For any manager, in any organisation, time management is one of the keep pillars of success. For a fleet manager, this is even more true, as so much needs to happen on schedule and so many potential disruptions can get in the way.
The average fleet manager oversees operations that include vehicle maintenance, asset utilisation, driver management and fuel management amongst numerous other key factors. Yes, that’s a lot to handle.
Along the way, there are plenty of regular tasks that will pop up to get in the way. With multitasking the norm, it’s easy to feel your time is being devoted to solving the current, urgent problem rather than focusing on the most important task of all: optimising business performance.
This blog takes a look at the issue of time management for fleet managers. It investigates some best practices for improving time management in telematics and discusses some technology that can help along the way.
How to improve time management in your fleet
So, what could you be doing in your day-to-day work that might help you manage your time more effectively?
Here are a few best practices:
- Think as many steps ahead as possible
If you often feel your time is spent reacting to urgent issues as they come up and solving problems in the moment, it might be a case that you need more contingency plans in your planning. Is there the possibility to solve problems ahead of time?
Taking the time to map out all the potential things that can go wrong in your operation and devising a reliable plan A, B, C, D and E to cope with them could pay off, save time and reduce stress in the long run.
- Digitise more manual tasks
Do you frequently find yourself trapped behind mounds of paper work or handling essential but time-consuming manual tasks? If this is happening too often, it can be a serious distraction from core business. If it is happening to multiple people across your operation it could be severely impacting your bottom line.
More and more fleets are now turning to digital solutions to digitise and, in many cases, automate their regular admin tasks. By either reducing the time it takes to handle them or clearing them completely from the schedule, this can be a massively beneficial option.
- Rely on data-based decision making
Often in management, you must choose what activity you concentrate time on wisely. What part of your operation should you devote resources and man-hours to improving? What factors can be left as they are?
The surest way to ensure you are pursuing the right courses of action for your business is to base your decisions on accurate data. Drawing on the key data points from your fleet, including fuel consumption, driving times, vehicle locations and driving behaviour, can help you make more confident and better choices as to how to spend your time.
Time management software for fleet managers
No matter what kind of fleet you are managing, the only constant is that there is always a high demand for efficiency. Technology can help provide this.
Fleet management software, like Webfleet, can help you automate some of the most time-consuming tasks to simplify your job. It supports you with:
- Driver management
- Real-time reports
- Vehicle tracking
- Route optimisation
- Proactive vehicle maintenance
- Communication with drivers
- Facilitating tasks like claim processing
- Overall document management
With Webfleet automating what are now routine, time consuming tasks such as vehicle maintenance scheduling and compliance related updates, and with less paperwork to deal with, you are more free to take actions that will better serve your business.
If you want to know more about reaching operational excellence with Webfleet, get in contact with one of our experts today.