By: Chris Lyon, NTEA director of fleet
relations
This article was published in the June 2016 edition of NTEA
News.
Have you ever had a problem at work follow you home after a long day?
Running a fleet can be a daunting task, with an inconceivable number of issues
able to halt an entire operation. One concern that could be keeping your
customers awake at night is money. Maintaining a positive cash flow is
fundamental for any business. However, for fleet managers, a positive operating
budget is a key metric for success. Fleet professionals have not forgotten the
financial challenges faced in recent years, prompting them to implement leaner
practices for controlling budgets and operating costs.
Find solutions
Coming up with viable
solutions is significant to any strategic customer partnership. First, it’s
important to identify each customer’s unique characteristics. Fleets and
businesses are continuing to evolve and grow, and millennials are entering the
workforce with new procurement and operating strategies.
Keep in mind, you may not be working with a one-stop-shop fleet
manager. You may be dealing with a purchasing or sourcing professional who may
or may not have fleet experience. For this reason, it’s crucial to get
acquainted with your customers and their position within an organization, be
proactive and manage expectations.
Understand your customer
Fleet
processes have developed over the course of time. Purchasing roles for some
organizations have extended beyond traditional fleet managers and are handled
instead by a sourcing or purchasing department or a fleet management company.
Understanding specific customer roles can strengthen business partnerships.
In addition, be aware of end-user vehicle and equipment requirements.
Someone in a sourcing or purchasing department may not have the necessary
training to recognize all relevant aspects surrounding complex work vehicles.
Being preemptive and asking the right questions enables you to better serve
customers and supply the best return on investment. This could be as simple as
working with them on specification development or as complex as presenting
value-added features which could increase productivity and reduce overall
life-cycle costs.
Define customer
expectations
Ultimately, the foundation for building
solid customer relationships is delivering a quality product on time at the
lowest cost. However, it’s important to go even deeper, addressing the different
expectations of the next generation. Technology is changing
rapidly. In fact, computer speed supposedly doubles every 12 to 15
months. To thrive in the current business climate, your organization needs to
keep up with the times.
Even the concept of communication has changed dramatically.
Arrangements previously handled with lunch and a handshake are now being
conducted by video conference and email. Given the many hats fleet professionals
wear and the complexities they face, it’s important to get familiar with their
concerns and stay on top of the latest innovations so you can effectively meet
their needs.
If you have any questions on fleet-related matters, contact
Christopher Lyon at 248-479-8196 or chris@ntea.com.