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Article: Vehicle Tracking and the THE HUMAN RIGHTS ACT
Author: web source not attributed A number of people have asked whether the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA”) will have an impact on them when they fit vehicle tracking Systems into either employees’ vehicles or hire vehicles. In response to this concern, a leading barrister in the Human Rights field advised of the following issues for consideration. Employees Employees working for private companies will not be directly affected by the HRA. However, whenever you change employee’s working conditions, you need to take care to ensure that you do so lawfully. It is advisable that you seek your own legal advice in relation to this as every company’s employment contracts are different, but the following advice may also assist. Where you are fitting a VEHICLE TRACKING System into a vehicle used only for business, such as lorries or vans, it is recommended that you inform the employees driving the vehicle of the fact that the system will be fitted, why it is being fitted, how it works and what the data you collect will be used for. The employee will then understand the full ramifications of the information that will be provided from the system and why you want that information. If employees do have objections, you will clearly need to discuss the objections with them and try to reach agreement on fitting the system. If you can’t reach agreement and consequently want to change an employee’s job or dismiss him, you should obviously seek legal advice. Where you are fitting a system into a vehicle provided for work and personal use, you will have the same considerations as are detailed above. However, you also need to take into account that the system will provide data on the vehicle’s movements outside working time. Employees may be concerned that this data would be used by you to obtain information about their private lives. If that were to be the case, this could constitute an infringement of their human rights. As such, it is would recommended that it is made absolutely clear that the data collected by the system will only be accessed in so far as it relates to working hours, unless the vehicle is stolen or in an accident. You should also inform employees as to who will have access to the data – clearly it should only be utilised by those persons having a business need for the data. Again, if employees are unhappy about the fitting of the system, you should always seek legal advice in the specific issues of the problem. Where you are recruiting new employees or introducing new contracts of employment, there should be clause in the contract which allows you to fit and/or use the system in any vehicles provided by you. Hire Vehicles If you are fitting VEHICLE TRACKING Systems into hire vehicles, you should notify the hirer of this and put acceptance of the existence of the system into your standard terms and conditions.
Article: 99 Hundred Tracking Answers Author: sourced from original text on neomatrix.com At face value, tracking answers one question: ‘Where is that vehicle now? ’, but there are many answers tracking provides. It’s incredibly powerful and inexpensive, but rarely understood. Tracking answers questions that cannot be answered by other means. Its discrete form means it doesn’t interfere with answers. Other investigative means such as printed forms, verbal questioning or the presence of supervisory staff, often modify staff behaviour, resulting in less reliable answers. Tracking answers are provided instantly, discretely, accurately, unbiased, and in an electronic form that can be easily included into reports, charts, graphs, and be archived, or distributed via e-mail. Tracking often answers questions you hadn’t even considered. Tracking answers can quickly identify or remove problem areas in your operations, ensuring maximum efficiency. Tracking answers can be used to effectively educate, improve, discipline or dismiss staff. So here’s a list of 99 tracking answers! PRODUCTIVITY 1. Where is that vehicle now? 2. How far is that vehicle from the depot? 3. How far is that vehicle from the customer premises? 4. Which is the closest vehicle to the new job that just came in? 5. What is the exact position of the new job on the map? 6. What is the closest cross street to the new job? (Maximum delivery efficiency) 7. Will that vehicle make its next appointment, or should you dispatch another? 8. How long has the vehicle been parked there? 9. What exact route did the vehicle take, and is this the most efficient route? 10. Exactly how much time-theft occurred by that driver on that day, and over the last three months? 11. Exactly how many unauthorised kilometres did that driver drive on non-work journeys that day, and over the last three months? 12. Exactly how many customer premises did that vehicle visit on that day? 13. Exactly how many customer premises did that vehicle visit on average over the last three months, and how do this compare to the fleet average? 14. Exactly how long does that driver spend loading / unloading at that location? 15. What is the average loading time for that driver over the last three months, and how does this compare to the fleet average? 16. Where, and how often is the vehicle idling excessively, and for how long? 17. What is the work / shift time for that vehicle on that day, based on first ignition on to last ignition off, and what is the shift time for the full week? 18. Exactly how much overtime or under-time did that vehicle operate for, based on a nominated 8 hour shift? (On that day, that pay period or the last three months) 19. Does that driver exceed the approved lunch time duration? 