| We have developed this guide to help you introduce the GPS FLEET MANAGEMENT system to your employees and answer their questions up front. By communicating with employees directly and outlining how they and the company will benefit, you can help make the transition much smoother. Experience has shown that "good" employees have no problem with accountability. In fact, a good employee welcomes it as accountability sets them apart from a less productive co-worker. The employee who resists fleet monitoring is more than likely an employee who could use improvement. Some employees might also have a tendency to distrust or at least be skeptical of change. Their resistance is very likely rooted in unrealistic attitudes toward change. Change is a continuous part of every successful business. A good relationship with your drivers will help your fleet run more smoothly and efficiently. The more you can get your drivers to embrace the change instead of resisting it, the better off everyone will be. In short, just be honest and forthright from the beginning and you will gain employee trust. The following five steps have proven to be highly effective in helping employees collaborate with change. | 1. Make it easy for drivers to clearly identify and understand the change. | | 2. Help drivers realize that their first reaction could be rooted in assumptions, not facts. | | 3. Clarify both your and the driver's interests when considering new policies. | | 4. Brainstorm ways to satisfy both your and their interests. | | 5. Seek mutually acceptable solutions. | Points for Introducing "GPS Fleet Management" to your Employees It's no secret why you purchased "GPS Fleet Management" - to increase driver efficiency, improve route management, increase time savings and have the ability to account for your fleet's progress. How do you communicate those things to your employee? How do you get them to see that your new system will also benefit them? We've put together the following talking points to help you introduce the system to your employees. We suggest breaking down your presentation into four main points: I. Introduction Inform your employees that your company, in keeping with current technologies, will be instituting a new fleet management system. This technology will allow your company to remain competitive in today's faster business environment, result in increased efficiency and will have a positive impact on your company's bottom line. Also, share with employees some of the benefits other companies have enjoyed with the system. II. System Explanation Explain how the system actually works. Describe the units in the vehicles, the computer interface, and the activities the system will record. III. System Benefits Provide an overview of the benefits the system will provide - from decreased insurance premiums to increased route management - but also discuss, in detail, the direct benefits to employees. IV. Questions and Answers Open the floor to questions. If someone asks a question that you aren't able to answer right away, tell them you'll find the answer and get back to them and do just that. As an example, this might be a way a company would introduce the system to its employees: Thank you all for joining me today. I know we all have a lot on our plates right now and time is in short supply around here. But I think you'll find this meeting a productive one. I wanted to talk to you today about the new fleet management system we'll be introducing in the next couple of weeks. In order to remain competitive and to prosper in today's hi-tech world, it is essential to be aware of trends and to stay abreast with current technologies. Electronic fleet management is revolutionizing the way fleets are managed in America today. We have made an investment in this system because it will ultimately help us be more efficient and hopefully have a positive impact on our bottom line. Do's and Don'ts There is no magic formula for introducing a "GPS Fleet Management" system to your employees. However, our experience has identified a number of "Do's and Don'ts" to follow: | DO: | | | Try to introduce the system in a group meeting or other personal communication. By calling a personal meeting (or a series of small group meetings, depending on the size of your organization), you'll give employees the opportunity to learn about the system first-hand rather than through the grapevine. It also allows employees to have all of their questions answered from top management. | | Keep the meetings and correspondence upbeat and positive. You may be installing the system because work isn't up to par, but communicating this to your drivers will automatically put the system in a negative light. Talk about things you feel the company will be able to improve because of the new system, and be sure to include the positive benefits for employees | | Establish a way for employees to provide feedback and have their questions answered after the system is in place. Encourage e-mails or memos or create a comment box through which employees' concerns and suggestions can be heard. | | Recognize all positive changes and improvements you see once the system is up and running. Whether it's a gift certificate or cash bonus or simply a letter from the company president, be sure to recognize and reward desired behavior. This will clearly demonstrate to employees that the system provides benefits to both the company and the individual drivers. | | DON'T: | | | Install the system before informing your employees. You may be tempted to install the units without employee knowledge simply to track work or establish a benchmark by which to determine the system's success. However, the problem of potential employee backlash usually is not worth it. If employees know about and understand the system from the start, efficiency starts rising from day one. Moreover, being open and honest builds trust with even the most critical employees. | | Hide information about the system or evade tough questions. It's important that employees understand the system and what it's monitoring in order to get the results you are seeking. | | Expect all employees to immediately embrace the system. It's human nature to react to workplace changes with some uneasiness and distrust, and you may never win everyone over. But once employees understand what the system is designed to do, and start to see increased efficiency and time savings throughout the fleet, most will accept it and work to improve their performance. It's been our experience that good workers are the ones you want to keep long term, and they welcome the system as it recognizes their strengths and reinforces their contributions to the company. | Tough Questions & Answers Having helped many companies implement "GPS Fleet Management" systems, we know their will likely be some tough questions you will have to face. A list of the most frequently asked questions is below. While many of the answers will be based on your individual company's policies, we've given some guidelines for communication. | Q. | Don't you trust us to do our jobs? | | A. | Absolutely. We trust you. Driving a vehicle and selling, servicing, and delivering our products are huge responsibilities and that's why you are part of our team. We're installing this system to help us better manage the entire fleet, not just a single truck. It will give us an overall picture of how the fleet is operating and will point out areas that we could improve on as a company. We see it as a very positive change and we think you will too.
