GPS tracking as a People Tool?
So, what did you think? This guy has some great ideas, I thought. Did you happen to look at Point #4, Recognizing Good Performance? this is a management technique advocated by nearly every business educator who ever lived. Easy to say. Not always so easy to do. If you have a fleet of delivery drivers, service techs, route salesman, anyone who is mobile and affects your business’s profit and loss then you are a great candidate for using GPS tracking. Quick, based on your knowledge, right off the top of your head, who made the most money per mile last month? Who idled less? Who served the most customers per day? These and other key business questions would be at your fingertips with a business-oriented GPS system and you would know the most effective place to distribute that small amount you’ve been saving for a Christmas bonus. If you have to face the unpleasant thought that someone will have to go right after the holidays, then you have the instant access to the other side of your business … who’s the poorest performer and how to you know you’ve picked the right guy to single out. Are you in a state where employees have a chance to sue for wrongful termination? Is the guy you want to let go a minority or the oldest person in the work force? Well, if it comes to them bring a discrimination suit, think of how much better you and your lawyer would feel going into court with the documentation to prove your decision was based on legitimate business reasons.
Have you given some thought to Point #6, Run a Good Company? Everyone knows that there are no infallible crystal balls. What if things go slower next year than you had hoped? With a properly used GPS tracking system your employees will know you are doing everything you can to make the company strong and there will no arguments and second-guessing when you make changes, based on facts and not gut reactions.
GPS Tracking can help big time with Points 8 and 10 as well. You know how hard the decision is when you have to decide when to send the new employee out alone. But too much training time being supervised by an experienced employee is just as bad, bottom line-wise. With a GPS business tool you can supervise from afar. The silent witness will make sure the new folks are on track and make sure that the old hands are being held accountable for their actions.
If there’s an accident or an accusation of bad driving or customer neglect that turns out not to be your employee’s fault, then you’ll have that information at your finger tips … when an employee is falsely accused and you have the ammunition you need to go to bat for him or her, the news will spread faster through the company than a layoff rumor. This is one of the hidden ROI’s for GPS technology.
Time is awasting … perhaps you can take advantage of a year end tax break? Whatever you decide, best of luck with your business in 2006 and remember, you can only manage what you can measure.