20. How often does that driver take more than 1 Hour for his lunch break? 21. Was the depot really closed when the truck arrived, or should it have unloaded on that day instead of incurring extra expense? 22. Which vehicles drive too slowly under heavy loads? Do we need to upgrade them? 23. What are the benchmark times for our vehicles to travel between known points, such as from one depot to another? 24. Which drivers or vehicles deviate from known benchmark times on regular routes? 25. Why are some drivers much faster than our company benchmark times, and are they missing some of their stops to finish faster on Fridays? 26. Which drivers regularly stop at locations that are neither listed as company or customer locations and how long do they stop for at unknown locations? 27. Which drivers rarely stop at ‘unknown’ locations, and always follow runs correctly? 28. Which drivers take too long to load / unload, based on our known benchmarks? 29. Which drivers are our most productive? 30. Which drivers are least productive? 31. What factors distinguish good drivers from poor performers, and how do we increase productivity with these workers? (Route selection? Run order? Start times? Driving style/speed? Load/unloading duration’s? Time theft? Vehicle selection? , etc. Health and Safety 32. How fast is that vehicle travelling right now? 33. How often does that vehicle exceed the speed limit? 34. What was the fastest speed travelled by that driver on his last trip, and where? 35. Show the top 10% drivers that regularly speed by 20 km/h over the limit 36. How long has that driver been driving? 37. When was their last break? 38. How long was their last break? 39. What is the ratio of rest time to driving time for that driver, as compared to others? 40. Which drivers never exceed the speed limit by more than 5km/h? 41. Has the speed limiter on that vehicle suddenly stopped working? 42. Where and when did the speed limiter stop working, who was driving at the time? 43. Are the logbook entries legitimate or are they being entered fraudulently? 44. Which drivers never speed, and which are our safest 10% fleet drivers? 45. Which vehicles have not ‘reported in’ for the last 24 hours? (Are they OK?) 46. Your driver has just reported an assault and robbery. What is their exact position and which is the closest company vehicle to assist? INVESTIGATION 47. Exactly where is that vehicle parked overnight? 48. How often does the vehicle park there? 49. How often does the vehicle attend unauthorised locations? 50. How often does the vehicle deviate from the correct route? 51. How often does the vehicle breach nominated area boundaries? 52. How often is the vehicle used after hours, and how far? 53. Where was the vehicle at 2pm, Friday 24th March 2001? 54. How long was it parked for, at 2pm, Friday 24th March 2001? 55. Which other fleet vehicles were parked near the one in question at the time? 56. Was the cargo door opened at any time during the journey? 57. How long was the cargo door open for, and was this long enough to unload? 58. Did the vehicle enter an unauthorised zone at any time? 59. Did the vehicle visit any unauthorised locations? (Driver’s home, competitor premises, known company loitering area) 60. Was a delivery made at the customer’s premises as claimed by the driver, or does the tracking log show this addressed was missed on that run? 61. A complaint has been received. Was your driver really late for the delivery yesterday? 62. How late was the driver for the delivery last Friday? 63. What was the reason the driver was late for last Friday’s delivery? (Heavy traffic/slow speeds or did he spend too long at the previous location?) 64. Are the claims for km and waiting times valid, or are they excessive? 65. Does that vehicle commence work on time, or is it always late? 66. Does that vehicle routinely finish early, or is it only with that driver? 67. Was the vehicle listed as loaded or unloaded when it deviated from its route? 68. Who was the driver listed as ‘allocated’ to that vehicle on that particular day? CRASH INVESTIGATION 69. Notify me immediately (real-time) if the vehicle is involved in a collision. 70. Exactly what time did the crash occur? 71. Exactly where did the crash occur?4 72. Who was likely to be at fault for the crash? 73. Is the other driver lying about what happened in the accident? 74. How fast was the vehicle travelling prior to impact? 75. Was the vehicle accelerating or braking prior to impact? 76. Was the vehicle driving erratically / weaving prior to impact? 77. Where was the vehicle parked previously, prior to the crash (Hotel car park)? 78. Exactly how long was it parked in the hotel car park prior to the crash? 79. How long was the vehicle driving for, prior to impact, and when was the last break? 80. Was the behaviour on the day of the crash consistent with the driver’s regular driving behaviour over the last three months, or was this an isolated incident? 81. Show all text messages sent to or from that vehicle on the day in question. 82. Show all messages sent to and from that vehicle over the last three months. Is that driver often asked to break the law, or was this just an isolated incident? DISMISSAL / DISCIPLINE / EDUCATION 83. Show each instance that driver exceeded the speed limit by more than 20 km/h. 84. Show each instance that driver travelled for more than 8 hours without a break. 85. Show each instance of unauthorised non-work journeys exceeding 10 km. 86. Show each instance of time-theft exceeding 30 minutes. 87. Show the cargo door opened, at an unauthorised stop where items were stolen. 