The connected vehicle is no longer simply an exciting concept. It is a reality that has already begun to change the way field technicians work.
While telematics has, for the last few years, given us the opportunity to better understand where our vehicles are and what our drivers are doing, today’s connected vehicle allows us to essentially “plug” our field engineer into our business network, giving them the tools to better service customers and access information in real-time. This could lead to huge efficiency improvements for companies and a better work-life balance for engineers, which in turn can contribute to greater staff retention.
Find out more with our 3 Reasons Why Your GPS System Should Integrate with Your Software.
The challenge now is how do we get it right? While the array of technology now available for commercial vehicles is impressive, it can also be overwhelming and confusing.
Enter the app center.
Last year, Jupiter Research predicted that the number of in-vehicle apps in use is expected to reach 269 million by 2018. That is a five-fold increase from just a year earlier. The uptake for connected cars, and vehicle-based apps is massive.
With such an increase in the sheer number of apps it is going to be important for developers to connect with end-users.
Two obvious markets for consumers will be Apple’s CarPlay and Google’s Android Auto. They have established app stores, the framework OS and if they get it right, should be able to offer a seamless transition from mobile to car to mobile again to their customers.
But things are not so simple for commercial users. There is a gap in the market for the emergence of an ‘app store for the telematics industry’, which makes it similarly easy for field service operators to download apps and software that suits their specific needs. And while I’m sure that the major developers are going to be around selling apps for a long time, you never know if one will establish a platform dedicated to the professional fleet.
We challenge the industry to continue pushing the boundaries by working with developers and forging partnerships that enable app developers and professional fleet users to find each other and deploy solutions that will drive savings and efficiencies.
Change is coming quickly and we must be ready to adapt.
Visit the Webfleet App Center for more information on the applications already available to integrate with WEBFLEET