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The start point for the best source of fleet information |
Barely 10 years ago the world of fleet saw users trawling through endless spreadsheets when selecting their next car and fleet managers drowning in paperwork when processing insurance claims or expenses.
Thankfully, ever more sophisticated online portals and apps make running a company car and managing a fleet much less daunting, with users and fleet managers able to rely on increasingly slick systems for more and more of their automotive admin.
In the past, fleet apps may have focused on simple functions such as logging mileage or expenses, but numerous apps now facilitate everything from encouraging frugal driving techniques in an attempt to cut company fuel costs to providing live traffic and weather alerts.
One of the most sophisticated is Chevin's FleetWave Mobile, which secured the title of Best App in last year's BusinessCar Techies Awards. Hailed as being "among the most adaptable, sophisticated and effective apps in the whole fleet industry" by the company's global marketing executive, Brendan Adams, FleetWave Mobile is designed to log information including barcodes, signatures and pictures, so that remote staff can then send these across to central fleet, finance or accounting software.
Supporting its billing as one of the most flexible fleet apps, FleetWave Mobile is compatible with Android, Apple and Windows devices and can be used as a standalone service or plumbed into Chevin's FleetWave management system. Unlike web-based apps, which require a data connection to work, FleetWave Mobile also doesn't need to be connected to the internet to capture and store data, reducing reliance on wi-fi availability. Consequently, the app offers the scope to log everything from vehicle compliance information to recording delivery signatures, mileage and journey details or complex company-specific data, Adams continues; in addition to providing routine servicing information, allocating service requests, logging parts used or needed and processing sales orders - which together offers the ability to move away from logging everything on paper.
Considering the app's functionality, Adams is surprised by the amount of paper-based communication still used: "We would probably go as far as to say that paper remains the most popular method of communication with field workers in most industries. However, fleets are gradually coming to the realisation that there are alternatives available and using an app on a mobile device means that you can create processes that are much more efficient."
Techies runner-up Arval, meanwhile, has two apps: Mobile+, which includes an interactive map of the nearest fuel stations and service centres, and Arval Drive Challenge, which is designed to encourage users to drive in a more frugal manner with rewards for good performance, which previously has included use of a car for summer.
Available for Android and Apple devices, Mobile+ uses GPS and 3G/4G to book services and repairs via an integrated form, lets users check live traffic and weather conditions en route before they set off, and view and manage their journeys for easier mileage logging. It also stores useful documents such as photo driving licences and insurance information for easy access, states Peter Leavy, Arval product manager.
As for Drive Challenge, Leavy says it "is designed to raise awareness of an individual's driving behaviour and positively influence it", adding that "the tool measures speed, acceleration and braking. At the end of a journey, areas for improvement are highlighted."
Alphabet, ranked third in BusinessCar's BC50 list of leasing companies, may have blazed a trail in the car-sharing and electric car arenas, but it currently lags behind many rivals when it comes to apps, despite offering a dedicated product, AlphaElectric -which helps users decide whether an electric car could meet their needs, with cost comparisons against petrol and diesel equivalents - and another to help users calculate their BIK bills.
This is because its main app, AlphaGuide, is currently only available for Apple devices and solely offers service support functions revolving around what to do in an accident, servicing arrangements, breakdown and recovery details, and end-of-contract information.
A new version - which will also be compatible with Android devices - is set to arrive on 19 January, however, and should offer much greater scope for businesses, with the company branding it as "a true tool for all mobility users and not just drivers".
Unlike the current incarnation, the new AlphaGuide will be relevant to all mobility users according to Alphabet - whether they have a company car or not - and should take into account multiple modes of transport to help users plan their journeys.
Fleet management provider Fleet Alliance's E-fleet web-based mobile app, meanwhile, allows businesses to update company and private mileage details, electronically record vehicle inspection reports, and book services and glass repair among other functions. "Dedicated service suppliers can be contacted at the push of a button without the need to refer to several sets of different servicing, maintenance and repair instructions," states the company's managing director Martin Brown.