88. Show the difference in time and distance when that worker disregards policy on nominated routes or run orders, versus ‘benchmarks’ set by other workers. MISCELLANEOUS 89. Your employee is alleged to be distributing drugs using his company vehicle, and Police want evidence to prosecute them. Show the exact street address for all non-work positions that vehicle visited over the past three months, but only where the onsite duration was less than 10 minutes. 90. Show reports of the vehicle’s routes to prove accountability for advertising. How often is the signed advertising vehicle driving in the designated area or similar demographics, or how often is it left parked at the designated point? 91. Notify me immediately the temperature exceeds 4°C in your chilled vehicle. Show reports of when and how often this occurs, and how quickly this problem is rectified. 92. “Territory 1” vehicles are not permitted to travel out of their area. Notify me instantly if this occurs, and provide a report showing how often this activity has occurred over the last three months. 93. That vehicle is only authorised to travel along this defined route. Notify me instantly if it deviates by more than 500m, and provide reports of how often this occurs. 94. What proportion of the time does this specific group of vehicles spend in this particular area? 95. Should we relocate our depot to a better location, or is our current depot in the best position for efficiency? 96. Do we need another depot in “Territory 1” due to the long return journey times for our vehicles in this area? 97. Where is the best location for an exchange point, where drivers can meet up and transfer or cross-load goods, bound for regular destinations? 98. Your employee alleges a back injury at this location, at this time. Does tracking data support this? Is this a fraudulent claim? 99. A response team is attempting to intercept and recover your stolen vehicle. Where is it currently, and where does it appear to be travelling to? 100. Your driver is lost in an unfamiliar, remote area. Where are they? What is the best route they should take to get to their destination? (Fast directions, by phone) 99. If a vehicle tracking solution can give me all these answers, why am I not investing in this technology?
Article: Delivering Travel News. Author: Timothy Hilgenberg, Information Services Manager, National Traffic Control Centre www.trafficengland.co.uk Submitted: July 2005 History While some of the history has been lost in the mists of time, it seems that travel came to the BBC in the wake of an accident on the M1 in thick fog, early in the 1970s. This accident was so bad that it was brought up in parliament where the question was asked why the BBC had not warned motorists of the danger. The BBC's reply was that it would have warned motorist, had it been told of the news. Initially the travel unit's remit was to write “Travel Flashes” as and when there was a problem. In the late 1980s, a subtle paradigm shift took place when a series of rail strikes caused disruption. Suddenly travel news was not all about cars anymore, people wanted to know about trains and other forms of transport. Today Research has shown that travel news together with weather reports is seen as one of the most useful broadcasts. The two most prominent questions before setting out on any journey are: “Do I need an umbrella" & "Can I get to where I’m going?" The Channels Radio For mobile users, then and now, radio remains the number one medium. It has the advantage of being easy to use and the service is free. Its other big advantage is that it is one of the most flexible and fastest channels. Getting information on air can be a matter of minutes – and this usually includes verifying the information. Radio programmes can also often be reconfigures on the fly. A good example was the snow and ice earlier this year, with travellers making at best slow progress, Radio 5 Live changed the focus of the programme to keeping travellers up to date with events. The first attempt find a way of coping with the increasing volume of travel messages came with FM's RDS – Radio Data system. RDS has a function, which can signal that there is travel news available – the TP flag. With the function selected an RDS radio will automatically tune to a station for the travel information and return to the original service afterwards. By adding travel news to the local and regional stations and making use of the TP flag, the BBC could increase its travel service. Listeners to one of the national stations would be retuned only if there was a problem in the area they were travelling in. Additionally FM has the ability to transmit a very limited amount of data on top of the radio program, this is the way a radio set can display the name of the station. However this can also be used to carry traffic news: RDS- TMC [traffic message channel]. While this type of data service is becoming popular in mainland Europe, there are a number of reasons, not least regulatory ones, why this type of service isn't widely available in the UK. However, development has not stood still and in addition to LW, AM, FM there now is Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB), giving listeners an even wider choice of stations to listen to. Where FM's RDS- TMC service had only a very limited amount of space for additional data services, DAB has had "data-casting" built in from the start with an 8kbps channel for travel information alone. Building on RDS- TMC, broadcasters and industry, sponsored by the European Broadcasting Union, built a new protocol: TPEG [transport protocols experts group]. TPEG is language independent and offers public transport information on top of road traffic messages. It's design will allow other services, such as parking information to be added when they become available. TV Unless there is a major event, travel news is