Fleet tracking and service verification technology provides a number of benefits, from saving money to improving customer service.
Fleet tracking technology is continuing to gain momentum in the waste and recycling industry; when combined with intelligent service verification capabilities it can be a powerful tool in the hands of waste and recycling haulers for improving customer service and reducing costs. There are a variety of systems, types and levels of fleet tracking/service verification available on the market, which come with equally diverse price ranges.
Systems that offer service verification provide proof of where service has been performed and can show if, where and why service was not performed. With the addition of more intuitive features and benefits, service verification technology is becoming easier to manage and deploy, and reasons for not deploying the technology are rapidly eroding.
Combating Costly Call-Backs with Service Verification
The biggest advantage to using service verification is that it decreases operating costs while simultaneously improving customer service by reducing missed stops and potentially eliminating callbacks. As shown in Figure 1, the cost of even a single callback each day can quickly add up.
Figure 1 depicts the estimated cost of servicing a missed stop based on a single truck going 10 miles extra to service that stop. The truck’s operating expense ($5/mile) and labor cost (15 min at $60/hour) are factored in to get a daily cost of $65 per missed stop, and an annual cost of $16,900 based on 260 service days per year.
How does service verification help combat costly callbacks? Service verification puts real-time data into the hands of supervisors, dispatchers and customer service reps, showing where trucks have and have not performed service. Some systems allow the driver to input data on why service was not performed (like when a customer’s cart was not out at pickup time), and all this data is provided real-time in an easily digestible visual format.
The service provider is armed with information that enables them to be proactive and rectify problems as they occur, as well as be better prepared when the need to be reactive arises. For instance, when a customer calls to request a callback, the customer service rep can immediately see if/when the truck has already passed by without needing to contact a dispatcher or driver for verification; the customer service rep also has insight into why the pickup did not occur. Supervisors and dispatchers can review progress and provide feedback to the driver or send helper trucks to catch up or clean up missed areas.
This level of service verification gives service providers credibility with their customers and community, and, ultimately, helps contain costs. Customers who abuse the callback system no longer have the upper hand when calling in because they will discover the customer service rep has real-time information on where service has been performed.
Monitoring Community Recycling Participation
Service verification technology is useful for the recycling industry as well as the waste industry. Through service verification, service providers can monitor and gauge recycling participation levels in the community. This equips stakeholders with data that they can use for encouraging their community to continue (or increase) their recycling. In addition, participation reports can be used to measure and report on government mandated recycling goals.
Using RFID for Service Verification
Deploying RFID-enabled carts and equipping trucks with RFID readers can provide highly accurate service verification. As a result, some municipal contracts require RFID to record service for every customer’s cart or container. While the benefit of RFID is accuracy, implementing RFID for this purpose presents a number of barriers—not the least of which is the high cost of installing and maintaining such a system. Deploying RFID systems can also require a significant staffing and training investment.
Non-RFID Service Verification Solutions
Fortunately, there are non-RFID service verification systems that dramatically reduce the cost and staffing requirements while still providing many of the benefits of service verification. These include a range of solutions—the simplest uses GPS tracking with breadcrumbs to identify where the trucks have been. More intelligent solutions can record actual service events by monitoring lift arm events as well as exceptions (missed stops, missed streets) recorded by the driver while simultaneously associating these events with the customers serviced. Some systems are scalable, meaning you can start simple and add capabilities as your business requirements grow.
Finally, while some RFID technology solutions require a technical skillset to be rivaled by a computer genius, some non-RFID service verification systems leverage information already used by the service provider and require little staff training or support. Higher levels of verification will naturally be more complex, but most users comfortable with a smartphone will be able to learn and understand the system with ease and speed.
Tips for Service Verification System Selection and Optimization
Here are a few tips to help you select and make the most of a service verification system.
Selection
- Start simple
- You do not have to commit to an RFID system to benefit and see ROI from service verification reporting. There are a variety of levels of non-RFID service verification solutions available, with the simplest being a system that requires no interaction by the driver. However, the best results occur when service and service exceptions are recorded, which requires driver participation.
- Use a real-time system
- Make sure the data is collected and sent over a cellular network so the information is available to customer service reps and supervisors as it is occurring so issues can be monitored and proactively managed.
- Pick a partner that will work with you
- Evaluate solutions that leverage how you currently operate your business. This will minimize the impact on your staff and will provide valuable results quickly. The best solutions can quickly be integrated with your existing customer database, billing system and route dispatch software.
Optimization
- Monitor work results daily
- Instead of monitoring service performance results weekly, keep up with end-of-day reports daily—this will help combat any immediate issues that drivers or customers are facing, fixing small issues before they become big problems.
- Review exceptions with drivers at the end of the day
- Share exceptions from the end-of-day reports with drivers. This helps to build a relationship and reinforce the idea that the system was installed to monitor service and improve the process—not as a driver-monitoring tool.
- Improve routes as a process
- A good service verification solution leverages planned routes to improve the quality of service verification. As a result, monitoring service also provides visibility about how the driver actually ran the route and how it compares to the planned route. Reviewing the results with drivers can lead to improved routes as well as making sure the drivers are completing their routes.
- Equip customer service reps with real-time tools
- When customer service reps have real-time access to service information, they will be better able to answer customer questions immediately. When a call comes in regarding a missed stop, the customer service rep can look up the account, see why the stop was missed (e.g., the driver passed the house because the cans were not out) and can respond to customer calls with real answers. They also have the ability to inform route managers and the issue can be rectified immediately.
A Return on Investment
Fleet tracking and service verification technology provides a number of benefits, from saving money to improving customer service. The system does not have to be a complex and expensive to provide a solid return on investment. It enables even the smallest service providers to benefit from the many advantages fleet tracking and service verification offers.
Dave Gelvin, President of Air-Trak (San Diego, CA), a Coretex Company, is an expert in service verification. Contact him today to learn more about the Air-Trak system and the benefits service verification can provide to your business. Dave can be reached at (858) 677-9950, ext. 152 or e-mail [email protected].