Staying ahead of the curve is essential to being a well-rounded fire safety company. Following the fleet management best practices, below, will help your service company increase productivity and grow your business.
Vehicle Fleet Maintenance
Taking time out of the day to maintain your fleet may seem inconvenient. However, this proves to be worth it in the long run. Keeping your vehicles in shape increases their life span and ensures the safety of your technicians.
As much as you hear the term “preventive maintenance,” you may not know what it entails. For your fleet, according to Fleetio’s Fleet Management Blog, this could mean:
- Lubricating the grease fittings
- Changing the engine oil and filters
- Rotating the tires and checking the Pound-Force per Square Inch (PSI)
- Checking the brake system, fluid levels, exhaust system, belts, hoses, and lighting system
Vehicle Tracking
As technology advances, so should your fleet. One of the best ways to do this is through GPS tracking.
While GPS systems may sound expensive, they come with great benefits. Tracking your fleet can help improve productivity, control unsafe driving, decrease fuel expenses, and increase driver accountability, according to ClearPathGPS.
Adding tracking systems does not only help you but your customers as well. They will benefit by receiving real-time status updates, communicating directly with drivers, and getting proof of service reports, according to Fleeto.
Driver Safety Policies
You put a lot of trust in your technicians when you send them out on the road. By implementing the right policies, you can successfully put your mind at ease. But if managing a fleet is new to you, it can be hard to know what policies you should have. Companies that want to cover all their bases usually have accountability, according to ClearPathGPS:
- Journey Management Policy: This includes inspections, schedules, routes, and emergencies.
- Distracted Driving Policy: This includes texting, talking, daydreaming, rubbernecking, drinking, and eating.
- Seat Belt Policy: This includes seat belts or child restraints for all passengers.
- Drugs and Alcohol Policy: This includes alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, and depressants.
Having policies like these can help prevent accidents and reduce your liability.
Affiliate Work
As more and more verticals move to national programs, partnering with companies such as Commercial Fire can give you access to better accounts and let you put your best foot forward.
If you are an established company with more work than you know how to keep up with, Affiliate work still has its place in almost every Fire and Life Safety business. If you partner with a great company, it can be a source of steady baseline revenue with the advantages of not having to do client management and relations. It also makes for great filler work your technicians can knock out if they are spending time in a specific area you may not have several customers in, helping to maximize their time.
If you are a new company, this can be especially helpful as you don’t have to worry about customer acquisition costs and everything that goes into marketing. It’s a plug-and-play way to get to work on some great large accounts that you might not have access to as a small business.
Conclusion
In the ever-evolving world of fire safety, it’s crucial to reassess your practices regularly for both compliance and efficiency. Doing so will put you at the top of your game and keep your clients safe.