| | Q. | Is this legal? | | A. | Yes. The system is simply tracking the vehicle's progress throughout the day and providing the same information that we would get if we were to ride around with you to write detailed route reports with delivery times and mileage.
| | Q. | Exactly what will this system monitor? | | A. | The system will track when the vehicle starts in the morning, where and when it stops, how long it stays at each location, the speed it's traveling between points, how long it idles during the day, total number of miles driven, and when the equipment is turned on and off (or lift gate or other custom events).
| | Q. | What happens if we get caught speeding by the GPS Fleet Management system? | | A. | (Company Policy)
| | Q. | What if we have to make personal stops? | | A. | (Company Policy)
| | Q. | How do I explain something that happens and may not appear to be company related? | | A. | (Company Policy)
| | Q. | What if I need to go out of my way to avoid a traffic jam? | | A. | (Company Policy)
| | Q. | What if the system malfunctions and provides bad information? Will I be blamed? | | A. | (Company Policy)
| | Q. | Will I get to see a copy of my truck's report? | | A. | (Company Policy)
| Employee Benefits The strongest method for easing the introduction of "GPS Fleet Management Systems" is to outline for employees the many direct benefits the system provides. Following are some of the employee benefits that have already been reported by Universal Tracking Technologies customers: | Higher Customer Retention | | For service drivers that work on commission, retaining current customers is of high importance. In several cases, the detailed reports "GPS Fleet Management" provides on service stops has led to higher customer retention numbers. Simply put, customers like to see proof that service was completed on time and by providing that proof, you keep your customers and your commissions. | | Protection against False Claims | | "GPS Fleet Management" provides irrefutable data showing when and where each vehicle has traveled, providing protection against false accident claims and reports of late arrivals at scheduled stops. | | Service Time Tracking | | "GPS Fleet Management" provides electronic verification of service time, providing drivers with back up in case of customer challenges. | | Hands-free Mileage Log | | "GPS Fleet Management" provides an accurate, hands-free mileage log, saving valuable time. | | Vehicle "Take Home Policies" | | Because evening and weekend use can be monitored, some companies are now able to allow employees to use fleet vehicles after-hours. This saves many employees and companies valuable time and fuel. | | Increased Company Profits | | Increased savings and company profits translate into better 401(k) results, better maintenance programs to minimize on-the-road problems, replacement of aging equipment, etc. | | New Incentives | | Because "GPS Fleet Management" allows you to measure performance very efficiently, you can create new incentives based solely on productivity. It is amazing to see the changes in performance once drivers take the competitive spirit to heart. Before you know it, they will help you find new ways to bring in revenue. | | Increased Driver Safety | | Financial gain isn't the most important benefit for drivers. The incidence and severity of crashes and driver fatalities increase exponentially with speed. Because maximum speed is now automatically recorded, driver safety can be easily monitored. | | Improved Employee Morale | | Because with "GPS Fleet Management" driver accountability isn't an issue any longer, you don't run the risk of getting caught up in "Gotcha" Management. On the contrary, you now have a tool to catch your drivers doing something good so you can enhance their performance and self esteem. | Good drivers are usually reluctant to report their inefficient counterparts. In many cases, good employees wind up carrying the burden of the slackers. This has an adverse impact on morale. You now have the tool to deal with unproductive drivers. Company Benefits Employees obviously will be interested in the direct benefits "GPS Fleet Management" will provide them, but they often will be just as interested in the overall benefits it provides their company. After all, success of the business usually translates into increased personal success as well. | Following are just some of the company benefits UTTI customers have reported: | | • Dramatic reductions in fuel costs | | This is attributed to reduction in speeding, idling, and elimination of unauthorized use of company vehicles. For many, the fuel savings amounted to 15% or more. | | • Accurate and Verifiable Billing for Customers | | One company reported a significant reduction in their credits to customers. | | Others are on call 24 hours and "GPS Fleet Management" ensures that all customers are billed properly. | | • Reduction of Overtime | | Some companies paid for their system in two weeks with overtime savings alone. Another saved 15 hours their first Saturday. They wound up giving everyone a raise and still reduced their payroll. | | • Increased Operational Efficiency | | Steel Engineers quoted: "Five minute stops take five minutes and not an hour!" Excel Cabinets increased the number of deliveries per truck within two weeks. | | • Accurate Records for Payroll | | Because daily start and ending times are automatically recorded, almost everyone has reported easier payroll verification. | | • Improved Scheduling | | Booth Services practically eliminated waiting times at customer's residences once they realized the magnitude of their problem. | | • Cost Verification | | Edison Security paid for their system after they uncovered cost elements that were not being taken into consideration in their quotes. | | • Lower Insurance Costs | | Excel Landscape was able to curb the speeding habits of their drivers and had substantial savings on their insurance premiums and fuel. | Universal Tracking Technologies, Inc. has been providing GPS fleet management solutions since 1999. We offer a wide range of products and expertise to insure that each client has the best system to meet your needs. |