This is why fleet controlling is so important
One thing is certain: fleet controlling always pays off. However, it is not only important what key figures are analyzed in the fleet, but above all how. The better the data is structured for fleet management, the more meaningful and less time-consuming further data preparation is. Even if fleet controlling is primarily associated with cost control, other indicators play a decisive role:
- Identify outliers: A comparison of the respective vehicle classes with reference vehicles quickly reveals deviations.
- Consider holding period: Recording the technical life cycle, including repair costs per vehicle, provides conclusions about the optimal service life. At what point do the costs for maintenance and repairs exceed the additional costs for a new vehicle?
- Analyze damage rates: An analysis of the types of damage to vehicles, as well as their accumulations and timing, can provide guidance on appropriate measures to reduce damage rates, such as better driver training or installing rearview cameras on vehicles for better rear visibility.
- Operate appointment monitoring: So that you always have an optimal overview of open and completed duties such as driver’s license checks and TÜV appointments.
Step by step to meaningful fleet reporting
Every fleet is different (structured) and accordingly the demands on fleet controlling are individual. The first step should therefore be to define the requirements for the reporting tool. The challenge is to capture the complexity of the fleet and all tasks as simply as possible using the most important key figures in the fleet. The following five questions will help you build meaningful fleet reporting.
Question #1: What processes underlie the data?
Regardless of your fleet management concept (in-house or outsourced), you should pay attention to a qualitative as well as quantitative assessment and collect appropriate data for this purpose.
Question #2: How do I get the necessary data for fleet controlling?
To create transparency and clarity in the fleet, it is crucial to have the necessary data for fleet controlling. The best way to do this is to use appropriate fleet software. This allows you to systematically record all relevant information and costs for your vehicles, such as fuel consumption, maintenance intervals and repair costs, in one place. This information serves as the basis for meaningful reporting and analysis.
Modern software solutions for fleet management allow you to automatically collect data per vehicle and prepare it in clear reports directly from the software. This gives you a quick and easy way to get a comprehensive overview of your fleet and make informed decisions to reduce costs in the company and increase efficiency.
Question #3: How is the information displayed?
The appropriate data output is determined, among other things, by the number of data sets and the software’s intended use of the analyses. For large amounts of data, lists, contract overviews or general cost center reports are suitable. Appealing templates such as dashboards with a quick overview of the most important key figures for fleet management, including graphics, also provide a suitable overview. From here, the user can evaluate further desired details in the analysis. Traffic light reports are also very useful for highlighting the most important key figures of the fleet, such as costs.
Question #4: How often is the data needed for fleet controlling?
The availability of data as well as the requirement for its timeliness have a decisive influence on reporting. If the reports are needed frequently, then it is of great benefit that the data of all vehicles is available and the reporting can be created quickly.
Question #5: Where are the relevant data and key figures from the fleet available?
The data of all vehicles and drivers should be available to all authorized contacts in and outside the fleet. The access possibilities through different end devices should also be considered here. Based on these questions, a catalog of requirements for the organizational as well as technical development of a reporting solution emerges, with which the fleet management and all parties involved can work in a target-oriented manner:
- Level of detail of reporting and templates must be defined precisely and for all vehicles
- Access possibilities/regulations should be determined on the reporting
- Security aspects as well as access restrictions of the content with regard to the DSGVO must be allocated
Combine multiple data sources for fleet controlling
Intransparency in fleet management is certainly not due to a lack of data, but to the difficulty of consolidating the relevant data for each vehicle into clear templates, filtering them and analyzing them quickly. The data sources for comprehensive reporting are many and varied: they can come from financial or personnel accounting, index cards, Excel tables, online evaluation tools from leasing providers, data supplied by fuel companies or insurance companies, and so on. u. v. m. are provided. The goal of any reporting should therefore be to prepare the incoming data in a reliable and transparent manner so that it can be used for subsequent evaluation.
This consolidation can be done either via a so-called data warehouse or by using a suitable fleet management software that covers all important aspects for your benefit and offers individual analyses.
The fleet management software Fleet+ helps
A fleet solution that supports both the management of processes and data and also offers interfaces to service providers, fuel suppliers and much more is the ideal prerequisite for reporting at the push of a button. This is where our fleet management solution Fleet+ comes to the rescue, thanks to:
- Integrated dashboards that show all relevant key figures (e.g. damage frequency, Ct/km per deployment scenario vehicle)
- Acquisition of comparisons for targeted monitoring
- Creation of to-do lists (e.g. mileage capture, contract expirations, open claims, driver and vehicle appointments).
- Implementation of a list generator for better target group sorting (inventory lists per business partner, cost centers, etc.)
Even if you have the fleet managed by one or more external service providers, the use of Fleet+ is a good idea, as it gives you ongoing contract control. At Carano, we are happy to advise and support you in your efforts to create better transparency and clarity in your fleet and to build up meaningful fleet reporting.
Fleet+ fleet software
With our powerful fleet management software Fleet+, you can control your company’s fleet digitally, cost-effectively and transparently.
