Fleet maintenance software is designed to streamline all aspects of maintaining a fleet of vehicles within a business, from scheduling and tracking maintenance to facilitating inventory management. But what features should you look for in this type of software? And how much value can it really bring to your organization?
The basics of fleet maintenance software
Fleet maintenance software is a type of software used by any business that manages a fleet of vehicles. It could be a delivery service, a courier service, or even a school that needs to maintain a fleet of buses. Naturally, motor vehicles require periodic maintenance; frequent use causes wear and tear, which must be addressed if the vehicles are going to remain in safe, operable condition. Scheduling, conducting, and tracking maintenance can all be a hassle, so fleet maintenance software exists to streamline all these activities and more.
Essentially, this platform is meant to be an all-in-one solution for all the problems associated with fleet vehicle maintenance. When used properly, it can save you time, save you money, improve transparency, and ultimately help your business become more successful.
Key features of fleet maintenance software
While there are many different types of fleet maintenance software platforms available, most of them share the following features in common.
Scheduling and automation. One of the most critical features of fleet maintenance software is its ability to facilitate easy scheduling and automation. It’s important to regularly maintain all your vehicles, and service them in predictable patterns. This is almost impossible to do consistently if you’re doing it manually, but with automatic scheduling and alerts, everything becomes much more streamlined.
Inventory management and tracking. This type of software also includes features for inventory management and tracking. Knowing which parts you have in stock and quickly identifying them can greatly expedite your ability to repair or service vehicles appropriately.
Productivity and labor optimization. Many fleet maintenance software platforms also include modules for productivity and labor optimization. Within them, you can track the hours of your maintenance staff members, evaluate their productivity, and even make workflow improvements to boost productivity further.
Warranty reimbursement tracking. Warranty reimbursements can be incredibly valuable for your business, helping you offset the costs of premature failures and take advantage of the assurances offered by manufacturers. Unfortunately, tracking and managing warranty reimbursements can be challenging. Fleet maintenance software makes it easier.
Integrations. Most fleet maintenance software platforms are designed to be easy to integrate, so you can connect them to your existing systems and make all your workflows smoother and better integrated.
Reporting and analytics. Finally, perhaps unsurprisingly, these software platforms offer reporting and analytics on all these areas and more, helping you analyze and visualize the mechanics of your operation.
The benefits of using fleet maintenance software
Using fleet maintenance software can help you attain the following benefits:
Improve productivity. Assuming you utilize these features and act on the takeaways you derive from your reports, fleet maintenance software can play a critical role in improving productivity. You’ll get more done throughout the day and pay less to do it.
Save money. In many cases, this software can save you money as well. You may be able to reduce labor costs, you’ll increase warranty reimbursements, and you’ll be able to keep all your fleet vehicles on the road for longer.
Introduce transparency. If you want your organization to be more transparent, fleet maintenance software is a good way to start. You’ll have much greater visibility into maintenance operations and how your workflows are performing.
Make smarter decisions. With access to all this data, you’ll be able to make better decisions for your organization overall.
Is it worth the money?
Is fleet maintenance software worth the money you pay for it?
That depends on several variables, including the cost of the platform in question, how you integrate it, and how fully you utilize its features. But for most businesses that must initiate and consistently track fleet vehicle maintenance, fleet maintenance software is a practical necessity. In other words, yes, fleet maintenance software is more than worth the money.
It’s technically possible to maintain a fleet of vehicles without the use of fleet maintenance software, but it’s much harder, much less consistent, and much more expensive. With the right fleet maintenance software product available to your team, your entire organization will flow much more smoothly and avoid most of the pitfalls that hold your competitors back.