How GPS Tracking Improves ETAs and Communication for Service and Delivery Fleets

Providing customers with accurate estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) and efficiently communicating with drivers is crucial for businesses in service or delivery industries. Long wait times and the inability to proactively provide updates to customers causes anxiety and frustration, which leads to a poor experience. How well you communicate with drivers and employees has a significant impact on this part of the business.

Before utilizing GPS tracking to add transparency to their processes, some companies wasted hours on the phone each day communicating with drivers. This form of communication consists of finding out current locations, receiving ETAs to their next stop, or to provide updates on their current route - adding stops, providing gate codes, etc.

GPS tracking technology reduces the amount of time spent trying to get a hold of drivers lets you focus on the core of your business.

If you are a service or delivery company looking to solve one or both of these challenges, GPS tracking can be the answer and why you should think about implementing the technology.

Improving ETAs for Customers with GPS Tracking

Providing excellent customer service is the crux of success for service and delivery companies. The power of online reviews and social media is enough to topple any business or exponentially grow it. As previously mentioned, ETAs are a significant factor in determining what kind of experience customers have with your business. In today's world, it's imperative that you have the capability of providing the shortest service window times and accurate ETAs – contacting customers within a certain amount of time before the driver’s arrival.

With a GPS tracking system, you have everything you need at your fingertips to accomplish all of this. It enables route planning based on traffic and the location of stops. You can send routes directly to drivers and even update them mid-route if necessary when an emergency or last-second job arises. Alerts are available to know when they leave current job sites and heading to their next location. This functionality will allow you to send accurate ETAs to customers proactively.

Planning each day or week like this can dramatically decrease service and delivery window times for customers, which will lead to a much better experience and improved customer service, not to mention a revenue increase because your drivers will be able to complete more jobs per day.

Improving Driver Communication

Having to make endless calls to drivers throughout the day causes many headaches. It distracts drivers from getting to their next location or delays them on a current job while taking time away from the office staff who are attempting to reach them.

GPS tracking provides dispatchers and office staff real-time maps that have updated locations of all vehicles and assets. This functionality dramatically reduces the need to call or text drivers. Most GPS tracking providers have a "closest to" feature that allows you to plug in an address and see which of your drivers are closest to that location.

GPS tracking software also provides the capability of direct messaging drivers. This functionality makes it extremely convenient to send updates directly to drivers’ smartphones.

Attribute features also enable you to mark vehicles with specific equipment if necessary. This means that you’re always sending the right vehicle and driver to the right job.

The Fuel Savings and Additional Revenue Bonus

A bonus of more efficiently communicating and dispatching drivers to jobs is a substantial reduction if fuel expenditures. A significant component of long window times is because drivers aren't taking the most efficient routes to jobs, intentional or not. This means that they are potentially wasting significant amounts of fuel.

Because GPS tracking software efficiently maps their routes, it should lead to a reduction in fuel usage and monthly fuel costs. It will also likely mean that you can complete more jobs per day, which will lead to additional revenue to your bottom line.

Start Improving Your ETAs and Driver Communication Now!

Don't make your customers wait any longer and begin the process of implementing a GPS tracking system into your business. Speak with experts from top GPS tracking providers on how to implement a solution.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet