With the ongoing pivot by many companies to an at-home delivery model, fleet operations will likely expand if not in size, at least in scope. As a consequence, fleets will become a crucial component in delivering bottom-line value as the economy moves to the new normal of the post-COVID world.

In fact, the last-mile delivery market is expected to grow from its current $39.57 billion to about $66 billion by 2026; a yearly 8.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

To put it in practical terms, fleets will need to meet this challenge by either expanding — the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 5% job growth for delivery drivers annually until 2029 — or they’ll need to become more efficient. In all probability, they’ll have to do both.

Many fleets are already highly efficient, relying on fleet management solutions, including telematics, to monitor driver behavior, vehicle health, and asset location. But as companies become reliant on their fleet operations to contribute directly to the bottom line, they need a way to manage both their vehicles and their field employees to maximum effect.

The Bottom-Line Benefits of Connectivity

Fundamentally, fleet management solutions, such as telematics, can optimize workforce management by providing full connectivity with and visibility on each individual field employee. This connectivity also helps gather necessary data on the realities of the current operations, providing insights into areas where the operation can be improved.

And by turning their telematics solution to a focus on workforce optimization, there are eight potential bottom-line benefits that fleets may experience, including:

1. Cost-efficient customer service. Customers can receive superior customer service, but in a way that isn’t cost prohibitive. Data can be used to benchmark how long a delivery or service call should take, helping to set schedules, routes, and other operational functions.
2. Accurate, reliable navigation. Being able to get to a location quickly and efficiently will help field employees improve their productive hours. At the core of many fleet management solutions is accurate GPS and mapping functionality that provides turn-by-turn directions to any address.
3. Flexible scheduling and planning. As the past year has proven, flexibility is paramount in meeting customer needs. The unforeseen can happen at any time, and a robust telematics solution can help fleet, delivery, or service managers meet unexpected demands or emergencies.
4. Better visibility in the field. Field employees are typically resourceful and independent, but being able to monitor whether they’re staying on schedule and are safe and secure will help them better utilize their work hours and benefit the entire enterprise.
5. Dispatching based on specific needs. With a data-driven telematics solution, fleets can meet specific surges or reapportion assets where and when they’re needed most.
6. Optimized routes and fuel costs. Route optimization tools will help dispatchers develop schedules that increase the number of jobs and appointments a field employee can accomplish, while decreasing the amount of fuel used. Cutting fuel costs is an ongoing challenge for many fleet managers, and route optimization is among the most significant ways that fuel use can be slashed.
7. Less paper, more time to work. Workforce management tools can take the burden of paperwork out of the hands of your field employees. Forms can be filled in automatically with reports and invoices generated electronically and submitted directly to back-office and administrative personnel. This frees the field employee to focus on their primary job.
8. Near real-time communications. Communication is the lifeblood of any field organization, and fleet management solutions will help to optimize the ability for dispatch and other office personnel to stay in touch with field employees and vice versa.

Optimizing Your Toolbox

To successfully optimize your workforce, you need the right tools. Working with a partner committed to your company’s success and your field employees’ productivity and safety is the critical first step to meet the growing demand for an optimized workforce.

Verizon Connect Workforce provides the tools enterprise-size fleets need to optimize their field operations. The complete job and mobile worker management solution automates manual processes, giving workers easy-to-use mobile apps to help them do their jobs in the field efficiently, productively and safely.

Here are some of the many benefits of Verizon Connect Workforce:

• Improved resource allocation with dispatching and planning tools.
• Optimized routing for better productivity
• Connectivity with mobile workers
• Tools designed to improve worker communication with back-office staff
• Digital proof-of-service collection in the field
• Cut down on manual processes with automatic notifications and alerts
• Provide enhanced communication with customers

For fleet managers and stakeholders, Verizon Connect Workforce can help you determine if current vehicle and staff levels are correct, plan for future growth with capacity planning, and test what-if scenarios to enhance operational decisions.

To learn more about Verizon Connect’s fleet workforce optimization solution go here.