Looking for new ways to grow your business? You're not alone.
Companies everywhere are seeking to expand their reach, and one increasingly popular way to do this is through enterprise fleet management.
By using a fleet of vehicles specifically tailored to your business needs – either your own or a dedicated fleet service – you can significantly improve your local delivery coverage and customer satisfaction. Better yet, enterprise fleet services can be customized to fit any budget.
Here, we dive into the benefits of enterprise fleet management services and explore how they can help you take your business to the next level.
If your business routinely transports products from A to Ziing – and, ultimately, the homes and neighborhoods where your end customers live – you’ll need vehicles to get them there. Fleet management is the organization of everything to do with these vehicles, from route planning to driver management and vehicle acquisition.
Sounds simple when you put it like that, doesn’t it? However, the industry has grown increasingly sophisticated, with a bunch of apps and systems that track all kinds of data, from fuel costs to driver behavior and temperature sensors.
As companies look to streamline and optimize their delivery systems to reach more people where they live and work, they need help navigating all of this data. All things considered, it’s no wonder that the fleet management market is predicted to be worth $52.4 billion by 2027.
Spoiler alert: You don’t actually need to operate your own company vehicles to reap the benefits of fleet management services. Third-party management is an option too.
Certainly, if you do have a private fleet, then fleet management services help you operate more efficiently. Dedicated account managers will look after everything from financial planning to compliance, insurance, and driver training, freeing your time to concentrate on your core business.
The term also covers third-party logistics, which is when companies who don’t have their own vehicles partner with a dedicated transportation team to provide their delivery services.
Either way, these services can benefit any company looking to improve their local delivery coverage, particularly in industries with complex requirements and where time-sensitive delivery is crucial, for example:
Whether you operate your own fleet of vehicles or partner with a logistics firm, enterprise fleet management can make a big difference to your business. Here’s how partnering with an expert on your fleet-related needs can help you expand your reach:
Delivering a pair of glasses isn’t the same as transporting a crate of milk cartons. Every sector has its own considerations when it comes to delivery – so while special care and attention might be required for fragile products in the eyewear industry, temperature control is crucial for food and grocery deliveries.
If your business is concentrated around certain times of the year, like the holidays, your might need a more flexible program to help you ramp up delivery capacity to meet seasonal demand without having to pay for company trucks to sit around idling throughout the rest of the year.
When you partner with an enterprise fleet management provider, one of the biggest benefits is that they can tailor their service to find the best solution for your needs, company size, and budget.
When you’re looking to grow your business, delivery options matter. According to McKinsey, more than 90% of consumers expect two- or three-day delivery, with 46% of online shoppers abandoning their carts if they have to wait longer.
Fleet management can help you meet these expectations across a broader geographical area. It can ensure capacity by recruiting and training drivers, as well as improving their work satisfaction so that you always have the bandwidth to meet your local delivery promise.
And with a fleet expert providing hands-on management of compliance, insurance, and safety across different regions, you’re better positioned to break into new markets.
Ecommerce is booming. Gartner reports that 86% of marketing leaders believe digital commerce will be the most important channel within two years. Nonetheless, consumers expect a seamless brand experience – and this includes delivery. In other words, if you fail to meet expectations at the doorstep, you risk falling behind the competition.
Enterprise fleet management significantly improves the experience for your customers. For example, you might use software that keeps you up to date with vehicle maintenance, ensuring that unexpected breakdowns don't lead to disappointment. Live mapping lets you track deliveries and reroute them if necessary to meet your SLAs.
Of course, fleet management can also help with customer communications, from automated updates at key points in the journey to maps that allow consumers to follow their delivery in real time.
Maintenance, leasing, insurance premiums, driver training… the costs involved in running a fleet of vehicles sure add up. Fleet management can save thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of dollars in operating costs, whether you have your own fleet or choose to outsource.
Outsourcing immediately releases you from the capital investment and day-to-day burden of maintaining a private fleet, not to mention hiring dedicated employees and the administration costs of overseeing everything in-house. You also benefit from volume incentives or the kind of vehicle savings enjoyed by larger organizations.
If you do have your own private vehicles, fleet management will enable you to streamline operations to save time and money. For example, software might help you optimize routes to reduce fuel costs, produce fewer carbon emissions, and identify opportunities to save money.
Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges facing the logistics industry, and it’s increasingly important to consumers too. Partnering with a fleet management services company can significantly reduce the environmental impact of your transportation and delivery.
When you opt for third-party logistics services, you can tap into the latest award-winning technology and industry expertise. Increasingly, this means alternative fuels and environmentally friendly options such as electric vehicles and drones, all of which contribute to more responsible delivery.
Software plays a big part in sustainability, too. For example, the best enterprise fleet management services leverage new technology to help you calculate your carbon footprint and identify the most efficient delivery routes to minimize emissions.
The brand experience doesn’t end when a consumer places an order on your website. These days, consumers expect excellent service at every stage – including the moment a product is delivered into their hands.
Enterprise fleet management services can help you grow your business and build your brand by reaching a wider range of customers with best-in-class local delivery.
At Ziing, we offer data-driven, sustainable logistics solutions that empower SMEs. With us as your partner, we’ll work together to provide responsible delivery that delights your customers time after time.
Eager to learn more? Contact us today.