limited to the local news programmes on weekdays. But, in addition to pictures and sound, TV has the ability to transmit additional data: teletext. The BBC's Ceefax service can provide a much greater amount of data than is possible with voiced travel reports. It also permits a finer grained distinction between local and national roads, local, regional and intercity rail pages and special travel news pages can easily be added as and when they are required. Ceefax being always on, allows users to access information at a time of their choosing. With over 25 million TV sets capable of receiving Ceefax, it is one of the most widely used channels. And updating Ceefax is a quick as updating the radio – in fact Serco, who provide the service for the BBC use the same software to drive Ceefax and generate the Radio scripts. The Internet With over 4 million broadband users in the UK this is an increasingly popular channel. The internet's main advantage is at the same time it's main disadvantage: the sheer volume of data, which means users need to sift though much unwanted data to get to those pertinent items. With issues around mobility, cost and screen sizes the internet is more of an alternative to Ceefax than to the radio for travel news. End-users Today, it probably still is mainly the motorist who listens for travel news, but with a growing interest in "pre-trip" planning, the balance is shifting. Useful particularly when the journey is made to pickup or drop-off someone at a railway station or airport, but also before setting out on a long journey. The future So after all this where are we headed? Will there be a day when there will no longer be a need for travel news? As with all things, the answer is an emphatic “that depends”. If we understand travel news as broadcast, scatter-gun approach, then I suspect the answer will eventually be its demise. However if we are considering travel news as information that helps us to make decisions as to which route to chose or at what time to travel, then this need will not disappear so quickly.
Article: A look at the role of the Telematics Service Provider and their partnerships with communication providers. Author: Brian Martin, Director, VT Solutions Submitted: June 2005 During the Gold rush years, it wasn’t just those that found the gold that made the money. In fact the first providers of ‘pans’, ‘picks’ and ‘shovels’ also made their millions. Sounds familiar? The market place for Telematics Service providers is still growing. The demand has yet to waiver, although the descriptions may have changed the companies remain the same. In 2002 during the Commercial Vehicle Show in the UK, we saw 44 Fleet Management systems, and 20 Vehicle Tracking companies exhibit, whereas the 2004 show saw 50 Fleet Management systems and 15 Vehicle Tracking companies exhibit. Who knows we may yet see the inclusion of the terminology of Telematics Service Providers (TSP’s). I have to admit there are a lot of good TSP’s in the UK and world wide, each of whom have either re-badged or developed their own hardware and software to varying degrees of complexity, ease of use and success. However, no matter how large or small the TSP, they are all dependant on a communications partner to transfer the data/information to and from the vehicle, PC or machine. Today’s communications partner has become yesterdays ‘pans’, ‘picks’ and ‘shovels’ provider and are equally as important to their users. When you think of a communications provider, you would be forgiven to automatically consider the big four. However, biggest does not always mean best. When looking into the relationship between TSP’s and data communications providers I was very keen to understand first hand how these relationships fared. Thus I simply asked a few TSP’s (15 UK based) about their own working relationships, and how these could be improved. I was taken aback by the consistency of the answers. The top three issues were: - Unable to help,
- Not flexible
- Account management ‘Unable to Help’:
Even established TSP’s recalled of the difficulties in actually getting started, or having their questions answered. An example being a Multi Million pound warehouse tracking company that had vehicle tracking within their portfolio. They were looking to integrate the two solutions together for the UK market, thus creating full End-2-end tracking of goods. They approached the big communications companies in the UK and asked what were the factors that determine and the different choices for both Mobile connection into GSM network and Back-Office connection into GSM network? The answer was: We do not have enough knowledge to have a discussion and are unable to help. ‘Not Flexible’: Most TSP’s offer scaleable solutions, with a bolt on here and there. Hardware and software price flexibility can easily be achieved, yet to get flexibility with data communication isn’t that straight forward. Most TSP’s found that there was no, or very little choice of data Tariffs. Frustrating, when you compare this with the unlimited price comparisons and choices you can get with voice. Instead, the communications partners tended to have a ‘one solution fits all’ solution, with limited structure or flexibility. The biggest grievance of all was that of ‘Account Management’: This was down to the quality and experience of the Account managers put before them. Account managers were described as: Technologically challenged, unable to grasp the concept of a data only SIM, unable or unwilling to understand their customers business and ultimately not telematics specialists. There does seem to be a direct correlation between the number of connections and the amount of support or account management a company receives. Because the volumes