Vehicles are continuously creating data, and fleet managers are expected to manage and control increasing quantities of information. If you ask yourself why fleet data and analytics matter, just think of anyone responsible for operating a fleet, whether large or small: they need to control numbers, figures, KPIs (key performance indicators) as well as overseeing the safety of the staff operating the fleet, planning the journeys and tasks, selecting the type of vehicles that need to be used, catering to customer requirements and so on—simply put, they need to keep on top of everything.
But if you have at your disposal a piece of software that can actually collate all that information into easy-to-read reports, you can save a lot of time not having to thumb through paperwork and comparing graphs or invoices. There are also other ways in which fleet analytics can become a tool for developing your business:
#1 - Know whether your product is a successful one
Knowing the health of your fleet is a good way of knowing the health of your product; whether your business is delivering freight, smaller goods or doing something else. If your business activity revolves around driving and there are some issues related to your fleet, it will have an impact on your product. If you, firstly, become aware of those issues and find a way to resolve them, you can learn a lot about your product,—even aspects that you had not previously considered—empower them and experience success.
#2 - See the future and change it if necessary
You might learn a lot by simply knowing what just happened, or happened yesterday, and why: this helps with predicting aspects of your activity by identifying patterns, and translates to greater business intelligence. As data flow increases, this aspect will become more and more important.
#3 - Get more opportunities
The increased visibility gained by the collection and effective organisation of data with the aid of software can shed light on certain aspects of your business that may have escaped your attention: there may be undeveloped areas of your business which need further exploration, or time dedicated to tasks which could be better optimised, or assets which could be more effectively utilised, which means there is more opportunity to invest in yourself in order to improve your business… because you have time left!