10 questions to ask your telematics service provider

There is a perception that fleet telematics is just a GPS fleet tracking system. However, it is more than just monitoring the location or movement of a vehicle. Telematics gives you complete, real-time knowledge of your fleet to help improve your operations and lower your costs. You can also view vehicles and engine data and address driver behaviour if needed.

Not all telematics services are created equal!

Most of the current providers face issues around scalability and data accuracy and granularity. Many traditional telematics companies are focused on today and are not prepared to scale quickly to meet the change in volume, technology or even your business needs. The market is full of small telematics providers that promise great functionality at very low prices but fail to deliver on that promise, over the long term. It can be difficult to determine the fit when it comes to picking a telematics partner. It helps if you know your business needs in advance, but it also good to ask questions to ensure you are picking the right partner.

Here are 10 questions to ask your telematics provider to help avoid future problems:

1. How stable is the company and its technology? Will they be around a few years down the road or will you be left with an expensive and useless piece of hardware in your vehicles?
2. Things are changing fast. Is this a scalable telematics solution? Are they prepared to adapt to changing needs of your business and/or changes in technology?
3. Is the company willing to work with others to do what is in the best interest of your business? Will it work with your existing back-office systems?
4. Will this solution add value to your specific business? Can you expect productivity gains or cost savings from this telematics solution?
5. Is this solution compliant with government regulations? Will it be ELD-ready?
6. Can this solution capture data in a broad variety of applications? Will it work if you use multiple drivers in a single vehicle? What about dedicated runs in certain areas or at certain times?
7. Is the data accurate? Do they offer raw data or actual useable and actionable insights?
8. Do they take your data security seriously? Are there measures in place to protect you and your data in the cloud?
9. How much the does the device cost? Is it easy to install? Is the device itself secure?
10. Is there a contract? What are the early termination fees? Any other costs including implementation costs?

While these questions may seem obvious, you will be surprised how many businesses implement telematics solutions without asking these crucial questions. Doing your due diligence upfront, reduces the financial risk and negative operational impact in the future. That can have a serious impact on your bottom line. There are compelling metrics out there to that support Telematics deployment but it has to be done correctly and with a reliable partner.

What should you look for in Telematics solution?

At Connected Vehicles, we understand that for many of you this might be your first telematics purchase. You might want to ensure that your telematics solution offers:

• Reliable and applicable solutions – Customizable for your unique business situation or application.
• Web-based technology – To help you manage your fleet from anywhere. On most devices.
• Actual useable insights – To help you make quicker, better-informed decisions for your business.
• Solid customer support – Be around when you need them. Even after sales.
• Simple Install/Uninstall – So you can do it easily without a service visit.
• Quick and easy report customization – Should be easy for you or your provider to do and should require a data analyst.
• Engine Data – Reporting on a wide range of engine fault codes and action plans. Should work on all makes and models.
• Scalability – Solution that grows with you and has an extensive eco-system of 3^rd party add-ons to support your changing needs.

We understand that raw, disparate bits of data are useless. Connected Vehicles offers intelligent data-driven applications that solve actual business problems. We do this by partnering with the industry-leading organizations like Geotab and Navistar. Connected Vehicles fuses telematics information & technology with our knowledge of the fleets, vehicles and drivers, into smart, data-driven solutions to help you be the best at what you do. We promise to be there with you, every step of the way and then some.

Please call us at 888.963.1364 to book your free no obligation quote or demo.