Gone are the days when a GPS was simply a device used to get turn-by-turn directions between any two points. Over the last decade in particular, the technology has evolved tremendously – to the point where it isn’t just consumers that are getting in on the action, but major brands as well.
You may think that GPS fleet tracking is unnecessary – in an era where everyone carries a smartphone around with them, your drivers can create essentially the same effect on their own. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong about that as there are a wide range of benefits of GPS fleet tracking that are difficult if not impossible to achieve through other means.
1. Cost Savings
By far, the most immediate benefit of GPS fleet tracking is also, for many organizations, among the most important. Most people are legitimately surprised by the significant cost savings that they enjoy as a result of this decision almost immediately.
Did you know, last mile logistics translates to 53% of a product’s transportation expense? This is mainly due to missed deliveries and unoptimized routes.
Think about it like this: there are obviously many routes that your drivers can take to get to a particular destination, but obviously some are far more efficient than others. If you know beyond the shadow of a doubt that drivers are taking more accurate routes, they’re spending far less in fuel – thus saving you money. Over the long-term, they’re getting to destinations far faster which means they’re also driving far less – putting less wear and tear on their vehicles. This translates into savings on the overall maintenance requirements of your vehicles, too. Even if you had a small fleet with only 10 vehicles in it, those cast savings still add up to an enormous amount of money over time – funds that you could funnel back into your business for the purposes of expansion.
2. Better Customer Service Creates Better Experiences
Another one of the major benefits of GPS fleet tracking comes by way of the superior customer service experience that you’ll be able to offer to people across the board.
If you always know the exact location of every vehicle in your fleet, it’s easier than ever to share that insight with customers. If they’re waiting on a delivery, they no longer have to wonder about when that driver will arrive. They’ll know beyond the shadow of a doubt, thanks to the real-time GPS information that they now suddenly have access to. They’ll be able to better plan their own days and they won’t have to worry about missed deliveries due to communications issues.
The level of convenience that comes with this alone will be more than enough to keep most people coming back for more in the future. In addition to being a legitimately great opportunity to improve your business’ own customer experience, it’s also a chance to turn that experience into one of your core competitive advantages. You’ll stand out in a crowded marketplace instantly AND you’ll suddenly be on equal footing with larger online e-commerce organizations, too. Learn more about how to improve your customer service here.
3. Data, Data, Data
Another one of the long-term benefits of GPS fleet tracking ultimately has to do not only with the incredible volume of data you’ll be able to create, but also the insight that you’ll be able to unlock that you wouldn’t have otherwise had access to.
On the surface, not only will you be able to see the current locations and routes of your drivers, but you’ll be able to see historical information, too. This is a perfect opportunity to uncover trends and patterns that probably would have gone undiscovered.
Do all of your customers come from a particular area? Funnel more resources to those locations. Is there a common problem that your drivers experience that is eating into your bottom line? Suddenly, a solution to that issue is within sight. All of this information allows you to make more accurate, more forward-thinking business decisions moving forward.
Along the same lines, this level of insight also puts you in a better position to plan for influxes of orders or even slow periods. If you have access to concrete information about delivery activity dating back months or even years, you can see where your peaks and valleys truly are. This means that there are no surprises any longer. You know exactly what is about to happen and, more importantly, when – thus putting you in a position where you can proactively get ready as opposed to reactively respond to something that caught you off guard.
4. Driver Safety
Finally, one of the most crucial benefits of GPS fleet tracking is and will always be the positive impact that it has on driver safety.
Not only do you know WHERE your drivers are at any particular time, but you also suddenly know HOW they’re getting too and from these locations. Yes, the immediate advantage of this is that it allows you to guarantee that everyone is taking the most efficient routes, as outlined above. But under the surface, there’s so much more to this story.
If drivers are speeding, you’ll know. If they’re taking unnecessary detours, you’ll know. If they’re engaging in any other driving practices that put themselves or your products at risk, you’ll know – and the importance of this should not be overlooked.
If a negative trend is developing where one or more drivers need additional safety training, you’ll know BEFORE something terrible has happened. If those drivers are unwilling or unable to correct the issue, you can remove them from your fleet and replace them with someone who will BEFORE they start to harm your reputation or put themselves and others in danger. Again, it’s all about giving you the most concrete information to work from to make better and more informed decisions across the board.
Overall, any one of these benefits of GPS fleet tracking would be enough for most organizations to embrace this marvel of modern technology with open arms. When you consider that you get access to ALL of these advantages at the exact same time, it’s easy to see why GPS fleet tracking has become so popular with so many brands in recent memory.
