6 Pitfalls to Avoid When Implementing a Fleet Maintenance Software

What to Avoid When Implementing Fleet Maintenance Software

The fleet maintenance software marketplace can seem crowded, with many options presenting a combination of strengths and weaknesses. Fleet management software is meant to simplify fleet management and help you stay on top of every important aspect of your fleet operation that otherwise is difficult to manage with Excel spreadsheets and paper forms.

But before you commit to a new fleet maintenance software you must know what to avoid during implementation. Implementations of certain systems can be very complex and take many weeks or months to onboard. This is why AUTOsist focuses on simplicity and usability so your entire team can work with our system right away. Let’s go over five key pitfalls you should avoid if you’re implementing a fleet management program in your company.

Not Including Your Employees in the Process

Fleet maintenance software was designed to not just help fleet managers manage vehicles and equipment, it is also going to help you manage your employees and drivers. Before deciding on a new system, it is a good idea to involve a few key people on your team to evaluate and give feedback.

If you want to avoid potential issues with the software you’ve selected - you need to involve your employees in the evaluation process early. Include everyone who will use the fleet software in some kind of way. They should test multiple fleet management software, and let you know their thoughts and concerns. Most systems offer a free trial and will show you how to use the software and mobile app through a live demonstration

This process will ensure that you’ve selected software that will fulfill all the needs of your organization without causing costly software replacements and delays in your business.

Not Having a Change Management Strategy

Maybe you’ve never used fleet management software, but you’ve had to use something to track your fleet’s schedule, maintenance, fuel, inspections. You might have used Excel, which can work for someone who doesn’t have a lot of vehicles. But, if your fleet is expanding with multiple vehicles and drivers, tracking everything manually and through a spreadsheet isn’t productive or reliable.

So, once you finally decide to implement fleet software, you should be ready to manage this switch. You need to create a clear strategy that outlines everyone’s roles in this process, and set up expectations for steps needed for implementation, as well as goals for each implementation phase. If you want to use your previous fleet data stored in Excel Spreadsheets, you can easily upload them in your AUTOsist Portal.

You should also be aware of how your and your employees’ daily activities will evolve due to this change. Therefore, you need to make sure that your team isn’t resetting any new tools, and that they’re ready to learn something new.

Not Testing Multiple Different Solutions

There are tons of great fleet management software solutions out there. Some are more affordable than others, some are easier to use, while some have more advanced features than others. And each of the companies you run into will claim to have the best software imaginable. It is critical to involve reliable third-party sources to confirm the best option for you. Our results speak for themselves, as Forbes named AUTOsist the “Best Overall Fleet Management Software” for the last three consecutive years– an honor we take great pride in.

This is why you should take your time to research your options in greater detail. Start by creating a list of non-negotiable features - these are the options your preferred software must-have, like integrated GPS device data, fuel cards or parts inventory management. After that, set up your expected budget and start researching.

We recommend you find three to five tools that fit your requirements and take them for a test drive. Involve your employees as well, so that all of you can determine whether a specific fleet software is good for the way you work or not. Take a week, two, however long you need to make sure that your software of choice has all you need before making a final purchase.

Not Setting Goals for the Fleet Software

The fact that you’ve found and installed the best fleet maintenance software won’t magically solve issues you might have or improve your business in any way. You need to keep working even after you’ve selected the perfect tool.

Think about what goals you want to achieve with the fleet software - this will help you determine what tool is the best for you, but it will also help you keep your team on track after the software is installed.

Your goal should be directly tied to what you’re looking to accomplish with your business - lower costs, increase vehicle productivity, etc. And once you set these goals you need to find the key metrics that relate to them. With good fleet management software, you can track the costs of anything related to your vehicles and have an easy solution to track any changes.

Not Giving Enough Time for Employee Training

You need to make sure that your team members understand the software completely before you start using it regularly. Everyone involved in the process needs to go through some kind of training in order to understand how and why you’re using fleet software.

Some companies, like AUTOsist, offer training materials right on their website, others might offer in-person or online courses which can help your team get a grip of the tool you’re using.

Whichever route you choose - making sure your team has the knowledge to do their job is the key to getting the most out of the fleet software you’ve selected. If your employees aren’t comfortable with the tools they’re using, you could be facing delays and possible mistakes that are costly for your business.

Considerations Recap

To recap what we covered in this post, you need to make sure that:

• Your employees are involved in the process
• You have a solid change management plan
• You test multiple different solutions for fleet management
• You’re setting the appropriate goals and tracking the right metrics and
• You’ve provided your employees with enough training

The first step can feel intimidating, but we can be a useful resource. If you have any trepidations, be sure to contact us, and we’ll be happy to help you with any questions you might have.