Survey Shows Fleet Managers Are Not Utilizing Data Collection - Copy

Fleet companies that have adopted GPS tracking are given mountains of data about their vehicles. With all of that quantifiable data, some fleet managers may feel overwhelmed.

To make sense of the data, it’s up to the fleet manager to find a way to turn these raw numbers into information that can be easily understood. Unfortunately, many are not utilizing the data they are collecting.

Recently, a GPS company conducted a survey on improving operational efficiency. In the report titled, Transforming Service Delivery: An Insight Report, researchers found that fleet managers have many issues when it comes to applying data collection.

1. Roughly 10 percent of field service managers still collect data via paperwork alone.
2. Approximately 30 percent of fleet managers believe that their organization is ineffective or extremely ineffective at using the data they collect to make decisions.
3. Only 20 percent of respondents believe they get the information they need from field service data to help their business.
4. Over 80 percent do not capture unstructured data (customer feedback or social media) to use in decision making processes.

Finding a way to combine and organize fleet data can be very difficult if there is no plan in place. Without a proper strategy, most of this useful data will go unused.

However, when a fleet is able to make use of the data and recognize patterns to conclude which resources and personnel are the most productive, it can use those insights for predictive analysis and improved business decisions.

By leveraging the data they collect from fleet and workforce management, fleet managers can not only pinpoint productive employees, but they can also optimize work schedules and routing to generate even better results.

Properly analyzing the data provides fleet managers with knowledge, which can lead to action. A manager who knows which drivers have poor driving habits is better equipped to provide training to curb those bad behaviors. And gathering up-to-date information on vehicle health leads to better maintenance, leading to safer vehicles, improved fuel consumption and less wear and tear.

Beyond the immediate benefits, it’s important to remember that understanding data also brings long-term benefits, as companies engage in strategic planning based on historical patterns and predictive analysis.