More efficient routes drive better customer service – and more profits
Companies that win at customer service understand something that not everyone else does: it takes work to make customers happy, to keep them happy, and to keep them as customers. Good intentions don’t cut it. Neither do sound customer service strategies that are poorly executed.
In a service industry, to truly delight customers there’s no substitute for being where your customers need you when they need you there. If you are using the right telematics solution to manage your fleet, you can do just that.
In fact, there are multiple ways a telematics system can help your people become true customer service superheroes.
Be responsive. The route planning software included in a telematics system makes easy work of a complex task: planning the daily route for each vehicle in a fleet by considering variables such as traffic, road construction, and distance between each customer’s location.
By making route planning as efficient as possible, telematics – which can incorporate your preferred mapping software, whether it’s Waze, Google Maps, or another option –
helps ensure drivers arrive when and where they are supposed to be. Plus, as schedules inevitably change throughout the day, updated routes can be shared instantly with drivers via the telematics system app to keep them in motion and en route to the next customer location.
Maximize customer touchpoints. By planning optimally efficient routes, the route planning software in a telematics system makes it possible to maximize the number of daily stops or service calls.
That means each member of your field staff can help more customers – and drive more revenue and profit – than if their daily route had been planned out by hand or through the use of an outdated telematics solution. And the more customers you can “touch” each day, the more opportunities you will have to satisfy their needs and increase customer loyalty.
Remove friction from customer interactions. One of the best things about telematics is that route planning is just one of the functionalities that makes the solution invaluable to improving customer service. Drivers can also use the form and checklist features in the telematics system – and accessible on the system app – to capture useful customer information, including billing information, customer signatures, and photos to confirm the completion of the job. The app also streamlines communication between dispatchers and drivers through instant messaging and enables drivers to check in when they arrive at a customer’s location with the touch of a button. Together, these features help make it easy for customers to do business with your company by making it easier for your team to take care of customer needs.
The Value of Happy Customers
Of course, while delivering exceptional customer service is an important goal for any company, its connection to revenue generation and profitability cannot be overlooked. Make your customers happy and you make more money – the concept really is that simple.
With the right telematics system, your people can be the customer service – and profit – superheroes your company needs them to be.