Fleet Software Buyers Guide
Based on both our own experiences, and those of our customers, we have put together the following guide to help you make an informed decision when it comes to choosing Fleet Software for your operation.
View the system in action
- Demand an on-site presentation
- make sure the vendor shows you 'real, available and working' software.
Some vendors use PowerPoint slides to describe what their software can do, without actually showing you the real thing.
If they don't show you what it is that they want you to buy, ask why!
Another misrepresentation that we have heard about is where the vendor over-focuses on reporting, but fails to spend time looking at the input and process side (i.e., the parts of the system that your operators will be using every day). If the presentation is too report focussed, make them show the input and processes tools. Sexy reports have their place, but if it is difficult to use the system then you will have acceptance issues.
ACTION: View the real software, if not shown, then reject the vendor
Take a Test Drive
Can the vendor provide a test copy of the software for you to evaluate? In your own time?
Get your staff involved in the testing and make sure they use the software themselves, not simply being led by a sales person.
ACTION: Test drive the software yourself
Web-based vs Web-enabled
These two may sound similar but are poles apart in terms of technological approach, scalability and licence cost. In Summary;
Web-based
Purpose built to operate in a web environment, as such it should offer much greater performance and scalability at a vastly reduced cost, and with minimal on-going support and licence requirements.
Web-enabled
Uses third-party add-ons to allow older legacy systems use the web. However, these applications rarely behave as a true web-application, and their behaviour is often best described as quirky. If a proposed solution requires Citrix or Progress, for example, it is most likely web-enabled
ACTION: Identify if the solution is web-based or web-enabled. Are third-party licences required, if so at what cost? Can it scale?
CHOOSE A WEB-BASED SOLUTION
Costs - more than just the licence fee
Get a full breakdown of system costs so that there are no hidden surprises. The costs should include:
- installation
- configuration
- data conversion (where necessary)
- third party licence fees (reporting, citrix, database if needed)
- training
- support
ACTION: Compare only total project costs, not individual items.
Think future
Think about the future. Ensure your chosen system is flexible enough to bend to meet organisational changes as they occur, without having to pay thousands, or tens of thousands, in development costs.
ACTION: Future proof your investment.
What Now?
Contact Chevin Fleet Solutions for more information or to arrange a demonstration
