Behind the scenes: Working for a telematics company

As a Geotab employee it is often in one’s best interest to install the product in your personal vehicle, or in the vehicle of a family member, in order to really get a feel for the device and ensure that you are able to provide the best support possible for customers. Even employees can reap the benefits of implementing telematics into their daily life and then further applying this to the enhancement of Geotab’s support system.

How does an employee benefit?

While these vehicle tracking units are used by employees to gain more knowledge on the device and software itself, there are several benefits that can be recognized through the inclusion of this technology in one’s daily driving activities:

• Receiving email notifications regarding your idling levels and through the observation of your fuel consumption, these devices allow you to reflect on and ultimately improve any poor driving habits.
• When your fellow co-workers are capable of observing both the frequency and whereabouts of your speeding activities, you can’t help but take note and make improvements.
• Through daily collaboration with customers and constant observation of how the data can be applied, it makes you reconsider your current driving behavior.

Personal experiences:

• A contributor recently got a call from his spouse after she had taken her vehicle for a service. The engine light had come on and the garage wanted to charge her an extra $95 to connect a scan tool and figure out what the problem was. A quick login to the database revealed that the thermostat was stuck in the open position. The money was saved, the part was ordered, and the problem was solved.
• The same vehicle was involved with a rustproofing company who claimed that someone had inspected the vehicle at a certain location. However, through observing the “Trips history” for that day, it was found that this was in fact false.
• A fellow co-worker was able to confront his teenage son with the evidence when it was revealed that the family car had been used for an unauthorized early morning joyride.
• Another co-worker was recently charged extra to have his new vehicle sent off for a treatment, only to find that his newly installed device recorded the fact that the vehicle never left the lot.

Knowing that employees can gain personal benefit and savings from the technology, it is clear that large fleets can gain even more. What are some of the direct or indirect benefits that you’ve found? Let us know what you think in the comment box below.

See also: Podcast: Behind the scenes at Geotab