How to best introduce telematics into your fleet

An ever-increasing number of organisations are enjoying the benefits the use of telematics delivers to fleet management. Helping reduce costs and eliminate a number of safety risks are the obvious benefits but telemetry also plays a significant role in efficiency and sustainability improvements.

Though the benefits in adopting telematics are now widely recognised, how to go about incorporating them into your fleet is an important process to get right. If your organisation wants to take its first steps towards implementing telematics, here are some important points to keep in mind as you embark on the process.

It makes ‘cents’ to sample

Even though applications, such as GPS tracking and the like, are an important feature of telemetry, telematics is not a one-size-fits-all game.

You may have looked at some data provided by a potential supplier that outlines the benefits telematics have made to a particular organisation. But, in the same way that few businesses are identical, your telematics requirements – the type of data insights you need in order to reap improved efficiencies and cost reductions – might vary noticeably to what other businesses are able to extract from their telematics.

Seek out a telematics provider who is willing to offer a complimentary trial

Seek out a telematics provider who is willing to offer businesses and fleet managers a complimentary trial of the latest technology so you can see telematics in action and, more importantly, in action at your specific organisation.

If you like what you’ve experienced, a provider should then allow you to progress to a pilot program at the end of the trial.

While a pilot program is an excellent way for your organisation to test the technology firsthand, it also helps fleet managers identify the specific data they need their telematics to supply to achieve particular objectives. Conducting a consultative pilot with a telematics supplier is also a prudent way to build the business case for purchasing the technology and demonstrate that the return on investment is real.

Keep everyone on-board

Even though you might be the person with the overall responsibility for the project, it’s important to involve all key stakeholders in the process to ensure a smooth implementation of telematics into your organisation.

Always seek input from people – have them advise you about when it makes sense to implement telemetry and start planning the deployment throughout your fleet operations. A well-organised implementation helps avoid excessive amounts of downtime during transition, especially across times of year when your fleets are at their busiest.

Real world examples

There are many examples of the successful use of trials and pilots of telematics in Australia, according to Corrado Di Clemente, Telematics Manager at SG Fleet Australia.

“A major logistics firm ran a very thorough pilot program with over 150 vehicles before making the decision to introduce telematics to their national fleet of more than 650 vehicles,” said Corrado. “An international construction and engineering firm trialled telematics pilot in vehicles in a complex public works project, and this trial has led to the use of telematics in many other subsequent projects, plus a staged implementation across their entire fleet,” he said.

”Many parts of local and state government across Australia are also very active in telematics trials and implementations at the moment, with an increased focus on safety and cost efficiencies driving most.”

Conclusion

Adopting telematics into your fleet is a big step but one that potentially gives back to your organisation in spades.

Partnering with experts in the field of telematics to build a product that delivers the right kind of safety, efficiency and sustainability data is crucial to maximising the benefits of telemetry, and ensuring the money you spend returns the kind of benefits your organisation needs.

Want to know more about telematics and how they might benefit your fleet?
Talk to SG Fleet today

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