Fleets may be suffering from 'app fatigue' with hundreds of specialist apps on offer but too few offering really useful functionality, according to Chevin Fleet Solutions.

The company, which specialises in fleet management software, says the range of apps from manufacturers, contract hire companies, daily rental providers, fuel card companies and many more can be overwhelming.

Managing director Ashley Sowerby said: “In terms of software design, an app is quite a specific thing. It is really a solution designed for a common and simple yet important task that needs to be accessible while on the move.

“However, if you look at the range of apps that have been made available to fleets during the last few years, very few of them fall into this category and many offer functions that are probably better accessed through a web site or other internet platform. Too many appear to have been driven by the marketing department rather than by a genuine fleet need.”

Sowerby pointed to general research that suggests one in four apps are only ever used once by the person that downloads them.

He said: “Our experience is that this level of acceptance is probably typical in the fleet sector. It is disappointing because ultimately, it creates scepticism about the possibilities that apps offer rather than allowing them to be recognised for the advantages that they bring – speed, portability and a very direct kind of functionality.”

Chevin has just launched its first app. FleetWave Mobile is designed to be used in conjunction with the company’s well-established FleetWave fleet management system and will work on Android and mobile Windows smartphones and tablets with an Apple iOS version also in development.

The app can be adapted to the needs of individual organisations to gather fleet or other operational information using manual input, QR codes, bar codes or pictures. It does not have to be online to capture data – information can be stored and then uploaded later on.

Sowerby said: “We have waited a long time to launch an app but we wanted to ensure that we came up with something that genuinely made use of the technology available to offer something to customers that they would find really productive and useful.

“Certainly, we have had many conversations in the last few years about whether we should have launched an app earlier, really just for the sake of having one, but we are sure that we have followed the right path by concentrating on functionality first.”