The San Diego Better Business Bureau (BBB) published this article, written by Yukon Palmer, CEO of FieldLogix GPS Fleet Tracking System, in February 2012.
Considering the proliferation of GPS tracking technology, many business are being solicited by dozens of GPS fleet management providers.
You really want to make sure that you’re getting all the fleet tracking features you need, but aren’t overpaying for things that you’re never going to use. There are a lot of choices and it can be overwhelming.
There are four major items you should consider before moving forward with a GPS fleet tracking solution:
1. Does the product really meet your needs? Many systems offer bells and whistles that may or may not be relevant to your business. Avoid buying a solution with lots of “neat” features if you are paying a premium and will rarely use them.
2. Is the company a direct provider or just a reseller of someone else’s product? Being a reseller isn’t a bad thing, but just make sure that they will provide support for the product. Often times resellers do not offer support because they just focus on sales. If the system’s actual provider doesn’t provide sufficient support, you will be left with a lot of headaches while trying to figure out who will resolve your problems.
3. How long as the company been around? Avoid “fly-by-night” providers that just started operations within the past 1-3 years. If they can’t demonstrate that they will be around for the long term, keep looking for other providers. You also do not want a company that is trying to get to a financial breakeven point in this economy. A new provider may eventually go out of business because they can’t generate the sales they need to reach breakeven due to a difficult economy.
4. Can they provide references? The rule of thumb is that you should speak with someone that has a company similar in size to your own and has been using the system for over 1 year. If you have a small company, speak to another small company to determine if they help or ignore them. If you have a large company, speak with another large company to determine if the provider has the resources to meet your needs.
