Industry insights — Michael Carter, Navman Wireless

Many processes have been streamlined in the field service industry in recent years — what further improvements are likely in 2016?

As GPS technology becomes more advanced, its focus is shifting from internal business benefits to improving the customer experience. Integrating telematics with existing systems and applications will help to provide exceptional customer service by minimising delays and escalating issues. Domino’s Pizza is an excellent example. It recently outfitted all delivery vehicles across Australia with GPS fleet tracking, which has dramatically improved business efficiency and fleet safety. This is unique in that instead of the data just being available to the store manager, customers can track the driver’s route as well.

What do you see as the greatest challenge for managers of mobile teams in the year ahead and why?

Under the WH&S Act, fleet managers have a duty of care to their mobile workforce. However, managing driver safety is a challenging task, especially with hundreds of vehicles out on long journeys, often in remote locations. Fleet managers need to understand the potentially hazardous factors operators may encounter, particularly solo workers. Between 2012–2014, 64% of worker fatalities in Australia involved a vehicle. The challenge is not only gaining visibility into (and communicating with) remote workers, but convincing senior management that this is an issue. Navman Wireless’ recent acquisition of Transtech Driven is an example of businesses with vehicle fleets working together to better manage and monitor driver adherence to safety policies.

How has the field service industry evolved since the advent of mobile technology and what are the downsides of rapid change?

Customers’ expectations are changing and resistance to change is one downside. Integrating telematics with existing systems and applications has a positive impact on businesses, as managers can allocate fleets more efficiently and improve accountability. For example, ScuzzTrans implemented a joint track-and-trace system using a combination of GPS tracking and an iCOS LIVE transport and logistics management system. The integrated solution offers insights to make informed decisions and has increased business by 35%. ScuzzTrans is winning business over its competitors on the basis of this technology. This is proof that the reluctance to manage vehicles through integrated solutions is likely to put any business operating a fleet of vehicles at a disadvantage.

What trends are we likely to see emerge in the short term — what is the next big thing?

With the ability to measure everything from driver location to time spent at a job, to travelling time and driver behaviour, GPS fleet tracking has become much more advanced than ‘dots on a map’. It provides comprehensive data that can be used to increase visibility of driver behaviour and vehicle location. This data can be delivered to an app in real time, meaning a user interface is not required. Integrating telematics with existing systems is the future of any business operating a fleet of vehicles, no matter what industry.

An increasing number of vendors have been attracted to the field service segment in response to market growth. How will that response level out and what will it look like at the end of 2016?

Market growth means greater competition. Businesses that invest in technology to manage mobile assets are those that will grow. Reverting to the Domino’s solution, providing data to the manager and the customer is a trend we will see much more often. Instead of providing customers with a five-hour window of arrival, field service managers will schedule, route and dispatch technicians efficiently through GPS fleet tracking, meaning the customer will be notified when the tech is en route. In addition to improving the customer experience, insight into vehicles and core data (where they are and what they are doing) will drive down costs and improve productivity.

How big a role does customisation play in delivering the most suitable offering to your client and can off-the-shelf ever compete with a fully tailored solution?

Advances in hardware technology and integration capability have enabled fleet managers to drive greater efficiency and productivity across their business. A fully tailored solution is key to improving the customer experience, which is crucial to success for any business. Taking data to the next level through integrating telematics with existing systems and applications will help businesses provide exceptional customer service. It’s important to keep customers informed every step of the way through providing visibility into driver location, allowing fleet managers to respond efficiently to issues and prevent delays.

With 20 years’ industry experience, Carter is responsible for strategic outcomes at Navman Wireless. In his tenure he has been a driving force behind the organisations’ phenomenal growth. Carter’s role is to ensure Navman Wireless realises its market potential, creating an industry benchmark for after-sales service. Having held senior positions with Optus and Hutchinson Telecoms, he is a respected presenter and media commentator.