22 Green Media / August 2014 www.greenmediaonline.com
B y A d r i e n n e S a c h s
In an industry fi lled with heavy competition, landscap-
ing businesses face the tough challenge of standing out in the
crowd. Strong pricing pressure pushes landscape contractors to
fi nd new ways of keeping costs down and revenue streaming.
Among the most successful are those who have discovered
GPS fl eet management.
Because landscape contractors work with clients more
often than businesses like HVAC, plumbing and electrical, cus-
tomer service is a top priority. By consistently making a posi-
tive fi rst impression and delivering great service, businesses can
increase customer loyalty, retention and referrals, ultimately
boosting revenue.
Utilizing a GPS fl eet tracking solution, landscaping compa-
nies can transform the customer experience, and ensure crews
are delivering top-notch service. When crews are driving to
jobs, it's important that they are arriving on time. GPS fl eet
tracking solutions provide crews with the most effi cient routes
to any location, ensuring accurate ETAs for clients.
If crews get lost or stuck in traffi c, dispatchers can simply
log into the Cloud-based application to determine the best
way around it. They can then send new routes to a vehicle's
GPS navigation device, allowing drivers to follow voice-
guided, turn-by-turn directions. In the event that delays occur,
it's important to keep customers informed. Using a fl eet track-
ing solution, dispatchers have the data available to let custom-
ers know exactly when crews will arrive.
Because crews have little supervision, it can be diffi cult to
monitor their productivity. If they are working unauthorized
jobs, that's money the company will never see. Fleet tracking
solutions can provide a picture of a vehicle's activity for any
time period selected. Business owners can see exactly where
their crews have been, how long they were there and where
they are headed in real time. This helps to ensure jobs are being
completed on time and there is no unauthorized activity.
Being able to monitor fi eld workers' activity also helps
to validate employee hours. Employees can clock in and out
using a mobile application that turns smartphones and tablets
into virtual time clocks. This can save crews a lot of time as
they won't have to drive to the offi ce each day to check in.
Alerts can be set up to notify management via e-mail or SMS
message when employees approach a certain amount of hours
on the job each day and/or week, helping to reduce overtime
hours and improve payroll accuracy.
Landscaping businesses can also use GPS fl eet tracking
solutions to resolve customer disputes and hold employees
accountable. If a customer complaint comes in about a job
that was done, whether it was about the length of time it
took to complete a service or a missed appointment, busi-
ness owners can simply log into the solution and pull up a
detailed activity report to determine why there was an issue
FLEET MANAGEMENT FLEET MANAGEMENT
The Benefi ts of
GPS
Fleet Tracking
Technology
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