Scottish Communications Group (SCG) has cut thousands of pounds from its annual fuel bill after fitting fleet and vehicle tracking. The firm, a Scottish supplier of security systems including CCTV, access control and digital radios, installed the Fleetmatics product and has seen reduced overheads and improved customer service over the past three years.
The installer was seeking real-time insight into the movements of its ten field-based engineers, who serve commercial customers around Scotland and as far afield as the south east of England. Liam Mowat, technical director of the firm, said: “We primarily decided to use a tracking solution so we could identify and assign support call-outs to the nearest available engineer, due to the fact that we cover such a large geographic customer base. Response times are very important in upholding the level of service that our customers expect, and the system has enabled our service desk to respond even more quickly and efficiently.”
The system has meant a reduction in fuel costs, which adds up to thousands of pounds over a year. “By utilising the nearest available engineer and ensuring they follow the optimal route to a customer site, we have reduced travel costs, which has been very significant at a time when we are growing as a company,” said Mr Mowat.
A timesheet feature and fuel card integration module has saved on administrative time and helped judge costs. Mowat said: “The system has enabled us to determine exactly how much fuel has been used on a particular job, how much time was spent and how efficiently we are operating, all of which had to be figured out manually before. There’s absolutely no question that the system has more than paid for itself and I would highly recommend it.”
From a health and safety perspective, the Group is also using the Fleetmatics system to confirm drivers keep to speed limits. The company also can provide evidence in any case where a complaint is made about driver performance, although this has not been an issue for the company.
About Scottish Communications Group
Founded in 1979, it was awarded the Royal Warrant for the supply of communications equipment to Her Majesty the Queen. The company has achieved the NSI inspectorate standard, NACOSS Gold, and holds other industry accreditations.
