SMEs say increased digitisation boosts SME output, finds TomTom research

More than eight in 10 SMEs that use vehicles believe digitisation could help them get more jobs done, TomTom Telematics has found.

However, the company’s research found the majority handle everyday tasks such as expense management, customer updates and quoting and invoicing, either manually or somewhat manually.

There was also a general consensus that fuel and vehicle management was an area for concern, with 66% saying they could do more to reduce fuel costs and 55% their vehicle costs were higher than necessary.

“We spoke to over a thousand companies from across the EU and the USA,” said Beverly Wise, sales director UK at TomTom Telematics.

“Two things came up again and again. First, SMEs are frustrated by the costliness, time ineffectiveness and potential for error experienced when handling essential tasks manually.

“And two, managers want digital solutions to take care of these jobs.”

Fifty-one per cent of respondents said the inability of their field teams to follow the assigned schedule has a negative impact on their business and 53% indicated they are not certain their drivers are behaving safely on the road.

Meanwhile, 55% agreed they have an issue regarding miscommunication with their field team.

TomTom surveyed 1,350 car and van fleet decision-makers in specific industries including (but not limited to) construction, engineering, food and beverage, delivery, healthcare, hospitality, real estate, retail, telecommunications and utilities.

The survey was conducted in partnership with OnePoll in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, USA, Poland, Sweden and Denmark.