for data communications are not as big as voice, neither is the support or account management. Other issues included those over reliability, security, roaming and billing, and the inconsistencies and confusions found there in. However, it is interesting that TSP’s should place a higher value on the human aspects of doing business, over the operational side. Looking at the importance national operators seem to place upon the Telematics Industry, it is no wonder that we are now seeing companies, that can not only solve the reliability, security, roaming and billing issues but are fast becoming the specialists in data communications, and are able to offer ‘help’, ‘flexibility’ and knowledgeable ‘account management’ - today’s new and improved ‘pans’, ‘picks’ and ‘shovels’. These new communication partner companies not only do the job in hand better, but are also keen to work with the users (TSP’s), for feedback and continuous improvements – how novel.
Article: Vehicle Telematics: Who is Driving the Need? Author: Brian Martin, Director, VT Solutions Submitted: April 2005 In the world of Sales you are always taught to go after the “MAN”, the person with the Money, Authority and Need. But in the world of Telematics he/she is rarely the same person. So who is making the decisions and who is driving the need? In the not-so-distant past, the technologies supplied to the vehicle sector under the banner of Telematics fell into 3 distinct groups. Security, Productivity, and Vehicle Management. In brief: - Security – Tracking as a theft deterrent and vehicle recovery.
- Productivity – Tracking to know where you are, and where you’ve been.
- Vehicle Management - Over revving, harsh breaking and service renewals.
In the above three cases, the decision makers tended to be in middle management. Decisions were often made as a reaction to circumstances rather than a proactive management strategy. For example: - A vehicle gets stolen - forces the need to implement a theft tracking device
- Belief that an employee may be doing private work on company time - forces the need for clarification and the installation of a real time or historical location tracking device
- An increase in vehicle accidents - forces the need for monitoring driver behaviour.
What are the technologies used to satisfy the three needs? There are a number of manufacturers that have saturated this market, all selling tracking units or “black boxes”, all fighting to supply and fulfil the needs of Security, Productivity, and Vehicle Management. Now times are changing. Any business operating company vehicles or allowing employees to carry out company business, no matter how trivial, in their own vehicles needs to be well informed about the Duty of Care legislation. There are an estimated three million company cars in the UK, and a further five million privately owned vehicles all being used on company business. 3500 people are killed every year in road accidents in the UK, 30% of which are work related, resulting in a staggering £2.7bn total cost of work-related accidents to industry in the UK. The cost to industry is not just financial, it can also be custodial. Charges like ‘Corporate Killing’, ‘Corporate Manslaughter’, ‘Killing by Gross Carelessness’, and ‘Reckless Killing’ all levied at company Directors. Is it any wonder the “Need” has changed and is now significantly influenced by the law and the Health and Safety Executive? As a result of these legislative changes, Directors have the liability, and must now take part in this decision process of implementing Fleet management strategies aided by vehicle Telematics solutions. It can no longer be left to individual business units alone, as the risk is too great. Moreover, should the worst happen, the excuse provided by “no expertise” will not be accepted as a defence. In the event of a serious incident involving a vehicle or employee on company business, it is likely that the Heath and Safety Executive will audit the company involved. Directors will be expected to provide maintained records of all vehicle and driver activities for this inspection. If they do not have such an audit trail, they would be well advised to start recording this information as soon as possible. So the “Need” has changed. Telematics is not just Security, Productivity, and Vehicle Management. It has matured into part of the business process, to fulfil the need of providing a Duty of Care database, an invaluable aid to Director liability. So who is making the decisions and who is driving the need? Well, the Directors are now needed to make the decisions, to ensure that the need to comply with law and Duty of care requirements, are fulfilled. Can the technologies of Telematics help? YES it can but rarely using the average tracking unit or “black boxes”. The need to fulfil fleet management and comply with legislation takes a different breed of Telematics company. One that has taken the time to ask questions, and seek answers to the day to day commercial and legal constraints placed upon company directors. Rather than going through a blinkered sales routine, akin to one-dimensional box shifting. Whilst taking nothing away from the need for Security, Productivity, and Vehicle Management, the new breed of Telematics companies can still provide these. Directors like anyone in business still have to justify spending costs, and look at the potential return of investment. . The “Need” now is for systems that still offer substantial cost savings and increased efficiencies while helping businesses comply with Duty of care requirements. As with any business process “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” The result: the need for a new breed of Telematics company has never been greater.