Not only does this app allow businesses to "make predictive decisions about vehicle servicing requirements far more accurately", says the Fleet Alliance boss, but fleet managers can also monitor accumulating mileages to identify any vehicles likely to exceed their contracted limit.
Where E-fleet differs from most alternatives, however, is that it is fully compatible with Blackberry devices - as well as Android and Apple alternatives - which should please companies that don't issue pricey iPhones to all members of staff.
Fleet managers' duty of care obligations aren't forgotten about either, with drivers able to submit periodic electronic vehicle condition reports covering important elements such as fluid levels, tyre tread depths, the condition of lights and windscreens, as well as ensuring servicing has taken place on time.
Consequently, E-fleet can provide "a clear audit trail in line with health and safety rulings", says Brown.
With a divide between companies looking to incorporate all of their services into one app and others providing multiple apps focused on specific topics, fleets have a choice to make. However, Chevin's Brendan Adams refers to the danger of "app fatigue" among fleets, with "too many apps that simply do too little to be genuinely useful".
Though some drivers may be hesitant to adopt apps en masse, those happy to try out the technology are likely to see a subsequent boost in efficiency.
In-car satnav has transformed from basic mapping that stubbornly directed motorists along a certain route to being highly responsive technology that can adapt to traffic, collisions, the time of day and even inform drivers of the nearest charging point - if they're in an electric car - and whether they have enough charge to get there.
While an increasing number of cars - including all BMWs - now come with standard-fit satnav, mapping apps also have a role to play among fleets, allowing staff to benefit from directions to their destination long after they've parked up. One of the most sophisticated systems is the Here App (available for Android and Apple devices).
This app may be free but it offers spoken turn-by-turn navigation across 131 countries including everywhere from American Samoa to Mauritania and Zimbabwe, live traffic information for 50 countries, and traffic incident details (on Android devices). Despite satnav apps traditionally running up extortionate mobile data charges, Here maps can also be downloaded to a device, meaning it can work without an internet connection, with users still able to search for places, plan routes and set destinations without web access.
Where it adds real value to fleet users, however, is through its ability to provide walking directions and public transport guidance across 1000 cities, with Android users benefitting from 3D map of airports and shopping centres too. Users can also compare how long their journey would take by car, using public transport or walking, enabling them to determine the quickest, most convenient mode of transport.
Apps may be flooding the market from all sides as we begin 2016, but not every leasing company sees the value in them - including BusinessCar BC50-topping Lex Autolease. Despite having more than 300,000 vehicles to its name, it believes that its separate 'Driver Portal' website offers the best functionality for fleet managers and drivers alike, doing away with the need for an app.
"The trade press is full of articles about new fleet apps being launched, but in reality the value - or breadth of services - that these apps provide can be limited; for example, logging business mileage, reporting an accident or breakdown or calculating BIK tax," claims Lex product manager Christian Hook.
Instead, the company has focused on providing a "holistic online experience" to boost value to users, states Hook. Using a browser-based portal rather than an app reduces the confusion of function-specific platforms or apps, he continues, with this one point of online driver access providing "a comparable user experience to consumer websites that our drivers would be familiar with".
Consequently, the portal helps drivers to make an informed decision about the best vehicle for their needs - taking into account individual drivers' requirements when preparing to replace their vehicle - while providing an 'Indicative Cost Calculator' to give users an accurate picture of how much different vehicles could cost them over the course of a three or four-year contract, with benefit-in-kind, business and private fuel costs, and easy-to-read graphs.
Hook adds that "our goal was to make sure that the drivers were supported with enough tools and the right information to make a decision" in the finite window that most drivers have to choose their next company car. Once users receive their vehicles they can then book services and repairs and book for tyres to be replaced.
Fleet managers, meanwhile, can use driver and vehicle search functions, and find details of quotes, orders and invoices, driving fines and penalties, accident management and end-of-contract images and videos.
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