Employee transportation software is the need of the hour, especially in companies that have multiple shifts. Studies have shown that providing safe and comfortable transportation for employees has greatly helped improve employee morale as well as productivity.
Gone are the days when employers thought that organizing transport for employees as a waste of time and money. Nowadays, companies offer transportation as a part of the employee benefits and not as a perk.
The top benefits of using employee transportation software are:
• The software reduces expenses involved in employee transportation management
• It helps streamline the logistics by creating routes based on employees’ pickup and drop points
• The shift details are automatically updated to create an optimized route
• The senior management get a clear picture of the transportation system and expenses involved in employee transportation
We can see that there are many benefits both in terms of performance and finance. However, to make the most of the technology, you need to use the right employee transportation software.
If the application doesn’t cater to your specific requirements and preferences, then it may not be worth the time and effort. That’s why it is essential to get an employee transportation software that is custom-designed to your company’s needs and requirements.
In this blog, we will elaborate on the essential facts that you need to check before you get employee transportation software.
Facts to Check Before Choosing an Employee Transportation System
There are many transport management systems available in the market. You should choose a system that meets the specific requirements of your company. So, you need to explore the features of the system and check the facts to see if they meet your firm’s needs and preferences.
Setup and integration
The first fact that you need to check when you get a transport management system is setup and integration. The system should be able to integrate into your existing system. Plus, you should be able to easily upload employee data in an excel format to the software program.
Even a non-technical person should be able to use the app to update details such as shifts, pickup, and drop points. The software should also have an option for employees to register using their employee ID.
The questions that will help you verify the facts about the software setup are:
• What is the process for setup and integration?
• Will you provide professional assistance for the setup?
• Do I need to invest in external software or application to use this employee transport management system?
• How much time will it take to setup the transport management software?
• Will I need a dedicated resource to manage the software or can a person from my existing team handle it?
Scheduling
An effective transportation management software should have a good scheduling system. The scheduling system should come with predetermined filters as well as a feature to add your options. The software should be able to create a schedule based on the number of vehicles, routes, employees, and shift details.
It should also offer multishift management. Once the schedule is prepared, the complete trip manifest should be shared with all the team. The manifest should have details such as vehicle and driver details.
The questions that will help you verify the facts regarding scheduling are:
• Does the software automatically create the schedules or will it need manual intervention?
• When will the schedule be prepared and shared?
• I want to make changes in the schedule after the manifest is prepared. Is it possible?
• What kind of data should I provide for the scheduling?
Route optimization
With effective route optimization, you will be able to reduce dry runs and save on fuel expenses. That’s why it is very important to create routes that will reduce back and forth driving or overlapping routes. Factors such as roadblocks, traffic, and drive time need to be considered while preparing the best route.
The questions that will help you verify the facts regarding route optimization are:
• Which factors does the software consider while designing a route?
• There are some traffic problems on a regular route. How will the software update the info and make the changes?
• If there are last-minute changes in the route, will everyone be informed?
Real-time tracking
Real-time tracking is important both for monitoring and safety. If you have odd-hour shifts or night shifts in your company, then it becomes even more essential to have real-time tracking. This feature also helps save your employee’s time.
Based on the GPS location, employees will know the right time to come and wait at the pickup spot. Also, they can have a clear idea of when they will reach their drop point.
The questions that will help you verify the facts about real-time tracking are:
1. Will I need any special system for real-time tracking?
2. Who will be able to access real-time updates?
3. Will the data tell me where exactly the vehicle is at any point in time?
Reports
The software should give you daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly reports. Preferably, the reports should not only have consolidated data but also visualizations for easy understanding. The reports should both be user-based and organizational. A few of the must-have reports are
• Tracking reports
• Trip reports
• Pickup and drop reports
• Maintenance reports
• Historical movement reports
• Employee attendance reports
• Driver availability calendar
• Driver behaviour reports
• Live trip statistics
The questions that will help you verify the facts about Reports are:
• Can I get customized reports?
• In what format are the reports generated?
• Can I download or share the reports?
• Who will be able to access the reports?
• Can I decide the period of generating reports?
• Will the reports have only data or graphs also?
Billing support
The software should provide billing support in addition to operational support. The software keeps track of the number of kilometers traveled by each vehicle in the fleet. This data can be used to calculate the fuel costs.
The software should also have a track of the spare parts and accessories purchased, repairs, and regular maintenance. If you’re leasing or renting the vehicles, then the rent details should also be monitored.
Whether you’re managing employee transportation in-house or have outsourced it to a vendor, the software should help you monitor and manage all the finances.
The questions that will help you check the facts about billing support are:
• What kind of billing data does the software track?
• In what format are the maintenance reports generated?
• How are the services and spare parts tracked?
• Who needs to update the maintenance and service details? And, will there be an option to cross verify the information?
App
The front end of the software application should be simple and user friendly. The dashboard should give you clear, yet detailed stats of all the vehicles in the fleet. The app should also have different interfaces for driver, employee, and management.
The high-performance app should be able to send notifications regarding route, pickup, and drop to all the relevant parties. At the same time, the app should have access control. For example, the driver should not be able to view the details of the employees.
Also, in the management, only relevant persons should be able to access and monitor the master dashboard.
The questions that will help you check the facts of the app are:
• Is the app user-friendly?
• Are there separate interfaces for drivers, employees, and management?
• Will the app send notifications about pickup and drop points to the employees?
• Will the app send updated route details to the driver and the employee?
• What are the security features in the app?
Mobility
Mobility has become a necessity these days. You should be able to access the software application on a smartphone. If that’s difficult, at least the mobile website should be accessible. It will be even better if the mobile app can perform even at low internet bandwidths.
This feature is important because many of the users may not have high-speed internet connectivity. Also, there could be blind spots along the route where network connectivity may be less.
The questions that will help you check the facts about mobility are:
• Is the app Android and iOS compatible?
• Can the app run on any system or is it OS-specific?
• Do you have both a mobile app and a website?
Pricing Packages
The features and functions of the app will give you an idea of its performance. But, then the deciding factor in choosing an application is the pricing. The cost of the employee management software should be within the company’s budget. At the same time, it should give you full value for your money.
Transportation management systems generally have two pricing models – subscription and perpetual. In the subscription model, you will receive a monthly/annual bill. The rates typically depend on the number of vehicles and the size of the organization.
So, the rates will go up or down when the counts change. In the perpetual model, you will get the software with the license. You can choose the product based on the size of the company and the fleet. However, there could be hidden fees such as upgrades, maintenance, and support.
The questions that will help you check the facts of the pricing are:
1. What are the pricing packages that you have?
2. On average, what is the support and maintenance fee?
3. Will there be any changes in the fee after a year of use?
4. Is the pricing based on the features that I use?
5. Will I need to spend extra for the setup and integration?
Conclusion
Create a checklist of your needs and requirements before you explore the various software solutions for employee transport management. You can also use the information shared above as well as the questions to check the various facts. Based on the responses, you can decide whether or not the software will be suitable for your company.
To know more about our employee transportation software, its facts, and features, call us at +91 81 1386 0000.
