The key thing driving TomTom’s 2016 BusinessCar Techies success is the innovative development of opening up its Webfleet platform to allow third-party development of apps and integrations.
The basic system itself impresses in terms of the fleet management functionality that handles real-time vehicle tracking, historic journey records, job dispatch and reporting, but it is the ability to allow users to have their own bespoke apps developed, tailored to their business requirements, that sets TomTom apart.
The telematics system can therefore be combined with customer relationship management or enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, and a widespread example is the development of Webfleet for Sales Cloud, which integrates with the Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) system to allow, according to TomTom, functions such as automatic trip reporting, simplified appointment management and in-depth sales reporting.
Webfleet is used to manage more than 625,000 vehicles worldwide, according to the company, and other strengths quoted by TomTom include integration with leasing and maintenance platforms so telematics can pull fault codes from vehicles to ensure remedial work is rapidly scheduled, while location tracking ensures recovery vehicles are sent to the right location in the event of a breakdown or incident.
Mobile workflow apps can also be developed and adapted to suit an individual company’s situation and needs, covering, for example, vehicle checks, mileage logging, and the sending or receiving of job information on one device.
The Webfleet system also allows driver coaching and improvement through Optidrive 360, a system that monitors driver behaviour and reports on speeding, harsh braking or sudden direction changes, idling and real-time and average fuel consumption, as well as advising drivers on, for example, the optimum speed based on fuel efficiency and speed limit, when to change gear and when to release the accelerator. Managers get access to a dashboard that highlights trends in individual behaviour via colour-coded charts, as well as in-depth reports for deeper levels of analysis.
TomTom says the goal of Webfleet is to help businesses improve fleet efficiency and vehicle use, reduce fuel costs and support business drivers, and via a bright, modern and innovative approach to software development, it is managing to achieve just that.
Highly commended – RAC Telematics
Described by one judge as “very clever stuff”, RAC Telematics’ black box-based device plugs into a vehicle’s on-board diagnostics port, which means it’s compatible with any vehicle built after 2001, and runs on its own SIM card through the EE network, rather than relying on mobile phone coverage.
The RAC claims its system has “the most advanced crash-detection function on the market”, and the system is designed to provide accurate First Notification of Loss data to help keep insurance claims under control.
Highly Commended – Radius Payment Solutions Kinesis
The whole point of Radius’s Kinesis system is that it’s designed to be as easy as possible to access and delve into, with the firm targeting an intuitive design to allow customers to both use and benefit from the system immediately.
Accessible via website, mobile or smartphone app, Kinesis tracks harsh braking, acceleration, speeding and idling through, what the firm describes as, an “intuitive dashboard” that “makes it so simple that businesses, even time-poor SMEs, can be reducing fuel spend immediately without instruction” through better driving from their employees. Kinesis can also be integrated with Radius’s own fuel card, allowing mpg reporting that the company claims is “the most accurate on the market”.
