Winning customers and beating your fleet competitors involves the ability to make good decisions as a fleet manager or owner. It’s true that this ability comes with tertiary education; but more so through experience, the process of trial & error, and having superior tools at your disposal.
Colin on Cars wrote an interesting article highlighting the fact that tech adoption is on the rise among fleet managers. Are you part of the 91% that plan to increase their use of digital tools between 2025 and 2030?
If not, maybe these insights will change your mind. If you ARE planning to integrate more technology into your fleet, Cartrack is here to teach you how to get the most out of your investment. Let’s look into how you can win more customers as a company manager by better utilising your fleet.
The reason some fleets are more successful than others is because fleet management as an industry is a fine balance between tech receptiveness and human decision making. When these two factors are properly combined, it can result in a growing fleet and a profitable business.
It’s worth exploring 3 major contributing factors to beating your competitors in an ever-changing market. These are:
If you’re ready to use your fleet to grow your business, this is the article you want to be reading right now. Let’s begin.
According to the same article referenced earlier, Colin on Cars mentions an interesting (and kind of worrying) statistic about fleets in SA. He says that only 23% of fleet managers in our country use AI solutions in their software.
This means South Africa is way behind in terms of global industry standards. Integrating AI into any fleet system is an investment in time… and as we all know, TIME IS MONEY!
When it comes down to it, AI is a massive time saver. Not only that, but it also removes human error from the fleet management equation. AI serves fleet managers by:
These benefits might sound vague right now. But keep reading to discover how AI-power cameras, AI-powered fleet software, and other AI-related products can deeply influence the way your fleet operates.
As mentioned, only 23% of fleet managers in SA have adopted AI into their operational strategies. The reason?
Some are sceptical.
Others haven’t received the go-ahead from their own managers.
An attitude of “good enough” has kept them from pursuing operational excellence.
Whatever the reason, these companies are bound to fall by the wayside sooner or later. And eventually, their fleets will make way for competing companies that spend less time & money managing their fleets—and GAIN MORE while doing so!
But there’s another reason so many fleet managers don’t adopt fleet management software (let alone the AI-powered variety). It’s because they don’t even know that they ARE fleet managers.
Sounds crazy, but the word “fleet” is ambiguous at best, and small business owners who manage fleets, don’t even realise they’re doing so.
Consider the small business owner who builds kitchens. He has 3 people working for him. Two are assistants, the other one is a driver. He has 3 vehicles. One is a high-profile sedan for seeing and quoting his customers. The other is a bakkie used for transporting kitchen components and tools to the site. The third vehicle is used to transport his team between the workshop and installation sites.
He might not realise it, but this man has a fleet. How he manages that fleet will affect how successful his business could become.
FMS is NOT worth getting if it doesn’t save you MORE money than it costs you to have. What many SMEs don’t understand is that fleet management software plays an integral role in saving you money, and helping to increase your profits.
This is how you win customers and beat your fleet competitors—even if you never knew you had a fleet to begin with.
How does FMS save money, stimulate growth, and increase profits?
But MOST IMPORTANTLY: Fleet management software helps you to make BETTER BUSINESS DECISIONS!
Data = FACTS
Facts = GOOD DECISIONS
Good decisions = GROWTH
Growth = MONEY
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If you factor in ROI, fleet management software isn’t too expensive for small fleets. By managing the transportation side of your business, you WILL service more customers faster and you WILL save money against theft, fuel waste, wasted time & resources, and asset damage.
So in a way… NOT having FMS for your small fleet is often more expensive than having it.
First-world countries have already caught on to this reality. Technology is the key to becoming more efficient as a fleet. It won’t be long before AI fleet management software becomes the norm for fleets in South Africa.
The question is: How far ahead will you be by the time everyone else adapts?
According to Grand View Research, South Africa’s security industry is a multi-billion rand one. But when we as South Africans think of security, we often get a default picture in our minds of electric fences, security gates, and CCTV cameras.
FACT: A large portion of SA’s crime takes place on our country’s roads. This calls for a change in our perception when it comes to the word “security”.
Recent events prove the critical need for vehicle security. A Bolt driver was duped into giving four people an e-hailing ride. Tragically, he paid for this service with his life.
Since this story hit the news, people have started to realise the importance of vehicle security measures. It’s not enough to simply track a vehicle. A more layered approach to road security is absolutely vital!
…the list goes on as to how we can make our time on the road safer. But for your company, safety means profit!
Those fleet competitors of yours enjoying fleet success already know that mitigating risk is a key factor in keeping their companies profitable.
If this is the kind of security you want to adopt for the vehicles in your company, give us a call and we’ll walk you through it.
Crime takes many forms. It’s not always the obvious criminals you need to be aware of. Sometimes, the biggest culprits are right under your nose.
Large fleets are especially vulnerable to internal theft. Whether it’s cargo theft, fuel fraud, or blatant law-breaking while driving, it’s YOUR company that ends up suffering the loss.
Again… road security rushes to the rescue in the form of telematics.
For example: cameras aren’t just for your home, they’re important for every vehicle in your fleet.
Another example: fuel-protection software holds your staff accountable for how much they spend on fuel and what the fuel gets used for.
At best, bad driving hurts your brand. At worst, it costs you a fortune. Cartrack recognises five ways bad driving costs you money, and we’ve been diligent in trying to come up with ways to mitigate the consequences of it.
The solution?
If you’re still wondering why some fleet companies are more profitable than yours, it could just be because they’re managing their fleets PROACTIVELY rather than REACTIVELY. Maybe… just maybe… their adoption of vehicle security into fleet operations has been the game changer that pushed them above the rest.
The connection between data and decision making is becoming clear to more fleet managers who are tired of taking action based on guesswork. Even your best guess can’t beat indisputable facts derived from telematics. The ability to use data to make better decisions has become invaluable to fleet companies, and it’s the edge that makes them successful in their operations.
Where does Cartrack come in? We don’t just give you raw data; we also interpret that data in a way that enhances your decision making on every level.
THIS is what separates successful fleets from run-of-the-mill fleets.
Which one are you?
Stop losing leads to other providers. From superior service to smart tech, here’s your guide to winning and beating the competition for good.
