Are you still managing your Charlotte fleet in-house? An increasing number of companies are choosing to outsource the business of fleet management. HRMagazine reports that "more than twice as many companies as in the previous year outsourced their fleet management in 2012, and the proportion with an in-house fleet manager fell from 63% to 27%." That's a big drop and it's a trend that continues to happen today. If you are managing your fleet in-house, you are actually in the minority of business owners. So why are so many small to medium-sized businesses choosing to turn the job over to an experienced Charlotte fleet management company? Ultimately, it's about saving time and money.
How You Can Save Money
A lot of companies choose to do their fleet management in-house because they believe it will end up saving them money. In the long run, it doesn't. Fleets that aren't professionally managed are going to end up costing the company more in both repairs and lost time.
That's something no company can afford. Small and medium-sized businesses have to keep a vigilant eye on the bottom line to stay in business. When outsourcing becomes the more affordable option for fleet management, they can't ignore it. But how does outsourcing fleet management save money?
- Lowering the cost of repairs. A professional fleet manager is going to spend time focusing on preventative maintenance for your vehicles. Preventative maintenance can help prevent costlier, longer repair work in the future. Things like tire rotation, oil changes, and other maintenance can keep a fleet running problem-free a lot longer. During the lifetime of your vehicle, you'll end up spending less keeping it running.
- Find the right vehicle at the right price. Fleet management companies often have an internal department of specialists who can help you find the right vehicle when you need a new one. They can help your business save money by leasing instead of buying, too. It's their job to work with your budget to find a suitable addition to your fleet.
- Frees up internal resources. Do you need a full-time fleet manager on staff? When companies have a fleet manager in-house, they could be paying someone a full-time salary when they don't need to be. Instead, they can save labor costs and turn the work over to an external team. That frees your budget up for more important business growth endeavors.
- No investments in fleet management assets. When companies end up managing their fleets in-house, they have to invest capital in the job. That means buying expensive fleet management software. It could also mean investing in some of the tools needed to do the maintenance themselves. It's a huge expense that some small businesses won't want to--or even can't--take on.
How You Can Save Time
Business owners and managers wear a lot of hats within the company. They might do some of the sales, some of the marketing, and even some of the maintenance. What they shouldn't be doing is fleet management.
Fleet News writes, "Many day-to-day tasks involving fleets are also time-consuming and becoming more complicated." Devoting enough internal resources to handle them can be an expensive task, and many people don't have the expertise to do it effectively.
When you can turn this area of your business over to a trusted outside source, you'll be able to devote more of your time doing what you do best: growing your business. How much time are you currently spending managing your own fleet? Here are some of the ways a professional team can help your business work faster.
- Focus your attention on business growth. This should be the focus of everyone in your business, not just the owner or manager. But when people need to focus on tasks like fleet management, they aren't focused on business growth. Free up that time and give your team the opportunity to find ways to serve customers and bring in more business.
- Technicians aren't dealing with downtime. When your fleet is down, your team comes to a stop. That means you aren't serving the customers who depend on your services. If the repair work is severe enough, vehicles can be out of service for weeks. That amounts to a lot of lost productivity time.
- Quicker response time to customer calls. Not only is your team depending on your fleet, so are your customers. When it takes longer for your team to respond to customer needs, it affects your credibility. You don't want to end up with a poor public rating online because a broken-down truck in your fleet delayed your response time.
- Fast driver support. External fleet management companies will provide your team with a number they can call whenever they need assistance. This can result in quicker response time to a driver experiencing trouble out on the road. The sooner they can get help, the sooner they are back out on the road.
This About Better Fleet Care
A lot of businesses rely on their fleet for their livelihood. Without their trucks and vans, they wouldn't be able to respond to customer calls. When your fleet is that important, you have to give it top-rated care. That can be hard to do when it's not your only task.
Fleet management companies devote their time and energy to taking care of your fleet. They ensure it has the care and maintenance required for dependable service when you (and your customers) need it the most.
Using a Charlotte fleet management company can help keep your vehicles going. They can keep track of your maintenance schedules to ensure your vehicles are getting the service they need.
They can help you find a great replacement vehicle when it's time for one. And they can customize fleet solutions to the needs of your company. Outsourcing fleet management can be an effective solution that helps your bottom line grow.
Are you tired of wasting your time and money managing your commercial fleet internally? It's time to contact the Wilmar team. We get to know our customer's fleet needs so we can tailor a management solution that works for them. Let's talk about what your business needs for fleet management today!
