Housing and care provider Sanctuary Group is rolling out telematics to its 500-strong fleet after a trial with 80 vans slashed fuel bills by a third.

The TomTom LINK system, which was trialled by Sanctuary Maintenance (part of Sanctuary Group), enabled management to monitor aspects of driver performance such as over-acceleration, idling and harsh steering or braking.

It also allowed Sanctuary Maintenance to improve customer service delivery.

Staff at the company’s Customer Service Centre (CSC) are now able to identify the best-placed operative for each job and provide the customer with an accurate arrival time, taking into account the live traffic situation using TomTom HD Traffic data.

Dennis Evans, managing director of Sanctuary Maintenance, said: “As a business we are always looking at ways to drive down our costs and operate as efficiently as possible.

“The new system will allow us to monitor and manage our fleet in innovative ways which can only lead to an improved service, benefiting us as an organisation and, more importantly, our customers.”

Sanctuary opted to accept the proposal by TomTom reseller Fleetview following a comprehensive procurement process, during which it was identified as offering the best value for money.

Such was the success of the pilot scheme, the technology is now being rolled out across the organisation’s fleet.

The LINK will be supplemented by PRO 7100 navigation devices and ecoPLUS fuel management units.

Monitoring tool OptiDrive will allow management to develop performance scores for staff – based on KPIs for fuel efficiency, idling, steering and braking – while Active Driver Feedback gives drivers real-time guidance via their in-cab navigation device, providing audible alerts in instances of harsh driving practice.

In order to smooth the implementation process, Sanctuary Maintenance set up a UK-wide road show for their fleet operatives to explain the business rationale behind introducing the technology and limit resistance among drivers.

“Driving standards improved immediately. In particular, incidents of speeding ceased almost overnight,” said Cliff Lewis, group fleet manager at Sanctuary.

“In terms of customer service, CSC staff have been able to pinpoint the exact location of an operative at any given time.

“It has also eliminated the difficulty in substantiating exactly when an operative arrived at a resident’s premises, giving us a more accurate picture of response times to repairs and improvements.”

Giles Margerison, director UK and Ireland for TomTom Business Solutions, added: “Sanctuary is reaping the rewards from an extremely forward-thinking solution to the problem of rising fuel costs.

“It is important to gain employee buy-in for such schemes and Sanctuary has certainly approached this in the right way, outlining a clear business case for the technology to alleviate any concerns.”

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