Article: Can ethics exist within the Telematics sales environment? Author: Brian Martin, Director, VT solutions Submitted: April 2005 Question: Can ethics exist within the Telematics sales environment? The short answer is YES, but history has sadly shown us that it is more often the exception rather than the rule. The true Sales Professional does deserve and should receive a high level of praise and respect for the job they do. However the people that do not interact with professional salespeople on regular basis, may believe in the negative stereotypes of the salesperson as a pushy, shifty, not-to-be-trusted sort. So where does this stereotype come from? Television programs, movies, even West End or Broadway productions have promoted this negative image of salespeople, as has the tabloid press. A study of how salespeople are portrayed in the popular press found that salespeople are often associated with deceptive, illegal, and non-customer oriented behaviour. In this study which included newspapers and general interest magazines, these words were often associated with salespeople. - Deceptive Practices: (Deceptive; Deceive/Deceit; Hustle/Hustler; Scam; Unscrupulous)
- Illegal Activities: (Fraud; Defraud; Con Artist; Con Man)
- Non-Customer-Oriented Behaviour: (Pushy; Hard Sell; Fast Talking; High Pressure)
You may be wondering what this has to do with Telematics, because it is easy to think of this negative association as a thing of the past. I’m sure everyone has a horror story of their own, associated with the sales industry. These stories are never one offs, and sadly have tarnished the market verticals from whence they came. Double Glazing in the 1970’s; Photocopiers from the 1980’s and the Car Salesperson of the 1990’s. And in this new millennium decade, it now appears to be the Track and Trace Industry, that has adopted some of the bad practices of yesteryear, and whose reputation is currently being tarnished. Business people have devalued selling for far too long, is it any wonder that many companies have tried to distance themselves from the profession of Sales, calling them selves ‘executives’, ‘consultants’ or even ‘managers’. We in the Telematics Industry must stop the rot, and keep the Sales industry of Telematics a profession to be proud of. I am saddened when I hear a story of a Telematics company who wins a court case to receive money from a customer, who refused to pay for a solution that did not work. Likewise seeing Strategic Alliances posted on a web site, or sales literature knowing personally that such an Alliance has come to an end. We in the industry are not stupid and we do talk to each other, and bad press travels a lot faster than good press. Below are few quotes from potential customers of Telematics, who regrettably have experienced the negative side of Telematics Sales, which have all contributed to this damaging image: “I am responsible for a large fleet of vehicles, and in all honesty I am lucky if a day passes, without someone trying to sell me a tracking solution” (Anonymous from a large Water utility company). “We went to one of the biggest players in the industry, and agreed to trial their system. However the support was non existent and the trial failed to live up to the sold expectation …… it’s now been 7 months since we last spoke to the company, and the unit is still in our vehicle” (Anonymous from a laundry service company). “I invited a, so-called, fleet management company in to sell the benefits to one of my clients. He was briefed about my clients’ needs, which were to monitor the chilled temperatures of the transportation, and he agreed that this was a standard feature. However, the feed back I received from my client was the salesperson failed to talk about the temperature monitoring and only spoke of vehicle tracking. This was embarrassing, having been told what the need was, and then not have it discussed. This has now tarnished my relationship with my client” (Anonymous from an insurance company). Being burnt through bad Sales practices has not been restricted to just end users. There have been several companies who have entered this industry to ride the wave of expectation, and sell the dream of a great product to both Investors and employees alike. To then be struck by reality and fail to deliver. This has resulted in Millions of pounds wasted, and livelihoods taken away. There is nothing wrong with selling a dream, but the dream does have to be based on market knowledge, something tangible – a product that works, which is right for the proposed target market (vertical and country). If these don’t exist, then realistic time scales and openness must prevail. Below is a quote from a Sales Manager who worked for such a company: “I was recruited to drive sales for a Track & Trace product, new to the UK … However the product was not right, it was full of bugs, unstable, and the mapping took forever to refresh It was developed for a country new to Fleet Management, and not suitable for the mature UK market place I gave my Directors the feedback needed to adapt the product to the UK; unfortunately the Directors never took my advice and told their investors how wonderful the product was Naturally when 6 months passed with no product development, no sales and no money, the Directors could not go back to the investors and blame the product, hence the whole sales teams was dismissed.” (Anonymous from a Telematics company). I am not professing to have the answers, but it’s obvious that some salespeople in this industry have not been professional in their approach, and this has contributed to the negative stereotype. Thus sales professionals should work to improve their image, through their own behaviour. Perhaps the industry should take the initiative and form it’s own association, laying down ethical and professional guidelines for all to adhere to? The buying public, fleet managers etc. have survived the initial growth, and thus have become more sophisticated than they used to be. There are more companies, more Telematics events, and more information out there, which has resulted in better educated buyers. Sales professionals must realise that the buyers now have more choice and the competition is more intense and proficient. It is therefore absolutely essential that any salesperson attempting to perform and achieve in the current climate of this vibrant market place, must be equipped and knowledgeable of the accepted practices of modern selling. If you decided to take up a sport, be it rugby, football or dressage, the first stage would be to start training (mentally and physically) and get to grips with the rules. And in learning those rules, you would obviously want to know the most recent rules of the day, not the rule book of past generations from the 1970’s, 1980’s or 1990’s. Regrettably however, too many salespeople are being taught out of date practices. Do you really want the sale at any cost? At the cost of your company’s integrity? your own integrity? Your company’s reputation? Your reputation? For what goes around always comes around! People like to do business with people that can be trusted, make them feel good, and will give them the very best advice, service and fit for purpose product! Companies and individuals must come round to the thinking that Vehicle Telematics Solutions are just that, “Solutions”, it is not a one dimensional product sell, there a lot of Business benefits to be had from Telematics, and it’s these that must be sold. Gaining knowledge about your prospect, and market place has to become part of the standard sales practice. Only then will you be able to translate that knowledge to specific benefits to them. Fleet Management & Telematics are not Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), thus this different sales approach must be taken. If the industry wished to shake off this image, these changes need to be made. Remember regardless of which company you work for, never forget the most important product you're selling is yourself. Sales is a profession and it up to the Salesperson to be Professional
Article: Duty of Care? Author: Ian Walmsley, Head of Partnerships - Cybit www.cybit.co.uk New legislation has been introduced as part of a determined effort by the authorities to reduce road deaths. A general trend for individuals and organisations to resort to litigation has resulted in the issue of ‘Duty of Care’ being recognised as the area of greatest current concern to companies running vehicle fleets. September’s (2003) launch of the Health and Safety Executive’s new guidance on at-work road safety and the proposed Corporate Manslaughter Bill which sought to introduce the new offence of Corporate Killing clearly charges company directors and fleet management professionals with Duty of Care compliance; management failure in this respect which “falls far below what can reasonably be expected” and leads to a death or serious injury can result in the prosecution of individual directors and the freezing of company assets. According to Juliette Bell from the Fleet Safety Forum, the new HSE guidelines set out what’s already best practice in the fleet sector; “there are four key areas you need to look at; The first is setting up your road safety policy. Next you need to carry out a risk assessment. Then you need to deal with driver issues such as tiredness and speeding. Finally, make sure all journeys are necessary and carried out by the most effective route”. Many fleet operators risk falling foul of the new HSE guidelines if they are unable to monitor and manage the performance of their drivers once an initial risk assessment and fleet safety policy has been introduced. “Introducing a fleet safety policy without the means to measure and manage forecast against actual performance once the fleet leaves base is like producing a sales and marketing plan for the year, issuing sales targets and individual KPI’s but failing to put in place any management system for the sales force to report sales on a regular basis “In reality every company measures and manages sales performance on an ongoing basis with changes being introduced as necessary to ensure targets are achieved. This is the same for any business critical issue such as cost control and cash flow”. Without being able to measure such factors as driver speeding, time behind the wheel, rest breaks and realistic journey plans it is extremely difficult if not impossible for any organisation to effectively manage their duty of care obligations under the new HSE guidelines.
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