Knowing what you want from telematics is the key to choosing a system that will work for you. Just like hiring someone for a job, you will want to list the criteria and capabilities to be satisfied.
“The important thing is to understand what you want from the system, both now and in the foreseeable future,” said Robert Wilson, director of Victoria-based fleet management consultancy 4C Management Solutions. “What are your biggest issues: utilisation, driver behaviour, safety, route optimisation or something else?”
The list of potential applications includes emergency warning systems, work diaries, fringe benefit tax reporting, and integration with other media platforms such as Salesforce, widely used by sales teams around the world.
“Start with the end in mind,” said Wilson. That end should also include specifications to meet needs from other parts of the organisation, such as operations. Obviously, the chief information officer or IT department will also want input from a technical perspective.
Some of the other considerations for choosing a telematics provider and drawing up a contract for service include whether to outsource or manage in-house. This will depend on your requirements, your resources and your current fleet management systems.
Often the answer lies somewhere in-between. If you do acquire telematics as a service you will want to ensure you can upload data into your in-house systems for record and reporting requirements.
Picking a provider should like any other supplier selection process. There is always a balance between testing the market adequately and being flooded with bidders that don’t quite hit the mark.
Often, for large scale acquisitions a two stage process including an Expression of Interest (EOI) and a Request for Tender (RFT) can be used. The EOI is less detailed but filters the market in line with your requirements. A short list from the EOI process is formulated to take to the RFT stage.
Due diligence is an important step not to be skipped. Like any significant commitment you need to understand the best fit for your organisation. Not just price, but things like; training, on-going support, compatibility with current systems, ability to meet specified requirements and so on.
You also want to make sure the supplier can live up to promises made. Telematics is not a new industry and good suppliers will have a track record. Get vendors to provide a demonstration of how their system meets your requirements and have the stakeholders involved. Talk to references. If possible run a pilot to test the system in your context.
As you get near the end of the process make sure the contract includes everything you need now and in the foreseeable future. Telematics will continue to evolve so if possible structure the contract in a way that encourages innovation and development of your system over time.
