equipment he had. He told me that the company owned 27 Bobcat's. I then asked
him if he knew where they were. He did not. So, we asked his supervisors if they knew where they were, and
they did not. All in all, we were able to pinpoint the location of 17 of the 27 pieces of equipment that his
company owned. Now, a Bobcat costs probably $50,000, so you do the math.
Anyway, there is so much more that GPS vehicle tracking offers other than accountability. Let's look at some
of those "hidden" features:
o Job costing reports - GPS tracking systems allow users to create a geofence
or landmark around jobsites, offices, homes, etc. These geofences and landmarks
allow you to run a report to show how long a vehicle was parked on a jobsite, or
at a customer location. How does this feature help you? Well, now you know whether
you are making money or not. Now you know whether employees are actually working
or just sitting on jobs.
o Vehicle Maintenance and Upkeep - GPS tracking systems give users the ability to see
when vehicle's need to have oil changes, tire rotations, brake jobs, etc. Most
systems monitor odometer readings inside vehicles. This allows you to input various
intervals for preventive maintenance services. How does this help? If you lease
your vehicles you understand immediately the importance of regular maintenance of your
fleet. Also, you now have one less thing to remember. Simply set it and forget it!
o Route Optimization - This feature is available in most systems, and allows you to run
optimizations on routes that are driven throughout the day by your vehicles. This
feature takes all of the daily stops into consideration and suggests different routes
based on shortest distance, shortest time, or best route. How does this help? Imagine
having a way to save gas, get to customers quicker, or shave time off of a route drivers
day. Think any of those would make you more profitable??
o Customer Accountability - Ever had a customer call and dispute the total time that
they were billed? Ever have a customer call and tell you that your employee was not
there on a certain time or a certain day? Now you have a record of when employees were
at customer locations, and how long they were there.
The features above are just a small portion of the many features that GPS vehicle tracking systems offer.
Yes, accountability is definitely a big one. But, companies don't realize how valuable a tool like this
can be when it is implemented in the right way.
OneBridge Communications offers the best in class GPS tracking systems, as well as the expertise to help
you maximize ROI on your investment. Call us today to learn more about the various GPS systems and programs
that we offer.
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Tags: gps tracking, asset tracker, battery powered tracker, vehicle tracking, employee accountability, return on investment, cut fuel costs, time clock theft, customer accountability, vehicle maintenance records, job costing reports
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