GPS Tracking ROI

It’s nice to see friends succeeding, especially when you know they are succeeding by helping others succeed.

Fleet-management specialist GeoTab has opted for general packet radio service (GPRS) as its live data transfer option, as it provides constant data transfer which enables uninterrupted monitoring of vehicles.
As it is constantly live, there is no need to poll vehicles by means of sms or other methods. GPRS is unique as the user pays for data and not the time spent online.
As a result, GPRS is an affordable and effective communication platform for the fleet-management solutions offered by Geotab.
Geotab is more than just a fleet-management system; it is a resource- management tool, enthuses national sales manager Stewart Somerville.
“As GPRS rolls out across Africa, we find our growth on the continent is exceptional and our presence in North America has also given us a foothold into the world’s largest market.” The company’s international distributors employ over 250 people in 32 different countries. Full Article Here:

For several years I operated a home-base value added reseller business featuring GeoTab North America products. GeoTab originally had its roots in South Africa, and it’s nice to see they are still doing good business there by providing a real service to small and large businesses. Service that immediately translates to the bottom lone, reduces accidents and keeps people employed. There are, sadly, a lot of “Crooked E” (Enron) type companies and a lot of Ken Lay’s still in the business world, but there are also great products and people who make money by helping others make money. You can visit here to learn more about GeoTab North America here (disclaimer, this is not an affiliate link, I no longer have a selling relationship with these folks).

But the real reason I’m writing today is simple. There’s a lot of undercurrent about the supposed bad things that GPS can do … I even write about them here, regularly. Way too little is being written about the good things, in my view.

I’m not intimately familiar with the South African success stories in the linked article, but I am very familiar with some US-based real-world results. Take a look at the mention of the highly successful program with Orkin Pest Control. Orkin ponyed up about $2.5 million USD to equip their entire North American fleet. (I’ll do the Rand to Dollars conversion for you so you don’t have to interrupt the flow). Well, I can hear a huge percentage of my reader’s scoffing, “As usual, Dave is off his nut .. I don’t have that kind of money so why am I wasting my time reading”?

Hang with me, I’m going to show you that you do have that kind of money. You don’t think Orkin just sat down and wrote a check, do you?

They rolled out a small, initial trial on their fleet and immediately saw a rate of return on their money. In fact, now that the whole fleet is equipped they are saving over $8.5 million US per year, more than $4 million in fuel and fleet maintenance costs alone.

Do the math. They invested $2.5 million and got a return on investment (ROI) of $8.5 million. This GPS tracking ROI crossed the investment/profit line in way less than one year of operation … and the best part? Since the GPS tracking system has essentially no monthly cost, every cent of that $8.5 million is going straight to Orkin’s bottom line.

Aside from making you think about buying shares of ROL (Rollins Inc., Orkin’s parent company) does this make you think about anything with regard to your business? An ROI in less than a year? A significant profit boost after attaining ROI? Using a purchase lease to eliminate almost all up front cost?

If you’re a business manager and you aren’t measuring what you manage using intelligent GPS tracking then you better re-read some of this info and get out your list of 2007 New Year’s resolutions.

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