What should I look for in a fleet management partner?

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This is really determined by your needs. If you don’t know your top 3 issues and the GPS provider doesn’t try to learn them from you, keep looking. How can a solution to a problem be provided if the problem is not defined? The more work you do to define and articulate your needs, the more likely you are of achieving or exceeding them. If you cannot do this step, ask yourself if you are ready to collect data to make business decisions.

Experience counts. Industry experience is at the top of the list. If your account manager is new, do you want to entrust your job to them when you make a recommendation to your boss? If the consultant is new, do they have a company behind them with experience and training?

Does the GPS solution recommend resolve my top 3 “must-have” issues? If the solution does not resolve the “must-have” issues, you have to keep looking. You want a solution for your “must-have” issues and as many of your “like to have” issues as possible. If you are willing to forgo your “must-have” issues you have not properly defined your criteria. What happens after the sale is where you make your money back. Get comfortable with the people and resources available to help you drive your ROI. It will take up to two years to fully understand and implement all the potential savings available.

In recent years there have been more online-only vendors entering the market. Online only means no people to talk to when you have an issue. Their solution to your problems is limited to an FAQ page, chat or email. Having human interaction readily available increases the efficiency of resolving issues that always come up with technology. Confirm they have technical support on staff and there is more than one person you can access. Having a larger trained staff means you are not depending on one person being available when you need help fast.