Georgia County Government - September 2008 - (Page 34)

FLEET continued from page 33 To introduce a wireless GPS system to employees, acceptance and cooperation is critical. The days of equating GPS use in fleets to management playing “Big Brother” needs to come to an end. Managers need to explain to drivers the benefits of a fleet GPS program, how it can work to their advantage and ultimately make them more money. Promote the benefits of the product such as time reporting, tracking, turn-by-turn directions and minimization of paperwork. Explain to them that improved efficiency and reduced fleet costs by lowering vehicle mileage and maintenance in turn reduces employee downtime and extends vehicle longevity. More money is then available to invest in new equipment and into bonuses and health care. In the end, moving from the antiquated paper system to a wireless system should seem as much of a “no-brainer” as moving to a PC from a manual typewriter. as text-messaging allow real-time communications while in the field. Handsetbased solutions are extremely valuable tools, too, such as Verizon Wireless’ VZNavigator and Field Force Manager. VZNavigator allows the user to obtain real-time traffic reports and reroute drivers using a navigation system. Field Force Manager can help you reduce operating costs, increase worker productivity and streamline business processes. The system can: • Quickly locate remote workers while they are in the field; • Dispatch service requests to the team nearest the customer, saving on mileage/gas; • Allow remote timecard entry from team members in the field, instead of bringing stacks of forms back to the office at the end of the day or week; • Offer detailed, daily reports on the fleet’s performance with just a click; • Use rich, detailed mapping to show the location and location history of field workers; shows where they are when they accept and complete jobs; creates an audit trail to validate job information for customers; and generates turn-by-turn driving directions. When it comes to choosing a wireless partner, there is no question that network is king. Georgia’s fleets serve counties all over the biggest state east of the Mississippi. Their wireless network better work when and where they need it. Verizon Wireless spends more than $5 billion a year on its network alone, making sure it’s the best in the country. In Georgia to date in 2008 it has spent more than $80 million. In total, Verizon Wireless spent $160 million in 2007 to enhance its digital network in Georgia, and the company has invested more than $44 billion – $5 billion on average every year – since the company was formed to increase the coverage and capacity of its national network and to add new services nationally. What’s Out There? Of the communications options available to fleets today, the most obvious one out there is the cell phone. Features such Peering Into the Future Going forward, Verizon will continue to see the technology advance and efficiencies improve. Integration with technologies like Bluetooth are in the near future, and the continued increase in speeds on wireless networks (like Verizon Wireless’ EV-DO revA) will only allow the company to do more and more with less time and effort. Soon applications such as wireless credit card swipes or point of sale applications in the field will be standard. Some makers of integrated mobile communication systems are adopting dual-mode technologies that enable their fleet customers to take advantage of both the broad geographic coverage offered by satellites and highvolume, low-cost data transmission over cellular phone networks. Summary In conclusion, filing mounds of paperwork just cannot work with today’s fuel costs. We must, as managers, embrace wireless solutions and find ways to get our employees to do the same. It is worth the expense to invest in tools to improve employee accountability and productivity while decreasing fleet costs. Initial pilot programs among fleets all over the country concur. If you are finding it difficult to generate year-over-year incremental cost savings and your job is too paper intensive, an investment in wireless technologies will help greatly. ■ 34 GEORGIA 315650_Clough.indd 1 COUNTY GOVERNMENT 2/8/07 3:44:00 AM http://www.cloughharbour.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Georgia County Government - September 2008

Georgia County Government - September 2008 Contents President’s Message County Matters Cobb County: Quality of Life is Job No. 1 Innovative Transportation Financing in Georgia Drive Your Fleet into the Next Generation of Efficiency, Profits Spotlight: Georgia Technology Authority Media Productions GEMA News: Hurricane Season Could Cause Natural Gas Spike GDEcD News: Communities Receive Funds to Develop Tourism Assets Georgia’s Grand Old Courthouses: Upson County Extension News: Radon: Georgia’s Silent Danger Research Corner: Conserving Fuel Costs in Your County Staff News County Parade Index of Advertisers

Georgia County Government - September 2008

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