Keeping track

A vehicle tracking system has enabled communications equipment provider and safety testing specialist Coltel Group to raise the customer service bar and save the company thousands of pounds a year.

Based in Aberdeen, Coltel has customers throughout Scotland.

After investing in Navman Wireless technology for its service and sales fleet, it has seen business efficiencies soar and costs plummet.

“With long-standing expertise in IT systems we advise businesses on a daily basis about the potential productivity and efficiency gains that can be enjoyed from appropriate business technologies,” says Coltel operations manager Ian Pawlett.

“We are mindful, however, that care must be taken when making a purchasing decision because its essential business technologies can be relied upon to deliver 24/7, particularly when it becomes integral to a company’s operations.

“In the case of Navman Wireless vehicle tracking, we’ve practiced what we preach. We invested in resilient business technology that has made us considerably more efficient and has improved our bottom line.”

Indeed for Coltel, the benefits have been far reaching.

Management has been able to keep track of its mobile workforce with far greater accuracy, and with a minimum of effort from office PCs using Navman Wireless OnlineAVL2 tracking software.

"When a customer call comes in, the company can instantly match the nearest and most appropriate service engineer or sales representative to the job, and even give the caller an estimated arrival time.

“To ascertain an employee’s whereabouts we previously had to make calls to their mobile phones, which could prove time consuming and could risk their safety if they took the calls when behind the wheel. With vehicle tracking, pinpointing driver locations couldn’t be easier,” says Pawlett.

“We have improved our response times by optimising the routes that our vehicles take and with the tracking software also providing us with in-depth traffic information, we reroute our drivers when necessary to avoid congestion.”

According to Pawlett, the increased efficiencies have reduced the company’s fuel bills by “thousands of pounds” a year.

Navman Wireless’s combined tracking, messaging and navigation system allows company technicians and sales staff to receive job information to their in-cab M-Nav 750 units.

All they have to do is accept the messages sent to them and the unit automatically launches an on-screen map directing them to their destination.

The software also enables detailed mileage expense reports to be generated at the touch of a button and exported directly into company accounts, guaranteeing accuracy and saving employees paperwork.

“Navman Wireless vehicle tracking has saved us a huge amount of money and has become so integral to our business that we could not afford to be without it,” Pawlett adds.