Fleet operators should review their fleet software every one to two years to see if they can cut out processes and get new benefits, according to Matt Goodstadt, sales manager at Civica.

Goodstadt said that fleet operators do not necessarily have to change their software provider but they should see whether they can adapt their existing system.

“All of the systems out there now are generally flexible enough for you to change the way they work,” he said. “Get your account manager to help you do a review.

“Generally all of the updates are there and available to you but you have just carried on running in the same old way,” he said. “You can release a lot of benefits just by reviewing how you use the system regularly.”

Dashboards are now a key feature according to Goodstadt as they “give an early warning of overspend”.

“Dashboards highlight the areas you need to fix so you can make decisions quicker rather than running reports,” he said.

“You can change priorities as well so when you have fixed one problem you can go on to another.”
Increased integration has been another development, although “there is a lot of double keying still going on in organisations”.

“Integration is not a costly thing anymore,” Goodstadt said. “Five years ago it would have cost tens of thousands of pounds to integrate your finance system with your fleet management system or with other third parties. Now it doesn’t have to.”

Civica’s Tranman system has standard links into SAP, Arval, 1link and other systems.

“They might need to be tweaked for your organisation but generally they are standard and they don’t have to cost the earth. And this is where you can really make some big cost savings.”

Kwik Fit has given Carillion, one of Civica’s customers, a discount because all invoices are matched online with no human intervention and paid electronically within five days.
Being able to integrate systems has also enabled Carillion to reduce staff numbers from 50 to eight.

Fleet software can also assist with managing a pool fleet. Civica has an online pool car booking system which enables companies to reduce mileage and reduce CO2.

More articles on: