Maximize your Telematics Value from Day One
Last year I was trying to do anything I could to ward off the boredom that accompanied 2020. I picked up some new hobbies and tried to expand on hobbies already in my rotation. I learned how to groom my dog, much to his displeasure, and even camped in January while it was snowing. Less extreme was playing music and trying to record some songs for the first time. I’ve played music for years but have never tried to take it further than jamming with some friends. Recording songs made me reflect on my 20s, of forming bands with friends. Some of those friends are still playing, performing, and creating music. The longer I reflected, the more I started to draw parallels between what made successful bandmates and what makes telematics rollouts successful for fleets.
Stay with me here because I know telematics isn’t the first thing to come to mind when talking about playing music. Yet there are some things that successful bandmates did that I see successful fleet managers doing when they’re deploying telematics. The most successful fleets are able to maximize their telematics value from day one by being good bandmates. Or rather good partners during deployment. Those fleets optimize time and their relationship with the other band members (read vendors).
In my 20s I wasn’t interested in practicing. I didn’t learn the material on my time. I relied on my bandmates to get me up to speed rather than learning the material beforehand. Whereas my friend Kyle, who is still playing and performing, reviewed all the material before practice and was always prepared. He knew the timing of the songs and structure well enough to add something of his own. The same goes for telematics. To start getting value from telematics from the beginning you will want to be like Kyle. Reviewing the material and researching the system before each meeting will give you a head start on those who don’t. You’ll know what questions you need answered and you’ll be prepared to request customization of the system based on your needs. A recent example of an excellent bandmate I’ve had the pleasure of jamming with is the California Department of Conservation. They prepared early and came ready to hit the ground running at every meeting, which helped us successfully customize their Geotab database to help them get more value through driver participation.
There’s a reason “no one likes you when you’re 23.” With the exception of our drummer Michael, we were all guilty of missing our weekly band meetings. One of us would postpone practices because they weren’t prepared or they didn’t prioritize well enough and had too many other things on their plate. I’m sure we drove Michael nuts. To optimize your relationship with your vendor, it’s extremely valuable to commit to attending and actively participating in your regularly scheduled meetings. Even if you aren’t as prepared as you’d like to be, pushing back a meeting further reduces the value of your telematics investment. There’s a much bigger benefit of leaning into your relationship with your vendor and using that time to get up back on track. To be ready for the big show the band needs to honor those weekly practice and meeting commitments.
Some fleet managers only need a few meetings and some like to have more, and what they get out of their telematics data depends on the level of effort they put into the process. Optimize your time and relationship with your vendor from the start to maximize the value of telematics. We're committed to being a great bandmate, are you?
