How to manage your fleet in a 'work-from-home' environment

The sudden move from a traditional office environment to remote working caught most industries off-guard and everyone had to find a way to adapt. Although the fleet industry was affected, the fact that so many fleet managers employ smart technology acted as a buffer during uncertain times and helped keep fleet operations on the move.

As with many industries, the overnight shift to remote working and social distancing meant all face-to-face meetings came to a halt.

For companies such as Avis, that prides itself on building strong client relationships, this meant finding new ways to communicate and keep on top of client needs. Everyone from sales departments to support services had to ensure that regular remote client contact was diarised in advance and that there was no risk of instructions of important updates getting lost via virtual communication.

Thankfully the fleet industry already runs on smart technology, tracking and telematics, which meant there was little to no disruption in Avis fleet management services.

Top tips to ensure your fleet runs smoothly in a remote work environment

Mobile Inspection Apps

Make use of a system such as Avis Mobile Inspection App that allows fleet managers to schedule driver self-inspections. It is completely paperless and gives drivers the ability to complete vehicle inspections at a time most convenient for them. The fleet manager can track progress (completed vs incomplete) via an interactive web portal.

Fleet reporting dashboards

Fleet managers are usually overwhelmed with endless daily tasks and requests and it is easy for things to slip through the crack.

Working with a fleet partner such as Avis ensures that critical functions receive the attention and focus needed to improve  overall fleet performance. Customers who make use of Avis Pulse, for example, will get live drivers dashboards with drill-down functionality giving a good overview of specific driver behaviour that enables fleet managers to identify problem areas and possible driver training required. 

Bulk Fleet Contract Re-assessments

Make use of Bulk Fleet Contract Re-assessments.  These are agreements with customers to do bi-annual contract re-assessments and to align contract kilometers (over-utilized and under-utilized vehicle contracts). With all the lockdown disruptions and erratic movement of fleets; this element is vital to ensure you only pay for the kilometres used.

Vehicle tracking

Customized tracking reports are an excellent way to ensure you are collecting all the data required to optimise your fleet. Options such as specific vehicle tracking new alerts, keeps you in control of your fleet, whether you’re working from home or the office and assists to manage exceptions when prompted to do so.

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Accurate data will save your fleet

It has never been more vital to ensure you have accurate and up-to-date data on all your fleet operations at your fingertips.

Whether it’s because staff are still working from home, or because you have had to adapt your fleet due to the effects of COVID-19 on your business, data is the way forward.

Services such as Avis Fleet Interactive gives you access to all your fleet information 24 hours a day. This portal gives fleet managers a single platform to manage all fleet operations, access reports, see vehicle and driver locations, track fuel costs and maintenance schedules and keep track of all fleet expenses.

This type of fleet management system is invaluable to fleet managers, especially those who want to run a super-efficient fleet. All of this information can be accessed no matter where you are based, which makes it the perfect fleet solution for remote working.

Need help managing your fleet remotely? Contact Avis Fleet and speak to one of our fleet experts.